A textbook exchange app launched this weekis the brainchild of Griffith business graduate Sam Sheehan.
Students at universities throughout Australia will be able to connect with peers by downloading the new app, called Textchange, to buy and sell second-hand course books.
“Our aim is to create a process that is time friendly and easy for students to sell their textbooks anytime, anywhere,” says Sam, who graduated in 2013.
“After being a student and talking to many others I know there is a general consensus that there needs to be some sort of disruption to the market. What better time to get involved? I have been through the process several times and given the opportunity I believe I can improve it.”
Sam, who went to high school at St Joseph’s College in Brisbane, currently works in the capital markets and investment banking sector. He has tapped into his personal and classroom experiences at university between 2011 and 2013 to develop the sideline project.
“My business degree influenced many of the decisions I had to make to get this initiative off the ground. It was a broad degree which gave me a taste of everything I would need to know. Without that knowledge there is no way I would have any idea of what I was doing when it came to setting up a company, bank accounts, marketing and PR.
“I enjoyed Griffith’s dedication to students’ futures whether this was through extra-curricular activities or through the staff, some of which I still keep in contact with now.”
His own experience of the university second-hand textbook market informed Sam in areas like supply and demand, time management, costings and return on investment.
“At times it was difficult and stressful as a student toget my hands on textbooks as they are an expensive investment and the demand for good condition second hand text books is extremely high,” he says.
“I also found I had little to no time to go into the second-hand text book shops and organise for them to sell my text books for me. With Textchange we aim to make this process a whole lot less stressful.
“Students won’t have to worry about buying expensive second-hand textbooks as the other student who is selling won’t have to increase the price to cover the cut traditionally taken by the second-hand book shops.”