# BookScouter.com
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/BookScouter.com
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/BookScouter.com.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BookScouter.com
> Source revision: 1344287628
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Short description|Price comparison website}}
{{Orphan|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox website
| name = BookScouter.com
| logo = Bookscouter.com logo.png
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| screenshot =
| screenshot_size =
| screenshot_alt =
| collapsible =
| collapsetext =
| background =
| caption =
| company_type =
| type = [Comparison shopping website](/source/Comparison_shopping_website)
| language =
| language_count =
| language_footnote =
| traded_as =
| founded = {{start date and age|2007}}
| dissolved =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| headquarters = [Wilmington, Delaware](/source/Wilmington%2C_Delaware)
{{coord|39.739071|-75.539787|display=inline,title}}
| location_city =
| location_country =
| country_of_origin = [United States](/source/United_States)
| locations =
| area_served =
| owner = BOOKSCOUTER LLC
| author =
| founder = Brandon Checketts
| editor =
| chairman =
| chairperson =
| president =
| CEO =
| MD =
| GM =
| key_people =
| industry = Internet, Comparison Shopping, E-commerce
| products = books, used books, textbooks
| services = Online shopping
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| international =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsidiaries =
| url = [https://bookscouter.com/ bookscouter.com]
| ipv6 =
| advertising =
| commercial = Yes
| registration =
| num_users =
| 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
| native_clients =
| content_license =
| programming_language = [PHP](/source/PHP)
| issn =
| eissn =
| oclc =
| footnotes =
}}
'''BookScouter.com''' is a [comparison shopping website](/source/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|work=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](/source/Student_loans_in_the_United_States).[{{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/|work=forbes.com|accessdate=5 October 2021|date=2 September 2021}}] 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](/source/International_Standard_Book_Number).[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](/source/Amazon_(company)) 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](/source/AbeBooks), [Amazon.com](/source/Amazon_(company)), [ValoreBooks.com](/source/Valore_(company)), [Chegg.com](/source/Chegg), [Powells.com](/source/Powell's_Books), [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](/source/iOS) and [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)), 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](/source/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|work=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.