Buyback and rental returns play an important role for campus stores and students. To make the end‑of‑term process as smooth and efficient as possible, here are three practical tips to help your store streamline buyback and rental returns.
Automate Buyback and Rental Return Messaging
Automated messaging is a powerful way to save time during the busy end‑of‑term period while ensuring students receive timely reminders to bring back their textbooks.
MBS system partners can use inSite Buyback Alerts to automatically notify students of the current retail and wholesale values of books purchased at your store. Students can also add books they purchased elsewhere and receive value alerts—conveniently delivered in the same email or text message.
Once a student opts in by entering ISBNs, they’ll receive end‑of‑term notifications showing:
- The current value of each book
- The quantity your store is seeking
In addition, system partners can choose from several customizable rental return reminders. These reminders can be sent as personalized letters, emails, or text messages at any point during the term to:
- Explain how to return rental materials
- Notify students of upcoming deadlines
- Alert students to overdue rental returns
Staff Your Buyback With Knowledgeable Associates
Another key to streamlining buyback and rental returns is staffing your events with trained, knowledgeable associates, especially those familiar with buyback procedures.
Make sure your team understands how to identify rental textbooks. With the MBS system, buyers can simply swipe the student’s ID to validate rentals for any scanned titles.
To support training efforts, system users can also access buyback training materials in the Resource Center, making it easier to prepare both experienced and new staff for buyback events.
Leverage Your MBS Representative
While it may seem simple, your MBS representative can be an invaluable resource when planning a successful buyback event. They can assist with:
- Selecting an effective campus location
- Creating a detailed logistics plan
- Ordering marketing materials and supplies
- Developing a custom buyback list
- Some titles used on your campus may not have wholesale values listed in the MBS buying guide. With MBS Custom Buyback, you can offer students additional value by reviewing these titles. Simply send your course title list to your MBS representative, and they’ll create a campus‑specific custom buyback list.
- Downloading the latest MBS guide and testing the system to ensure everything is working as intended
Small changes can have a significant impact. What updates has your team made to improve buyback and rental returns?
