BookScouter.com

{{Infobox website

| name = BookScouter.com

| logo = Bookscouter.com logo.png

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| type = Comparison shopping website

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| founded = {{start date and age|2007}}

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| headquarters = Wilmington, Delaware

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| country_of_origin = United States

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| owner = BOOKSCOUTER LLC

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| founder = Brandon Checketts

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| industry = Internet, Comparison Shopping, E-commerce

| products = books, used books, textbooks

| services = Online shopping

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| url = https://bookscouter.com/

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| commercial = Yes

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| launch_date = August 6, 2007{{cite web|title=Brandon Checketts|url=https://www.brandonchecketts.com/archives/find-the-best-book-buyback-prices-with-bookscoutercom|publisher=brandonchecketts.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=}}

| current_status = Active

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| programming_language = PHP

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BookScouter.com is a comparison shopping website that helps buy, sell, and rent textbooks and used books online.Kathy Kristof,{{cite web|title=The best places to sell unwanted clothes, art, furniture and more|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-10-24/raise-money-sell-clothes-art-furniture-jewelry-wedding-dress|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=24 October 2020}} 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.{{cite web|title=How to Get Rid of Practically Anything

|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/get-rid-of-practically-anything-a1083549693/ |publisher=consumerreports.org|accessdate=5 October 2021|date= 14 May 2016}} The website is mainly used by college students.Randy Kaye,{{cite web|title=CNN Saturday Morning News|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/smn/date/2011-01-22/segment/02|publisher=CNN|access-date=5 October 2021|date= 22 January 2011}}

History

BookScouter was founded in 2007 by Brandon Checketts.{{cite web|title=Four Athens names Seller Labs co-founder Brandon Checketts Athens’ 2015 founder of the year|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/article/20160220/NEWS/302209948|publisher=onlineathens.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=20 February 2016}}Andreia DeVries,{{cite web|title=Selling Back Your Books|url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2013/selling-back-your-books/|publisher=bu.edum|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=8 May 2013}}{{cite web|title=E-Commerce Applications with Brandon Checketts Co-Founder of Seller Labs|url=https://www.inspiredinsider.com/e-commerce-applications-brandon-checketts-co-founder-seller-labs/|publisher=inspiredinsider.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=8 May 2013}} Checketts developed this price-comparison website to help students and recent graduates sell their used college books.Annie Pilon,{{cite web|title=Spotlight: BookScouter Offers a Platform for Comparing Book Prices|url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/06/bookscouter.html|publisher=smallbiztrends.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=8 June 2018}} 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.{{cite web|title=The Strategies that Built SellerLabs, A Top E-Commerce Software Solution|url=https://www.skubana.com/blog/sellerlabs-ecommerce-webinar |publisher=skubana.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=26 January 2016}}Dori Zinn,{{cite web|title=Where To Sell Your Textbooks|url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/where-to-sell-your-textbooks/|publisher=forbes.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=}} 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.Aj Agrawal,{{cite web|title=inc.com|url=https://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/10-side-hustles-that-ll-help-you-through-the-startup-life.html|publisher=inc.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=}}

Business model

BookScouter's price comparison engine aggregates data from partnering vendors and their offers on a single book, identified by its unique ISBN.Rick Orford,{{cite web|title=Side Hustles for College Students|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/side-hustles-college-students-040100067.html|publisher=finance.yahoo.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=18 July 2021}} BookScouter neither buys books directly from sellers nor sets the prices.{{cite web|title=25 Best Places to Sell Books Online for Cash (Used, Textbooks |url=https://moneypantry.com/best-places-to-sell-books-online-for-cash/

|publisher=moneypantry.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=20 May 2021}} All the offers available on the website are set by vendors.Robert Farrington,{{cite web|title=How To Resell Your Textbooks and The Best Places To Make A Profit |url=https://thecollegeinvestor.com/16576/5-ways-to-resell-your-textbooks-and-make-a-profit/|publisher=thecollegeinvestor.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=16 September 2021}}

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.Erin Huffstetler,{{cite web|title=Best Things to Resell for Profit |url=https://www.liveabout.com/best-things-to-resell-for-profit-4165948 |publisher=liveabout.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=20 November 2019}} Pro Tools include bulk ISBN lookup, deals finder, historical price lookup, and recently searched high-value books identifier.Michelle,{{cite web|title=How to Sell Used Books on BookScouter and Earn Money|url=https://www.webemployed.com/sell-used-books-on-bookscouter/|publisher=webemployed.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=10 April 2021}}

= Vendors and bookstores =

BookScouter compares prices from AbeBooks, Amazon.com, ValoreBooks.com, Chegg.com, Powells.com, ThriftBooks, [https://booksrun.com/ Booksrun.com], and other vendors and bookstores.{{cite web|title=50 Methods To Make Money Online, Work Via Home Or Office |url=https://onehack.us/t/50-methods-to-make-money-online-work-via-home-or-office/178216

|publisher=onehack.us|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=9 April 2020}}

Mobile

BookScouter App, available on iOS and Android, helps scan ISBNs quickly and check prices for used books from multiple vendors.{{cite web|title=These 5 free apps help you declutter like a champ|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90506370/these-5-free-apps-help-you-declutter-like-a-champ |publisher=fastcompany.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=20 May 2020}}Lauren Browning,{{cite web|title=18 Apps That Earn You Money|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/banking/apps-to-make-money |publisher=Business Insider|access-date=5 October 2021|date=28 January 2015}} The app is popular among small book businesses and independent resellers.{{cite web|title=20 Apps That Make You Money|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/20-apps-that-make-you-mon_b_7949606 |publisher=huffpost.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=8 June 2015}}Gili Malinsky,{{cite web|title=9 winter side hustles: Some could earn you hundreds of dollars a month|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/06/winter-side-hustles-some-could-earn-you-hundreds-of-dollars-a-month.html|publisher=cnbc.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=6 November 2020}}

Other activities

BookScouter offers a quarterly scholarship of $500 for any enrolled student in the US.Trinity Owen,{{cite web|title=How to Earn Money Selling Your Used Books with BookScouter|url=https://dollarsprout.com/bookscouter-review/ |publisher=dollarsprout.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=13 August 2021}} This scholarship should be used towards acquiring textbooks and aims at easing students’ financial expenses.Ronda Kaysen,{{cite web|title=9 winter side hustles: Some could earn you hundreds of dollars a month|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/realestate/how-to-sell-donate-or-recycle-your-stuff.html|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=11 January 2019}}Heather Yamada-Hosley,{{cite web|title=BookScouter Helps You Get the Most Money for Your Unwanted Books|url=https://lifehacker.com/bookscouter-helps-you-get-the-most-money-for-your-unwa-1775875524|publisher=lifehacker.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=5 November 2016}}

From 2019 to 2020, BookScouter produced The Studentpreneur Show — a podcast about student-run businesses and startups.{{cite web|title=The Studentpreneur Show|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-studentpreneur-show/id1460591778|publisher=podcasts.apple.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=}} In each podcast episode, a guest tells about their experiences of founding and running companies while studying at college.