Textbook website competes for students' attention
By Natasha Marar
News Editor
August 29, 2007
Owned and operated by University of Windsor student Majid Siddiqui since June 2006, Windsorbookstore.com provides another option for students seeking a bargain on their textbooks.
“When I presented my idea to other students they really liked and appreciated it,” said Siddiqui, a fourth-year Business Administration student. “I used to have $500 to $600 worth of books on my credit card, so I can totally relate to students”
“Students can sell their books directly to Windsorbookstore.com or they can post their books on the website,” explained Siddiqui.
“The maximum charge for selling your textbooks is 5 per cent of the total sale price, and that’s only if they are new customers,” said Siddiqui. “If you are an existing customer you only pay 3 per cent.”
Costumers of Windsorbookstore.com enjoy free delivery within the city. “I have four students who deliver the books,” explained Siddiqui. “If the book is in stock it’s same day delivery,’ he added.
Windsorbookstore.com is also receiving requests for delivery outside of Windsor, in Tecumseh, Amherstburg, and LaSalle. “I want to make it free delivery for them too,” said Siddiqui, who charges $8 for delivery outside city limits.
Siddiqui is also receiving requests to ship books outside of the province. “In the past month I’ve received a lot of hits from British Columbian students who wanted me to order books because they couldn’t get it any cheaper,” said Siddiqui.
Windsorbookstore.com offers additional incentives to its customers. “Sometimes we offer promotions to students such as giving out movie or gift certificates,” explained Siddiqui. “Or depending on the book we sometimes give them 5 or 10 per cent off.”
Siddiqui’s web site also offers security for online shoppers. “Customers have the advantage that if they pay through credit card they can use PayPal, and they don’t need to have an account for it,” explained Siddiqui.
“Their information is stored on PayPal servers not with us,” Siddiqui added. “We want to make sure students are comfortable using their credit card online.”
Since the website launched, 121 students have either sold or bought textbooks from Windsorbookstore.com.
A large number of students will opt instead to buy and sell their textbooks from the University of Windsor Bookstore, UWSA Online Bookstore, other websites, classified ads, or posting flyers around campus.
The UWSA Online Bookstore, hosted at www.Books4exchange.com, allows students to buy and sell among each other, rather than selling their books directly to the UWSA.
“It’s up to the students to work out the transactions,” explains Nicole Morrell, Operations Manager for the UWSA. “We don’t make money from the sales,” she claimed.
Students opting to buy and sell their textbooks often use the services of the University of Windsor Bookstore.
“We’ve been buying books off students for the last four or five years,” said Cathy Ladouceur, Operations Manager for the Bookstore.
“We give [students] 50 percent of the value of the book. If we are not buying that book back, another institution will buy it and give between five and 35 percent,” remarked Ladouceur.
According to Ladouceur, the University Bookstore sells used textbooks back to students for 75 percent of the book’s value. Students are also given cash for their books up front. “It doesn’t depend on whether the book will sell again,” said Ladouceur.
“It’s not on consignment, we pay cash up front, whereas the UWSA [Online Bookstore] is on consignment basis,” said Ladouceur.
“We are dong everything we can to bring in as many textbooks as we can,” expressed Ladouceur.
“We try to have what the student needs and what they want.”
For Siddiqui, “The point is to help students save money towards their tuition.”
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