BookScouter.com
 | |
Type of site | Comparison shopping website |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, Delaware 39°44′21″N 75°32′23″W / 39.739071°N 75.539787°W |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Owner | BOOKSCOUTER LLC |
| Founder(s) | Brandon Checketts |
| Industry | Internet, Comparison Shopping, E-commerce |
| Products | books, used books, textbooks |
| Services | Online shopping |
| URL | https://bookscouter.com/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | August 6, 2007[1] |
| Current status | Active |
| Written in | PHP |
BookScouter.com is a comparison shopping website that helps buy, sell, and rent textbooks and used books online.[2] The website compares offers and prices from 30 booksellers and buyback vendors in the US and suggests the most fitting place to purchase or sell a given book.[3] The website is mainly used by college students.[4]
History
[edit]BookScouter was founded in 2007 by Brandon Checketts.[5][6][7] Checketts developed this price-comparison website to help students and recent graduates sell their used college books.[8] He first came up with this idea when he heard about how his wife's friend was selling her old college books to pay off her student loans.[9][10] Checketts created a working prototype that simplified and expedited the process by comparing prices from seven vendors at a time. The project was well-received, and Checketts kept growing it as a business.[11]
Business model
[edit]BookScouter's price comparison engine aggregates data from partnering vendors and their offers on a single book, identified by its unique ISBN.[12] BookScouter neither buys books directly from sellers nor sets the prices.[13] All the offers available on the website are set by vendors.[14]
BookScouter.com is an Amazon associate and earns commissions from qualifying purchases. The platform also offers Pro Tools for high-volume booksellers on a monthly subscription basis.[15] Pro Tools include bulk ISBN lookup, deals finder, historical price lookup, and recently searched high-value books identifier.[16]
Vendors and bookstores
[edit]BookScouter compares prices from AbeBooks, Amazon.com, ValoreBooks.com, Chegg.com, Powells.com, ThriftBooks, Booksrun.com, and other vendors and bookstores.[17]
Mobile
[edit]BookScouter App, available on iOS and Android, helps scan ISBNs quickly and check prices for used books from multiple vendors.[18][19] The app is popular among small book businesses and independent resellers.[20][21]
Other activities
[edit]BookScouter offers a quarterly scholarship of $500 for any enrolled student in the US.[22] This scholarship should be used towards acquiring textbooks and aims at easing students’ financial expenses.[23][24]
From 2019 to 2020, BookScouter produced The Studentpreneur Show — a podcast about student-run businesses and startups.[25] In each podcast episode, a guest tells about their experiences of founding and running companies while studying at college.[25]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Brandon Checketts". brandonchecketts.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Kathy Kristof,"The best places to sell unwanted clothes, art, furniture and more". Los Angeles Times. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "How to Get Rid of Practically Anything". consumerreports.org. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Randy Kaye,"CNN Saturday Morning News". edition.cnn.com. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Four Athens names Seller Labs co-founder Brandon Checketts Athens' 2015 founder of the year". onlineathens.com. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Andreia DeVries,"Selling Back Your Books". bu.edum. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "E-Commerce Applications with Brandon Checketts Co-Founder of Seller Labs". inspiredinsider.com. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Annie Pilon,"Spotlight: BookScouter Offers a Platform for Comparing Book Prices". smallbiztrends.com. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "The Strategies that Built SellerLabs, A Top E-Commerce Software Solution". skubana.com. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Dori Zinn,"Where To Sell Your Textbooks". forbes.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Aj Agrawal,"inc.com". inc.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Rick Orford,"Side Hustles for College Students". finance.yahoo.com. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "25 Best Places to Sell Books Online for Cash (Used, Textbooks". moneypantry.com. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Robert Farrington,"How To Resell Your Textbooks and The Best Places To Make A Profit". thecollegeinvestor.com. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Erin Huffstetler,"Best Things to Resell for Profit". liveabout.com. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Michelle,"How to Sell Used Books on BookScouter and Earn Money". webemployed.com. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "50 Methods To Make Money Online, Work Via Home Or Office". onehack.us. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "These 5 free apps help you declutter like a champ". fastcompany.com. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Lauren Browning,"18 Apps That Earn You Money". Business Insider. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "20 Apps That Make You Money". huffpost.com. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Gili Malinsky,"9 winter side hustles: Some could earn you hundreds of dollars a month". cnbc.com. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Trinity Owen,"How to Earn Money Selling Your Used Books with BookScouter". dollarsprout.com. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Ronda Kaysen,"9 winter side hustles: Some could earn you hundreds of dollars a month". New York Times. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Heather Yamada-Hosley,"BookScouter Helps You Get the Most Money for Your Unwanted Books". lifehacker.com. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b "The Studentpreneur Show". podcasts.apple.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.