Recent Ohio University graduate Ryan Verner put his own spin on giving back to the university with a website he hopes will simplify the textbook process for students.
Verner, who studied marketing and sport management and graduated in 2010, has created FourYears.com, a new online resource that will help OU students compare, sell, find and buy textbooks.
Verner said he believes the current Student Senate book exchange is outdated.
However, he said he would rather work with his alma mater than against it, adding that competition is not his goal.
The FourYears.com creator has been in touch with Student Senate in hopes of working with senate members to either replace or combine his site with senate’s current book exchange, which currently has more than 1,500 books listed.
Student Senate President Kyle Triplett said he plans to meet with Verner this quarter to find out more about the website.
“We’re looking to provide students with more options besides just the bookstores and amazon.com to get books,” Triplett said.
Students often need textbooks immediately after they order them, Verner said.
“(With FourYears.com,) you’re cutting the middleman out and buying from students right on campus instead of putting in shipping information,” Verner said.
The site includes each book’s Amazon price to assist in setting a sell price, making FourYears.com’s services both convenient and competitive, Verner said.
“The bookstore is convenient, but not on price; what makes us different is we have both,” he said.
After a book is purchased, the site holds the money until both sides confirm the transaction has occurred.
At the end of each quarter, the website will send a message asking if buyers would like to relist the book for the next quarter.
Verner approached Kent Smith, OU’s vice president for Student Affairs, to discuss the website and receive feedback. Smith said buying and selling textbooks can be tedious.
“Personally, I like the idea — anything that can help students navigate the process,” Smith said. “It’s something that can help students both with information and financially, so I’m all for it.”
Verner has spread the word about the website around campus by posting flyers, sending out emails and communicating with friends still enrolled at the university. He also has asked professors to tell students about the website.
Verner has communicated the website’s offerings through social media as well.
FourYears has a Twitter account and Facebook page. The company is offering an added incentive to students: any student who lists at least two books on the site and likes its Facebook page is entered to win an iPad, he said.
In order to continue and maintain the site, a small percentage of textbook’s sale price will go back to the site, Verner said.
“The money goes straight back into the site for both improvements and maintenance,” he said.
Verner also found his first investor, Nology, in January after approaching the web developing company about working together for the site.
The plan is to use this school year as a test year and then begin to spread the word to other Ohio schools, he said.
Although textbooks are the main focus for the initial launch, Verner said he plans to add functions such as professor and class reviews and tools to help find off-campus housing within the next six to nine months.
“I ultimately want it to be a complete resource for college students,” he said.
Triplett said he would like to see the site work out.
“I want students at OU to have more options,” Triplett said. “Books are a significant proportion of cost at school.”
Triplett said senate will monitor the demand for the exchange websites this year and discuss the possibility of a partnership with FourYears.
@ThePostCampus
