freetextbooks blog

Before you stress about buying this year’s textbooks here are the 5 most important things you need to know!

1.) How do I avoid overpaying for textbooks?

The easiest way to save on textbooks is to skip the bookstore. This is nothing against you and your school spirit! The simple fact is: they’re the most expensive books. We highly recommend you use our app to search for books because we have thousands of free books, plus, all others are at great prices. However, you do have hundreds of online sellers to chose from—just be sure they are trustworthy!

2.) Do we need books the first day?

No, unless your professor has explicitly said so already. Your first day of class, or “syllabus day” is a good day to figure out which books you’re going to need. Most intro classes have test questions that come from the book, but going to class the first day often clears up whether you need the book or not.

3.) Rent or Buy?

There are pros and cons to both. A book rental means you’re limited on how much you highlight and write in the book. Obviously, this is the cheaper option up front, but watch out for expensive late fees and charges for unreturned or damaged books. Buying books will cost more than a rental. Especially, new books. However, you do have the option to sell back at the end of the semester. If you know you need a book for two semesters, it typically makes more sense to buy. If there are only new editions available (ie. $$$ book cost) and it’s a one-and-done course, renting is the way to go.

4.) What about shipping?

This depends on whom you buy from. Most books online (even Amazon) take between 5-10 days to arrive which could be too late for your first pop quiz. Often, it’s worth the extra $5 for faster shipping to know your books will be there in time for your 2nd week of class. FreeTextbooks is rolling out 1-hour book delivery at Auburn and Baylor this semester to help people get the cheapest books, super fast. We’re planning to roll this out at our best schools in the next 12 months. Because, sometimes you just can’t wait.

5.) Access codes, clickers, oh my!

When looking at your required items you might see more than just textbooks—there could be supplemental materials that are also required, often bundled with the textbook by the school to charge more $$$. Even worse, many can be single-use and often times must be bought new. We’d (again) wait until after the first day, as you’ll have a better idea if they are necessary or optional. Often, you can find out which items are inside the bundle and buy them separately to really save some dough.

Buying textbooks is about as appealing as going to the dentist. But, we’re setting out to keep students and families from getting ripped off, and making the process quick and painless. Don’t be overwhelmed! If something is confusing just text our customer support team at 205-636-8121! It doesn’t matter where you’re buying, where you’re looking, or what the question is. We know textbooks!

Our intern Hailey talks about why she’s excited about our upcoming event: Hey, College. Register now!

If I could give any high schooler a piece of advice, it would be to surround yourself with people who encourage you and challenge you to be a better person. 

This year, I’ve had a hard time with school and I’ve hit a rough patch with friends. I put all my attention into work to distract myself from the struggles of high school. I refused to acknowledge how much I was affected by the hard time I was having until McCall (my boss) told me it was ok to ask her for help. She wasn't talking about just work, she meant the other aspects of my life. It brought to my attention, once again, that FreeTextbooks is a company that focuses on the importance of people, families, and co-workers. 

This group of young, business men and women work hard to continually improve the culture of their work environment. They really are here to help with school, questions I have about college, and transitioning from a life I’ve always known into the college abyss. And, I was lucky to stumble into this internship that really is useful to my day-to-day high school life. Every high schooler should have the same resources to college info that I have, and that’s why I’m so excited for this Hey, College! event, hosted by the FreeTextbooks team. 

This team realized they had an abundance of knowledge about life-after-high school, and no one to share it with who wasn’t already in college. So, we decided to host an event for high school seniors. This event is going to be a really cool way for seniors to build a network from schools like Auburn and Alabama, to Samford and Birmingham Southern. We will meet with college students already at these schools, have time to ask the stressful questions, and meet other seniors also going to the same schools. This might be the only chance and the only resource open to some of the youth in the Birmingham area to learn what college is actually like before they dive into it- head first.

We’re excited to announce we have released an app update offering 3 new ways to be paid. 

As we set out to provide the best experience for our Student Reps and customers, we saw a need to expand our offerings for receiving payment. It’s here and we hope you love it :) 

Option #1: Check

We know sometimes customers want an old fashioned check. We’re happy to send a check to the address provided in the payment flow. We’ll put the check in the mail at the end of the business day and you should receive it in 2-5 business days. And, we’ll send you a text once we drop the check in the mail so you know it’s headed your way!

