Textbook buyback seems to be a very frustrating and disappointing time for many, and in some instances, the books are not used again here and cannot be sold back. They are, in many cases, put away on a shelf and never touched again.

Amoung the carious ways of selling back textbooks, innovative new tools in the ways of technology has allowed students a creative way of getting their money back.

Swapsimple.com is a new Web site offering the tools to trade textbooks with a copious amount of entertainment in return.

SwapSimple.com is a way to securely trade textbooks, DVDs, video games, and audiobooks. With SwapSimple, students can trade all of those textbooks that have been collecting dust for a favorite movie or TV show on DVD.

SwapSimple costs $2 for the initial trading fee, but the rest of the service is free of charge.

"Yeah [I’d use the service]," said senior education major Matt Stennis. "I tried returning a brand new book that I bought for 125 bucks and they offered me six dollars. I opened the book like three times. If I can get some free movies or DVDs, it would be better than a few dollars they [bookstore] offer."

It is also easy to register as a member of their Web site and requires no monthly fee. Buyers can list books they want to part with and receive credit for taking other peoples’ unwanted items.

While the Web site can be beneficial to many, there are different outlooks to the development. Some may find the process truly ironic. Trading intellectual merit for a video game may not be the greatest demonstration of the instruction.

"If my text book is worth a DVD or a CD when I sell it back, I’ll take it," said Stephanie Photakis, a senior communication major. "It’s better to receive a CD or DVD of your choice than get $8.50 for a textbook you bought for $65. It’s just depressing."

The equipment is there if students are willing to take it. The information is also there in our textbooks if we’re willing to take it. This argument is not to say that only entertainment can come from this Web site. Students can even trade textbooks for books if they would like to. The Web site offers a myriad of authors from Dostoyevsky to David Sedaris, all at reasonable prices.

To balance studies with outside entertainment, SwapSimple.com can be an excellent tool. It is also a rather new development so there is room for new ideas and advancements. Also, users now have the ability to log into SwapSimple through their Facebook accounts. The money saved on textbooks will have fun and exciting benefits.

"As a college student, and even for most recent graduates, money is in short supply," said recent graduate Cari Brokamp. "I rarely bought CDs and DVDs in college and even when I do now that I am out of school, I usually buy them on iTunes. I think it’s a good idea in theory, but I’m not sure I would ever use it."