Students: Know Your Textbook Rights!
(cc) Flickr user roberthuffstutter
When it comes to selling your textbooks, you have rights. Even when your bookstore has a monopoly in your town, this Bill of Buyback Rights holds true. Print it off and take it with you!
The Bill of Buyback Rights
You have the right to fair treatment.
Your school exists to serve YOU, the student. If they are not treating you fairly at buyback time, they have failed in their main objective.You have the right to use your books for exams…
…and not have to worry about selling them before the bookstore hits their quota and drops their prices. Campus bookstores say to sell early to get the best prices, but your school (of all places) should care for your academic needs by holding the high prices until after your exams. Don’t be pressured to sell a book you need to study.You have the right to something better than wholesale prices.
When your campus bookstore hits their quota for the year (which usually happens on the first day of buyback), they drop to “wholesale prices,” which are insultingly low. You don’t have to take it!You have the right to a second opinion.
This is why BookFool exists and fights against monopolies for you.You have the right to shop around.
Any bookstore that refuses to let you compare prices does not have your best interests at heart.You have the right to think about an offer before accepting it.
If someone tries to pressure you to sell quickly, tell them to back off. You have a right to think about it.You have the right to walk away.
You can do anything with a book you own. You can throw it away, give it away, sell it online, whatever! And you never have to accept an offer that you don’t like.
Don’t get pushed around by textbook monopolies any more. Stand up for your rights!
(cc) Flickr user BL1961
Manager Training Fall 2009
We want to say a big Foolish thanks to our managers who made it out for manager training this Saturday. You are now prepared to free students from the monopolies that pay them so little for their books!
Here are a few shots from the day:
The night before, everything ready for your arrival.
The big screen.
Some of us had to attend live via Satellite.
Trying to get the hang of these signs.
The view from the stairs.
And finally, a short clip from the day:
Big Blue Facelift + An Homage to Whitman
And now, a few photos for this crazy Friday afternoon.
Facelift for Big Blue
Good ole Beauregarde. So loyal. So useful! We finally got around to sticking the giant logo on his back yesterday. What do you think?
Big Blue Logo Facelift
Big Blue Logo Facelift 2
A Little Inspiration to Rally the Troops
Whitman has long been a favorite of the Fool, so of course we would immortalize him in this 15-foot-high homage:
(Thanks to intern David for making this happen and for doing such a great job with it.)
Victims of the Corporate Assassination Squad
[This is the story of what happens when a Monopoly feels threatened by a competitor. They resort to Lies and to what Umair Haque calls Artificial Competition. They send out their goons to assassinate your reputation.]
The Back Story
They think they look like this; (cc) Flickr user flexgraph
Yesterday we published our list of buyback Locations for this semester. Today, predictably as ever, we started getting dozens of hits from a certain part of the South. You see, we have this one competitor there (we’ll call them MegaTextbookCorp5000) who just HATES that we exist. They watch us like hawks. Before us, MegaTextbookCorp5000 had the textbook monopoly on hundreds of campuses.
Now, they will do anything to stay on top. They don’t care who they hurt.
In the early days of BookFool, one of their vice-presidents came to visit us and try to sell us their software for pricing books. We asked what happens if we want to expand into a town where MegaTextbookCorp5000 already sponsors the local bookstore. With a sly grin, vice-president said that we could expand wherever we want, just as long as we didn’t tell anyone that we were using MegaTextbookCorp5000’s software.
When really they're about as threatening as this! (cc) flickr user machoroboraza
They’re not even loyal to their own bookstores! They just want as many books as they can get. And yet they still ask their bookstores to do their dirty work.
Send in the Goons
This week MegaTextbookCorp5000 went looking for a hitman in each town where we’re holding a buyback. They sent their bookstores in those towns a list of lies about us and told them to visit each of our Locations with that list, trying to turn them against us.
Our locations were all told the same thing. That MegaTextbookCorp5000 would pay more rent, would keep the books locally, and more. But guess what? They saw right through it! Chiefly, our locations found it ironic that MegaTextbookCorp5000 suddenly cares a lot about their small business, whereas before BookFool came along, MegaTextbookCorp5000 didn’t even know they existed.
Lies, Lies, Lies
Here are some of the lies they spread, followed by the Foolish Truth:
Lie 1) We hurt the students.
Foolish Truth: If it’s hurting students to give them a second opinion on their used book values, then I guess we’re guilty.
BookFool will make it rain!
Lie 2) We hurt the local economy.
Foolish Truth: Again, if it hurts the local economy to inject thousands of dollars of cash into it every semester … guilty! We also hire workers locally, pay rent to your favorite local shop owners, and help drive more business to them.
Lie 3) MegaTextbookCorp5000 will pay you more in rent if you kick out BookFool.com.
Foolish Truth: Our shop owners told them, “Good luck with that! Will MegaTextbookCorp5000 also bring in hundreds of happy students every semester? Will you advertise my shop to thousands of students for me? And just how long will this relationship last? Until BookFool has moved to another location? No thanks! I’ve made my choice.”
MegaTextbookCorp5000 doesn’t want a relationship. They didn’t even care that our shops existed until we showed an interest in them.
Lie 4) The books they buy don’t even stay in this town.