Option #2: Direct Deposit

The easiest, most direct way to pay customers. As long as you have your routing and account numbers (easily found on a check or online statement), this is a super easy way to receive payment! It takes 1-3 business day to show up in your account.

Option #3: Paypal

Paypal is not only a way you can send payment to other people, but lots of online merchants allow you to pay with your Paypal balance. (We’re talking serious online shopping) To deposit, all we need is the email associated with your account. We’ll process your payment within 1 business day and you should see it in your Paypal balance shortly after that!

We will continue to explore new payment processes as we move through the semester. If you or a customer runs into any issues please email [email protected]. We also welcome any feedback and ideas moving forward! 

It’s so much fun to build something that benefits our Reps and Students. Thanks for your support!

Natalie (on left) is our student Marketing Manager at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She's a freshman biology major, and she joined the FTB team just as she was settling into college life. Natalie shared some of her thoughts on dorm life with us. We know you can relate!

Dorms: most of us have been there at some point. Between living in a room half the size of yours at home, sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of girls, and the supposed end of one’s sanitary/private life; dorms get a bad rap.

For most, leaving home seems like the end of your comfort zone. But the oddest thing has happened. About a week into my winter break, I found myself missing it... terribly. I missed my roommates, my floor, and the community. I missed the ability to walk down the hall and hang with my friends when I needed a break from homework. I missed my cozy cubicle, and I even missed snuggling up in my bunk bed.

I never thought I’d say that, but it happened! Turns out I prefer my life at college. There’s something about the atmosphere. You’re surrounded (in every way) by kids your age, and they’re all coping with that odd transition between high school and college. They feel just as confused as you do! College is so fun and you’ve finally reached independence, but at the same time, you miss the convenience and warmth of your hometown and friends from home.

Freshman dorms also are like a boot camp for your social (and culinary) life. You learn pretty quickly how to introduce yourself to complete strangers like you were born doing it. I swear, you make more friends in the first month than you’ve had in your whole life. You become a connoisseur of dorm food (granola bars and ramen), and an expert in space-saving contraptions. You start reading articles like “33 Things You Can Cook in a Microwave,” and googling “How many calories are in an entire box of Cheez-Its?,” because nothing will stop you from putting on that Freshman 15.

First, yes, it has been done before.

When you begin buybacks 2 things usually happen: 1.) You start buying books and the more you buy the more you realize you’re about to make hella money or 2.) You buy a few books, they don’t seem to be worth much, & you stop trying.

This is like a choose your own adventure! It’s up to you if you want a 5K buyback or not. Everyone is scanning the same books, with the same prices, with similar failures and successes. We’ve diagnosed what makes for a successful buyback. Take note. It’s time to earn that cash money.

Don’t let old editions and skinny paperbacks get you down. People who run a successful buyback see a lot of books that aren’t worth much. Nobody is sabotaging you if the scanner reads 5 cents. Sorry, but your King Lear was printed a zillion times and it’s not worth anything. The good reps know that behind every 8 worthless paperbacks is a Business book that made the last 30 min of buying worth every second. 

It’s a Marathon not a Sprint. As in all things in life: time, effort, and a little strategy get you where you want to go. (Yeah, you can stick that one in your back pocket for later) Two hours buying back in the library is not going to get you a gold mine of books. You should be available multiple times a day to meet people, setup somewhere a lot of your friends & classmates will be passing through, and constantly spread the word.

Be that guy/girl. “Oh, Mallory’s talking about text books again.”, “Here goes Kevin.” WHO CARES YOU HAVE MORE MONEY. JK, but for real. Your friends might joke with you, but we guarantee you’re making their life easier. After a few semesters people will start coming to you. You’re their book person. Duh. Don’t back down from Facebook, Instagram, Groupme, Listservs...all the things! It’s one week. Spread the word, build up your customer base, and you’ll be glad you did.

