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Improve Student Cost Savings With MBS

Posted by Liz Schulte on 5/18/26 6:30 AM
Topics: course material fulfillment, wholesale textbook ordering, course material trends

Help your campus store deliver affordable course materials with flexible inventory options from MBS. While used books typically provide the greatest savings, they aren’t always available in the quantities you need. That’s where MBS can help. Improve Student Cost Savings With MBS

When you source new book inventory through MBS, you can still reduce costs, while benefiting from 100% returnability on new books, giving your store added flexibility and reduced risk.

How to get new book inventory from MBS

Getting started is simple:

  • Open your wantlist to new inventory to unlock access to MBS deals.
  • If you use SimpleSource, set up cycles across discount tiers to expand your available inventory over time.
  • The 30% discount tier is especially effective for maximizing fulfillment while still keeping costs low.

By broadening your sourcing strategy, you’ll increase fulfillment rates and give students more affordable options.

Ordering With Service Center

Using our Realtime Ordering functionality, you can easily submit bin-and-hold or ASAP orders. Realtime ordering provides 24/7 online ordering with up-to-the-minute details on inventory availability.

When creating an order, select whether it will be an ASAP order or a Bin & Hold (if no selection is made, the order will default to an ASAP order). Once you begin the order, your cart will remain open for two hours. If the order is not completed within two hours, the cart will be emptied.

Set up a rework schedule to continuously match your wantlist against incoming inventory. Instead of relying on a single inventory snapshot, reworks:

  • Compare your list daily
  • Capture new inventory as it arrives
  • Increase your overall fill rate

How to set up reworks:

  • MBS system users: Start your bin and select Reworks
  • Non-MBS users: Start your bin and call Order Processing at 800-325-0577

ASAP ordering is available for quick order turnarounds to help ensure you have the materials you need.

Ordering With SimpleSource

With SimpleSource your entire wantlist from wholesale to marketplace sourcing can be managed with one easy-to-use tool. Your bin will be automatically worked against our inventory several times a day. All titles on an open-to-buy status will be reworked, and SimpleSource will keep you posted on the results. You don’t have to do anything. You can watch your fulfillment grow in real-time or set it and forget it.

Key benefits of ordering with SimpleSource:

  • Save time
  • Access more inventory at multi-discounted levels
  • Streamline your wantlist process
  • Source from the marketplace
  • Get one shipment with one invoice
  • View real-time wantlist fulfillment updates
  • Control your price thresholds

To get started with SimpleSource, contact your MBS representative. If you already have SimpleSource activated, set up cycles for each discount tier. With each new cycle, you will continue to expand the inventory selection available to your store. The 30% discount tier will help you maximize your wantlist fulfillment and access discounted new book inventory.

Ordering Terminology

New to ordering and need a little terminology guidance?

Wantlist Books needed for the upcoming term
Bin and Hold Orders held and updated over time, then shipped together
Reworks Ongoing matching of your wantlist to new inventory
ASAP Order Snapshot order shipped within 24 hours
Quote Guaranteed buyback or rental rebate pricing
Open-to-Buy Quantity your store plans to purchase
Fill Rate % of your wantlist fulfilled: copies delivered / copies ordered
Cycle Progression through discount tiers to increase inventory access
Marketplace Vetted third-party seller network

 

MBS Ordering Tools

SimpleSource An MBS ordering tool designed to help college stores maximize wholesale and/or marketplace wantlist fulfillment with minimal effort. It is free and available to all college stores.
Realtime Ordering Order online 24/7 with up-to-the-minute details on available textbook inventory at servicecenter.mbsbooks.com.
Directlink Fast computer-to-computer electronic ordering for MBS system users.

As always, if you have any questions at all about how to place an order, start a bin or activate SimpleSource, just contact your MBS representative.

 

Order textbooks from MBS. A one-stop shop for your course material ordering  needs. Get Started  

 

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