CLAIRE C. LAURENCE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Marketing junior David Molite and his business partners have pioneered a new online student exchange network, CollegeSellers.com.

One ambitious UA student is eliminating the hassle of combing through classified ads with his recently launched Web site.

David Molite, a marketing junior, established CollegeSellers.com with an Arizona State University student. The Web site facilitates the swapping of textbooks, cars, furniture and other college necessities.

Posting advertisements for products is free, Molite said.

The site allows students to put money from a credit card onto their member account and negotiate with others who are trying to sell their possessions.

"It's truly college-specific and a lot more than just textbooks," Molite said.

Students are directed to purchase items from someone who attends the same school, a feature that makes CollegeSellers different from other item-swapping sites because shipping costs are eliminated and the swap could be made on campus.

Erica Hudson, an ecology and evolutionary biology senior, said she wanted to purchase textbooks online once but could not wait the two weeks for them to be shipped.

Instead, she had to pay a higher price at the UofA Bookstore to receive it immediately.

Hudson is graduating in May and said if she still needed to purchase textbooks, CollegeSellers would be helpful to swap items promptly.

"I'm sure you would save a ton of money, too," she said.

Buyers are able to post a picture of the product they are advertising. Molite said the first picture can be posted for free.

Adam Geyer, a physics senior, said his experience with purchasing items on Web sites like CollegeSellers has been positive because textbooks tend to be cheaper online when students are doing the exchanging.

Geyer said he would consider using CollegeSeller to buy and sell furniture and other items because students are becoming more comfortable with Internet purchases.

"I figure that's what people use nowadays," he said.

CollegeSellers does not have many members, but that is because the site was just finalized last week and advertising will begin sometime this week, Molite said.

Molite said he will be distributing fliers, magnets and advertising on Thefacebook.com, but most of all, he is depending on word-of-mouth advertisement.

"We want people to talk about it," he said.

Molite said students who wish to buy or sell must register, and the site credits the new member $10 for signing up. Each time a member refers a friend he or she will be credited $5 toward their purchases on CollegeSellers.

ASU student Ryan Hegna approached Molite with the business proposition in November 2003 and Molite said he jumped at the chance.

The two students spent the last year and a half working with a Web designer, testing the site's potential for success, establishing it as a legitimate business and working with advertisers.

New users can log onto the site, click the state of Arizona on the United States map, click on the UA logo and browse all of the listings for the university. Interested buyers can e-mail or call the seller, and the two can work out a deal.

"The site has its own (UA) logo and own path. There's really a sense of community," Molite said.

Molite said he is not sure how big CollegeSellers will become.

"We want to shoot for the stars," he said.