What do I do with last semester’s books I don’t need anymore? Sell them online? Deal with shipping and fees? Nah, I’ll Backpack ‘Em!

You may remember Textbook Swapper from the Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition. Andrew Mavronicolas, Tyler Jaeger, Man Lee, and Jones Moses were one of the runners up at the competition, but had a great idea that will immensely help the students at UMBC, and well beyond.

Textbook Swapper’s initial product was to provide a marketplace for students to buy and sell textbooks amongst each other. There was no need to pay the marked up prices of many of the online web services and to deal with the mishaps of shipping mistakes or returns.

Well, they have been working in stealth mode for a few months, developing, testing, and tweaking…now, they are ready to launch their pilot version to the public.

One of the biggest changes is that the company doesn’t just do textbooks anymore. It’s truly a marketplace for students and will allow you to sell anything within your campus community, provided it’s school appropriate. Therefore, Textbook Swapper is now called Backpack ‘Em, LLC.

It’s easy to use, and is only accessible through your UMBC account. You login and easily search through the university's course listing. If you’re selling, you simply fill out a quick form, come up with a price, and you’re off.

Buying is quick as well. Look up books by course or department. No need for an ISBN number. Then simply message the person selling it to setup a time and place to meet on campus. It’s that easy and painless.

Did I mention that it’s being offered FREE OF CHARGE to students?

Their test users have suggested using the service for furniture, housing, lab equipment, and concert tickets…but the possibilities are endless.

UMBC is the launching site and testing ground for Backpack ‘Em, but the company expects to be at other universities within the school year.

To learn more about Backpack 'Em, visit their website...but to get started using the service, visit their site just for UMBC students: umbc.backpackem.com and start listing your stuff. You can also connect with the company on Facebook.

We’ll also be featuring Andrew Mavronicolas, the CEO of Backpack ‘Em in an upcoming Spotlight next week.