Students dance to the tune of more cash for books with Campus Rhythm

May 4, 2010 - PRLog -- The average college student can spend more than $5,000 on textbooks during the course of their undergraduate studies. With an estimated 19 million students in the US enrolled at colleges and universities for 2010, that's nearly $1 billion spent on books. Because of the current economic crisis, the need for students to find ways to save money is greater than ever. Campus Rhythm—a new company that allows students to buy and sell used textbooks online—aims to do just that.

   Traditionally, students are faced with the high cost of purchasing textbooks and low buy-back value. For example, if a student purchases a textbook from the campus bookstore for $125, he or she will receive only about $35 when selling it back at the end of the semester. The bookstore then sells that book to another student for approximately $95.
   
       Campus Rhythm, which launches in May, eliminates the middle man (bookstore) by allowing students to contact each other directly to buy and sell used textbooks. As a result, students can purchase books for about $20 to $40 less than they would pay at the college bookstore and they can earn an average of $15 to $35 more when selling their books via Campus Rhythm instead of back to the bookstore.

   “I remember standing in the lines at the bookstore being rained on early in the morning, and thinking to myself, 'There has GOT to be a better way!'” said Campus Rhythm Chairman & CEO Brandon Rivers. “Students have been finding ways around this for years; they post bulletins around the campus for other students to buy from them. Campus Rhythm was designed to be that bulletin system that automatically connects students from around the country.”

    Campus Rhythm estimates that over the course of their college careers, students can save between $800 and $1,600 by buying their books on Campus Rhythm and can earn $600 to $1400 by selling their books on the Web site. So, the total savings and earnings can equal $1,400 to $3,000 depending on the student's credit hours and book prices.

   When students create a free account, Campus Rhythm's intuitive interface, e-Adviser, builds a curriculum based on the student's college/university, major and expected graduation date. The system generates a list of books the student will need for his/her course, and matches that student up with other students who are selling those particular books. Students can opt to be notified of matches via email, text message or both.

   “You do not have to do much on the Web site,” Rivers said. “Our system does it all. With Campus Rhythm, the networking is automatic and you do nothing more than sign up, post and relax. Most websites are simply search engines or price comparison tools, like one we have seen recently, but Campus Rhythm creates a true student network that does much more to help them save and make money.”

   Selling books on Campus Rhythm also is a simple and streamlined process. The Web site's database includes every textbook currently in print, so the student needs only to enter the book's ISBN-13 number and the price, and the system will begin matching that book with students who need it, based on their e-Adviser curriculum. When a book is purchased, the seller prints a shipping label and drops the book off at the post office. Once the book is shipped, the seller's money is deposited into his or her Campus Rhythm account and can be transferred electronically to the seller's bank account, disbursed via check, or soon a reloadable debit card.  

   Rivers and his partners, Chad Pollock, Travis Cooper and Tom Steenhuysen, emphasize that their business isn't a “get rich quick” scheme, but simply works “exactly as advertised.” Rivers noted that, “We built this from the ground up to work for students the way they need it to.

   “At Campus Rhythm, we are all former college students. We all have horror stories and therefore are passionate about our model. We put ourselves in the shoes of students and realize that the average student wants to save money,” Rivers said. “That’s why we chose the name Campus Rhythm–it’s time for students to dance to their own beat, and not be taken advantage of at bookstores.”

   Join Campus Rhythm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CampusRhythm.

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Campus Rhythm is the FIRST and ONLY Student to Student College Textbook Network that allows college students to set their own prices, and AUTOMATICALLY connect with other students around the country. Campus Rhythm is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.