Elliot Hirsch co-founder and president of SwapSimple.com and UA alumnus

UA students looking for cheaper textbooks and a way to get the most money for used books can find plenty of online resources, including a new book-trading Web site created by a UA alumnus.

At SwapSimple.com, students trade textbooks for other textbooks, replacing the traditional method of buying and reselling at a bookstore, said President Elliot Hirsch, who graduated from the UA in 2001 with a degree in psychology.

Hirsch said the idea for the company generated from his experience in college after becoming frustrated with buying expensive textbooks and receiving little money back when reselling his books.

"I remember selling a $100 book to the bookstore for practically nothing, and then they would put it back on the shelf and sell it for $80. It was hard to see that time after time," he said.

Dave Goldblatt co-founder of SwapSimple.com and UA alumnus

After college, he and two friends, Eric Haszlakiewicz and David Goldblatt, founded SwapSimple.com, the National Used Book Exchange, in 2003. Goldblatt was a student at the UA before transferring to Northern Arizona University.

Any student can register on the site for free. Once students begin posting books, they must enter their credit card information, but do not have to pay anything until they request a book, Hirsch said. As soon as the book is posted, that member receives instant trade credits.

Students who request books will use trade credits and pay about $5 per book, which includes the shipping cost and a $2 fee to SwapSimple.

Haszlakiewicz said because SwapSimple is national, students will be able to find books that might not be available locally because semesters at various universities don't always coincide, so they might overlap in time, Haszlakiewicz said.

"When you look at it from a national perspective, more classes are being offered and a student (in one state) might be done with a class, while a student across the country might need it right away," Haszlakiewicz said.

Since launching, SwapSimple.com has gained more than 100 members, but its co-founders said they are hoping the service will grow with the need for cheaper textbooks and through word of mouth.

"The more people that sign up, the better selection of textbooks there will be, and we'll be adding many new features as the service grows," Haszlakiewicz said.

Hirsch and his colleagues now have the challenge of convincing students who find online purchasing complicated or inconvenient. Other students, however, have already responded positively to the Web site's idea.

Ryan Vroom, a mechanical engineering sophomore, bought all of his books at the campus bookstore after the first day of classes was over. He has never shopped online because he finds the bookstore more convenient, he said.

"I never buy books beforehand, because I'll change my schedule up until the last minute," Vroom said.

Vroom, who had never heard of SwapSimple.com before, said that he recently spoke with a friend about a similar idea he once had.

"I thought there should be something like an eBay for students, called bookbay or something," he said.

The online auction Web site eBay has created another website marketed toward students called Half.com, where students can purchase textbooks and other goods inexpensively.

Half.com works differently than eBay because there is no bidding, and it serves a different market than companies like SwapSimple.com, or even amazon.com, said Catherine Hatch, senior spokeswoman for eBay.

Jacob Wexler, a retailing and consumer sciences sophomore, said he bought most of his books on Amazon.com. He said he found the cheapest books through the search engine Bigwords.com.

Bigwords.com was founded in 2001 and uses a search engine to find the cheapest textbooks from a list of vendors, said CEO Jeff Sherwood. Students who use the site usually return to it and can save over $100 each time, he said.

Wexler said he is comfortable with shopping online, and by using Bigwords.com he saved at least $100 this semester.

When told about SwapSimple.com, Wexler seemed enthusiastic about the service.

"I think it's a really cool idea," he said. "I think I'll check it out."

Raymond Roque, a creative writing senior, said his choice not to buy books online was not just personal preference, but also because of logistical obstacles. Roque said upperclassmen like himself might not use a site like SwapSimple.com because books for upper level classes are in less demand than first year courses.

"Juniors and seniors are going to have to buy specialized books, unlike freshmen who all buy general education books," Roque said. "So there will be fewer people who will trade with upperclassmen."

For younger students who might benefit from a service like SwapSimple.com, Roque suggested that other books, like novels or plays, be made available because they do not change as frequently as textbooks.

"If I needed to buy five Shakespearean plays for an English class, and I could get them for $3 to $5 on a Web site, I would probably do it," Roque said.

Expensive textbooks have definitely become a problem, said Roque, who estimates he spends an average of $300 on books per semester.

Hirsch said he is confident that SwapSimple.com will attract students who hear about it and need to save money.

"We hope students can see the potential in the site and start listing books right away," he said.