Foolish Truth: Well, neither do yours! Did you know that 99% of “local” off-campus bookstores have partnered with a wholesaler who takes the books they buy back to their Headquarters (i.e. out of your town) to sell from there?
They act like textbooks are really hard to come by these days. Have they ever heard of the internet? Would you rather buy your book today and pay $120, or have it arrive in two days and spend only $72? I know which option MegaTextbookCorp5000 would prefer!
Lie 5) We’re a HUGE company with locations everywhere.
Foolish Truth: Actually, there are five of us. Well, nine if you count the babies. We are buying back at over 20 locations this semester, but we come by that growth honestly. By keeping our own costs low and selling back online, we’re able to pass those savings along to you in the form of more money for your used books.
Why so scared?
Why are they so scared of us? Don’t they know the sure-fire trick to beat us every time? It’s not silly shenanigans. It’s simple: GIVE BETTER PRICES!
It's a textbook revolution! (cc) flickr user seven_resist
MegaTextbookCorp5000 is scared because they know they can’t give better prices. They’ve built a giant network of wholesalers and middlemen who all get a cut of your money. They have to pay rent on all those stores. And they don’t understand the internet and how smart technology can lower prices for everybody!
They’re so scared, in fact, that their actions might just be illegal. Defamation. Anti-competitive behavior. It’s artificial competition, and it’s shameful. (Did I mention they once snuck into our warehouse to spy on us? We found them wandering the stacks, taking notes.)
Students Unite!
Students, it’s time to unite against Tyranny and drive out the liars! There’s only one way to overturn a monopoly: Options, choices, and the freedom to choose.
Help us continue to be your second opinion: Tell your friends there’s a new way to buy and sell your books at BookFool.com
Holiday Shopping Already?!?
Bunch of Grapes bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard recently tweeted a list of reasons to start your holiday book shopping early:
1. We have not yet started playing Christmas music.
2. That feeling of self-righteousness over starting so early translates into treating yourself to something as well.
3. You can make a list of all the things you want, so that you can hint liberally at Thanksgiving.
4. If there’s a hardcover you’ve been eyeing, you have time to read the whole thing before giving it away.
Click through for the rest of the list.
Giving up the BlackBerry
I’m giving up my BlackBerry. Well, I’m trying to. You see, I’m rather addicted to it.
My problem is not with the device. The BlackBerry Curve itself is fantastic. It’s lean, smart, and easy to use. It’s not the most fun device on the market, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Plus it’s tough. Like, really tough. Even without a case, mine has survived many drops.
In fact, the BlackBerry is so functional, it has become like an appendage (my digital hand), which contributes to my big problem: I’m addicted to work! It’s easy to get addicted to work at BookFool.com. Most of what we do is the right mix of challenging and weird that puts you in a Flow state.
Do you love the phone more than me, daddy?
But now we’ve got two dogs and a baby in the house. And home repairs. And we’re trying to make new friends in this new town. And save money. And ABC has some funny shows on Wednesday night. And so on.
So I’m scaling back a bit, intentionally becoming less connected. Trying to find the work/life balance that we all crave. And ditching the smartphone is the first step.
Yesterday I went back to my old Samsung SGH-t509 for a week-long test drive. If I survive without full connectivity for a week, I’m going to switch off my BlackBerry data plan and go back to basics.
Here’s what I miss already:
- Taking quick notes and emailing them to myself.
- Smart calendar that syncs with Google Calendar.
- Random emails to friends/family, whenever the mood hits.
- Easy anytime Tweeting from UberTwitter.
- Screening my inbox throughout the evening so I’m not surprised with 50 emails every morning.
Here’s what I don’t miss:
- The irritating beeps that signal new messages.
- The obligation to check email at all times, especially at night when I can’t sleep.
- The feeling of being always on.
- Receiving email for urgent items b/c everyone knows I’m always on. If it’s urgent, call me!
Mornings without my smartphone are already much smoother. More time reading as I eat my Cheerios, less time typing replies with one thumb. Evenings are also more mellow. I actually got bored last night! Usually boredom means I pick up the BlackBerry and see what I can work on. Last night, boredom led me to bake some bread and watch 3 episodes of Arrested Development.
I know what you’re thinking: Why don’t you keep the BlackBerry but turn it off when you’re not at work? Oh, if it were only so simple. I’m trying to break an addiction here, which means cold turkey. If you could push a button and the device could become merely a phone for the evening (no emails in/out, no calendar notifications), I might keep it. But I’m also trying to save money.
I’ll keep you posted on my progress in the comments.
What about you? Have you given up something awesome in the name of simplification?
The Mid-Week Link-Up (11-05-09)
It’s your mid-week link-up: The links we found funny, weird, or useful this week. [Links open in a new Tab.]
Business
- Paul Graham, What Startups are Really Like.
- Lessons from Maslow: Getting realistic about life after college.
- William Gurstelle: Take Smart Risks
Mystery Shirts for only $3!
Pleasure
- Put This On: A (new) Web Series About Dressing Like a Grownup
- Random Mystery Shirt for less than $3! (from 6 Dollar Shirts)
- Satellite Photography Alphabet (from Boing Boing)
- Fun Theory: On a roll with recent videos about the power of fun.
And finally…we have found what we believe to be the Best/Worst video to use for Rickrolling.
Love that enthusiasm!
