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Melissa Johnson
Becky Estrella
Using e-Bay and PayPal to Supplement the Library Budget
Melissa Johnson
Reference Librarian
Abilene Christian University
Brown Library

Becky Estrella
Acquisitions Coordinator
Abilene Christian University
Brown Library
  
  

At the Abilene Christian University Library, the budget was supplemented by selling books on eBay that were duplicates or had been discarded. In calendar year 2002, the library made over $900 in book sales. Of that total, $377 was used to buy lost or missing books using PayPal.

   
 

Online buying at auctions, such as eBay, has increased in popularity since the company started in 1995. With over $14 billion in sales last year and no end to buying or selling in sight, eBay and other online auctions have caught the eye of several libraries around the country. The Margaret and Herman Brown Library at Abilene Christian University is no exception. Last year, Melissa Johnson, Reference Librarian and Becky Estrella, Acquisitions Coordinator, with encouragement from Marsha Harper, library director, jumped into the eBay selling phenomena to supplement the library budget. Books that were duplicates or discarded from the collection were assessed for value and interest and sold on eBay. Buyers were given the option to pay with checks, money orders or with PayPal, an online payment service. When the checks and money orders were received they were put in the library Book Sale fund. The payments made with PayPal were used to buy lost or missing books from online book services such as Abebooks, ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and other booksellers that offer payment through the PayPal service. In calendar year 2002, book sales from our collection of discarded or duplicate books totaled over $900. Of that total, $377 was used to buy lost or missing books, $300 was used to buy a digital camera, and the rest was put in the library Book Sale fund, which is used to supplement other library expenses. We have continued the process in 2003, and have made over $130 in this calendar year so far, with no purchases for lost or missing books.

The process of selling books on eBay and using PayPal has been a learning experience for everyone involved. Overall the experience has been a good one, and anything to supplement the library budget in these times when most libraries are struggling helpful. The learning objectives for this presentation will be for the participants to assess their collection development policy to see if selling on eBay and using PayPal funds is appropriate for their library and budget, for the participants to get an overview of selecting appropriate materials to sell on eBay, the steps involved to get started on eBay and PayPal, and the lessons learned from the experience--what to avoid, what to expect and what not to expect. A greater understanding of eBay, PayPal and optimizing their services to supplement the library budget will be the goal of the presentation for the participants.


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