To the Editor:
I am writing to correct a misrepresentation in “Student-run TUBA is going out of print,” 3/30. The article suggests that online textbook exchanges can be unreliable and that organizations like the Yale Bookstore and YaleStation return a lesser percentage of the profits than TUBA. While this may be true of many exchanges, YaleStation has never assessed any fee for the sale of books through its online textbook exchange. In fact, in the Spring 2005 semester alone, nearly $20,000 in textbooks were sold online, keeping every last penny in the hands of Yale students. A marketplace like YaleStation’s better serves the Yale community because students retain possession of their books until they are sold (much of TUBA’s inventory consists of books from students who long ago graduated), it is easy to search the inventory (TUBA rarely maintained updated lists), and the seller receives 100 percent of the sale, with no exceptions. I hope that in future semesters, students will continue to take advantage of the YaleStation online marketplaces.
Alexander Clark ’04
March 30, 2005
The writer is the founder of YaleStation.