Believe in what you’re doing. Hands down our team believes we are providing a valuable service for college students. We make it SO easy to sell books and get a fair price. Our customers are the 80% of students who want to get paid quick and get those annoying textbooks out of the way. As a FTB rep, you are helping them with something that is otherwise a huge pain in the a$$. Feel pride and confidence in what you’re doing. Out of that belief you will try harder, buy more books, and make good money doing it.

Our goal at FreeTextbooks is for you, our reps, to make money while getting experience with real world business practices. We feel like the principles above actually help you succeed in a multitude of arenas. Might as well start now! We’re here to give you the tools you need to be successful during your time at FreeTextbooks and beyond. Thanks again for being part of what we’re building. You’re the best!

A book's real value is relative to its supply vs. demand on the overall textbook marketplace. We comb over 50 marketplaces & competing offers to make sure our offers stay competitive and of course, beat the bookstore.

Custom publications for your school can only be resold at your school, meaning demand is much lower. Say 3 sections of 1 class require the custom book - the potential pool of students that we could resell to is only 100 instead of 10,000. Plus, custom books are often bundled with access codes, which means the next class will have to buy the new copy with the access, so they can't be resold as used. If we can't resell it, we can't buy it.

Loose-leaf textbooks are tough. You shouldn't buy them in the first place, because their resale value is way, way lower. If you're at the bookstore (which I hope you're not), and you can buy the loose-leaf for $70 but the hardcover for $100, buy the hardcover. The loose-leaf is going to have a buyback price around $15, whereas the hardcover could fetch as much as $50-60. 

Editions change. Why? Because publishers only sell a book once, whereas it may be sold & resold four or five times on the used market. This is probably the most frustrating thing students (and we) face. Once a new edition comes out, if every Psychology class at your school, and most around the country, are switching to the new edition next semester, we can't pay much for the old one. That's how you end up getting a $5 offer for a book that you paid $60 for. Granted, you paid $60 at the bookstore - if you'd bought (or rented) with us, it'd have been about $25. 

Paperback novels, particularly if it's a popular title, will often have a buyback price less than $1. Why? Because there's millions of these in print. Back to supply & demand - your book may have cost $15 new, but there's about a thousand on Amazon you can buy for less than $0.10. We can't pay $5 for something we'll end up selling for $1. 

Specific questions? Let me know - [email protected]

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FreeTextbooks equips student influencers with software to replace their bookstore, saving students hundreds of dollars a semester, and earning free textbooks.

What does that mean? It means we built a web & mobile app that lets your friends buy, rent or sell books from you, not the bookstore, while you make a pretty stout commission.

Our Campus Rep is our lifeline to growth. You’ll promote FreeTextbooks among your social circle & build the brand. You’ll coordinate your own textbook buyback--as much as $10,000 in books during finals week (which we pay for, of course). Once classes start, you’ll shift to sales/rentals & use our online dashboard to offer a cheaper, faster alternative to the bookstore or Amazon.

Show us a better way to work seasonally for $40 an hour. It’s probably illegal.

Use our online buyback dashboard or mobile app to run your own buyback.

Grade, box & coordinate with your director to get books shipped.

Help students find & order cheaper textbooks on our sales dashboard.

Email, text, tweet, whatever. Just get the word out.

Field student questions, even accept returns.

Constant contact with your FreeTextbooks campus director.

Requirements

Work as your schedule permits during first & last week of class.

Attend your campus meeting prior to peak seasons.

Small tasks here & there to build the brand on campus.

Quarterly performance reviews to adhere to requirements.

Benefits

Fixed commission on your buyback & sales.

Referral bonus for setting up other reps.

Snapshot of performance as a résumé supplement.

On each of our campuses thousands of textbooks are purchased by our team of student reps. The logistics intern is key to making sure the reps are equipped with supplies needed, and making sure inventory safely arrives to the FreeTextbooks warehouse.

This internship is ideal for a student looking for a job in logistics, supply chain, or management. The Logistics Intern will have the freedom to creatively and efficiently solve problems with distribution, shipping, and inventory on campus.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate with Marketing manager to have 10-15 deliveries per semester.

Lead a team of drivers and manage deliveries on the backend.

Distribute and pick-up boxes for student reps.

Train team on condition of books, how to pack a box, and how to print a shipping label.

