Freshman Arie Friedheim was horrified by his $600 textbook bill on top of Duke's substantial tuition.
So horrified, in fact, that Friedheim created DukieBooks.com, a textbook exchange website he opened Oct. 18 to the Duke student body.
DukieBooks' unveiling comes on the heels of an Oct. 5 Chronicle report that the Duke Textbook Store planned to open a used-book classified online service. Formal announcement of the service is expected during the textbook buyback period at the end of the semester.
DukieBooks' mission echoes that of the University of Miami's nearly identical website, Canebooks.com, and was "formed as an easy to use, less costly alternative to [purchasing] textbooks," Friedheim said.
Friedheim was approached by Miami sophomore and Canebooks co-founder Chris Swift-Perez at the beginning of the semester, and a partnership was forged. A altered version of Miami's site was generated for the Duke community earlier this month.
Currently, DukieBooks has 50 users with 16 to 17 books posted, and a Facebook group dedicated to the site has more than 80 members. Friedheim said he hopes that more books will be entered into the system toward the end of the semester.
Students register for the site and are able to post books for sale or search for textbooks by subject, ISBN, title and condition. The average price for the book is also listed to drive down cost.
A buyer commits to purchase a seller's listing, and DukieBooks sends each party the other's contact information.
The buyer and seller then arrange to meet on campus to exchange the textbook for money.
Friedheim said he hopes that the DukieBooks format reduces common problems in purchasing books online. No money is transferred through DukieBooks, a central difference from sites like half.com.
"The great benefit is that you don't have to wait and the seller won't 'disappear' with your money," he said.
The prospect of getting books cheaper is appealing, but most of the system is geared toward protecting the buyer.
Although it's a disadvantage to the seller to have the average price listed, Friedheim said the benefit to the buyer outweighs the negatives.
Other students also voiced concerns about the dangers involved in meeting people for exchange, though the website encourages prospective users to meet in public venues during the day.
Without any documented transactions, it is difficult to predict the success of the site or its potential problems.
Friedheim's focus is on garnering a wide membership, and flyers around campus heralded DukieBooks' launch and encouraged students to tell their friends.
"It's a great network for Duke students," Friedheim said. "The more people registered, the greater access to cheaper textbooks."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.