Are the Rumors about Facebook Marketplace True?

I've been doing some research and it appears that Facebook Marketplace is not to be trusted. According to several users on Twitter, it seems that people are encountering scammers and fake listings. I personally have not used the service so I cannot completely make a judgment on it. Facebook Marketplace was put into place to directly compete with Craigslist.

If you have used Facebook Marketplace, please comment on your experience.

The Solution?

There are three essential qualities students want when it comes to textbooks:

1. Cheap Textbooks (Not breaking your bank account)

2. Reliable Service (Being able to get back money from bad sellers or security from bad buyers)

3. Selling Textbooks Back w/ Ease (Getting a decent price for books and selling it in a reasonable amount of time)


These three areas are essential for any successful business that wants to capture the college market. There are businesses that do this right to some degree. Still, some students continue to take the easy way out and sell back to the bookstore or not sell their books at all. This is somewhat puzzling considering the vast audience that will be available when books are placed online. There must some other attribute or quality that is missing. I wonder what it is?

College Marketplace

Is there really a true college marketplace out there? There are a plethora of websites to choose from that sell textbooks and have a huge inventory of books. Still, students can still end up spending over $300 or more on books for one semester and close to $600 for the entire year. This amount of money is still a little high for most students. Would a college marketplace of just students selling to each other solve this problem? I think so because students understand that other students are not loaded with cash so they would price their textbooks reasonably. Instead of looking for new or old textbooks sold by large companies who are only concerned about their bottom line, it would be better to buy from another student who wouldn't mind some extra cash for their book. A student would be less concerned about making a profit then getting rid of their book and making some money on it.

Survey Updated

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Survey

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Splash Page is Live!

Here is the first step to the Relaunch. We have a splash page with the new logo and a place to voice your opinion and be notified when the site is ready to fully launch.


Splash Page

Relaunch Update

We have created a new and improved logo. Hope you like it. We should have a web page setup sometime soon to display the logo and new tag line with some other features. Stay Tuned.

Case Study of Minimum Viable Product

Very good example of the process of developing and executing a minimum viable product.


Case Study

Book Recommendation

If you are thinking of starting a business, this is a good book to read.


4 Ways to Epiphany by Steve Blank

Great Information for Startups

This a way to avoid spending a ton of money on a new business and to learn how to put out a product that people would really want to buy.


Minimum Viable Product