Responsible for getting all books from campus to the FreeTextbooks office.

Think strategically for how FTB can run more smoothly on campus.

Recruit student influencers to join the FreeTextbooks team.

Compensation:

The key to campus success is campus awareness. Launching a small business on campus requires targeted, strategic marketing efforts. We're not talking about table-on-the-quad marketing efforts. We're talking about a campus buzzing because we just delivered 500 water guns to the bio building.

Our job is to give you a multi-faceted experience that will allow you to build a portfolio with writing, event planning, and strategic marketing plans. We're committed to helping you succeed while you discover more about your skills and talents.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate with Logistics Intern to have 10-15 delivery events per semester.

Decide what students would most want delivered, order, and pick-up delivery items

Share about FreeTextbooks with student groups, greek life, and other campus organizations.

Recruit student influencers to join the FreeTextbooks team.

Pitch to student papers and online publications about events we're hosting on campus.

Contribute to the FreeTextbooks blog.

Be awesome and have fun.

Compensation:

Meet Hailey our High School Intern for the year. She brings tremendous talent for her young age, and we are lucky to have her. We asked her what message she would like to share with her senior class. Great lessons for the young and the old...

Senior year is that awkward year where the 17 and 18 year olds of our society have one foot in high school and the other foot in college. Our minds are busy with the decisions of “what type of college town”, “enrollment numbers”, “public or private”, and even the “college majors”. In the midst of the decisions, we have to keep up with the AP work, the extracurricular activities, the sports, the job, the grades. However, senior year is the last year we have at home. And, in a few short months, we have to leave it behind.

I have found myself a few times sitting in my old reading chair with my 90 pound golden retriever in my lap, crying because I know he’ll think I’ve abandoned him when I don’t come home at the same time he’s used to. In fact I won’t be coming home much at all. If I could tell any senior anything, it would be this: spend this year investing in the people. School will sort itself out but these friends will only be around for a few more friday night football games, or monday afternoon trips to get ice cream, or car trips listening to the hits of the early 2000’s. You only have a few more Sunday nights left to have that family dinner, or to hear stories about what your parents were like when they were your age. And, let me tell you something that Free Textbooks has taught me in the few short weeks I’ve been apart of this team: Life isn’t about the grades or the money. It’s about the people, the experience, and the impact you make on people’s lives.

FreeTextbooks is a nationwide network of students using entrepreneurship to unlock the next generation of leaders.

First, we’re replacing bookstores by merging online pricing with one-hour delivery. We engage, onboard and manage our student influencers within their social pockets, equip them with our technology, and lead them through sales and marketing.

We’ve found that students love working within their peer circles to develop a relational sales model. We allow students reps to run a micro-startup within their social setting, reaching around 100 students, and earning commission on textbook orders.

Additionally, we’re on a mission to own campus commerce, using a one-hour delivery platform run by our rep teams. Students use our iPhone app to request campus delivery of various items — cupcakes, pizza, gift cards, and of course, textbooks. Rep teams advertise and staff the deliveries, working with their local marketing director to bring more products to students’ doorstep within an hour.

We’re hiring 4 new FreeTextbooks ninjas. Apply!

If you’ve landed your dream job, please stop reading. If you’re the other 99% we need to talk.

College is super awesome and then you have the daunting task of getting a job which seems way less awesome. Maybe you want to wear a suit & sit in a cubicle (no judgement) or maybe you know you need something more: more variety, more creativity, more learning, more fun.

We’re hiring 4 (relatively) recent grads interested in learning what it takes to build and grow a business. You’ll learn more about entrepreneurship, sales, & marketing with us than sitting in a cube eating a turkey sandwich. You’ll learn that in this world there are creators and consumers, and we’re the kind of people who want to create. Sure, textbooks are about as sexy as Mr. Rogers (R.I.P.), but we’re punching into a huge industry ripe for radical change.

Here’s the job description and where you can apply: freetextbooks.com/jobs

We’ve all been in your shoes. We’ve wondered if there’s a better option out there than a corporate america snoozefest. Well, it’s here and we’d love for you to apply.

Have questions? Just email [email protected]. We’re happy to answer any questions.