SGA Book trading website now boasts 144 registered users
The SGA sponsored book trading website Cmich Texts has been picking up steam since its start of the last semester.
The website, which allows for students to buy and sell textbooks at lower prices that the campus bookstore, will be a focus for SGA throughout the rest of the semester.
Student Government Association Vice President, Mariah Urueta, was first contacted by Texts to create a partnership with CMU prior to the Fall 2014 semester. She stated that she is incredibly proud of how quickly the small book trading website has grown, despite its awkward launch time.
“At this point all I'd really say is that I am proud of the number of people we already have registered, and the amount of listings on the site considering we haven't fully outreached to the student body yet,” Urueta said.
The number of registered students now stands at 144 with 137 active book listings.
“A listing can be that (students are) looking for the book or that they have a book that they’re willing to trade,” Mahone said.
Students on the site have the ability to look up textbooks by their title, author, or ISBN. From there, students can cross-reference websites which will allow for students to get the best possible sell back rate for their books. Students can also get in contact with one another and agree to trade books at a set price of their choosing.
Although the trading site is gaining popularity, Mahone states that it is not the first of its kind. He disclosed that most of the alternative book trading set ups fade out of existence after students who set up the programs graduate.
Mahone said the ultimate goal was for that not to happen to Cmich Texts.
“I hope (Cmich Texts) doesn’t fizzle out,” Mahone said. “I just want to make sure that we continuously push (the idea), even after myself and Mariah are gone.”
Describing last semester as a “trial period,” both Mahone and Urueta have hopes that this semester will bode success for the website.
Future SGA plans, Urueta revealed, involve spreading the word of the site and making sure that the student body knows that an alternative option to the school bookstore remains available.
“This coming semester it will be one of our Student Services Committee's tasks to outreach this website,” said Urueta. “This will include tabling, sending out business cards, flyering, (etc.)”
Much of the fliers and business cards have been provided free of charge by Texts.com in an effort to help spread visibility for their website. Mahone said that the business has so far provided CMU’s SGA with 10,000 business cards along with banners and t-shirts.
For students interested in utilizing the book-trading site, it is up and running at cmich.texts.com
