Eternal Books

The challenge

As a first-year international student, I found the prices of the books needed for my Psychology bachelor out of range. I had to purchase them from older students, many of them underselling them for a dime of their actual price. The main problem is that books are too expensive or too hard to get. Older students don't know where they should sell their books, and younger students don't know from where/whom they could get the books. The transactions that already exist with second-hand books are dispersed on many Facebook groups or other websites which take time and effort to find. Moreover, there is a lack of trust between the seller and the buyer in the online private market which creates even more obstacles. Due to the inaccessibility of the books and all the educational tools available, the majority of the students prefer slides and extracurricular private courses rather than the book. However, for an in-depth understanding of the course, reading the book is required.

The solution

Our idea is to implement an environment-friendly system for Universities in the Netherlands which would pass the books from one generation to the next. We will build a stock of books. Students would rent the books for one year for a price of around 35% of its actual price+10€ deposit. When they return the book, they will get the deposit back if the product is undamaged, or half of it if it is in a satisfactory condition. In the case they don't return the book, they won’t benefit from our service in the future, and of course they won’t get their deposit back. Every book can be used by at least 4 or 5 generations. Most of the courses we follow at university require us to read the chapters of the book before of the lectures. Our solution (placing the books conveniently at the University at an affordable price) would encourage students to be actively involved in the lectures by being better prepared. The authors of the books are not forgotten and we pay our respect by redirecting to them ~0.5€ of every transaction. University could invest the profit made into other students' needs. It's a win-win scenario.