Help and FAQ’s

General Help

• Introducing Boso.com
• Getting started
• Registration
• Contact us

Selling

• Posting an item for sale
• Editing an item for sale
• Item messages
• Selling tips

Buying

• Filter by University
• Asking a question

General Help back on top

Introducing Boso.com back on top

Boso.com is a site where students can trade their second-hand stuff with other students, quickly and easily. It’s the smart way to turn your obsolete books into spending money, or to pick up some bargains before the beginning of term, thus leaving more cash for the finer things in life. It’s really easy to use, and items are sold for a flat price, so there’s no need to keep checking back on something you want - you can just arrange to purchase it straight away. And because all Boso.com sellers are registered through their university email account, you can trust the identity of who you’re trading with.

Boso.com is also completely free to use, there are no listing fees or commission fees so you can concentrate 100% on buying and selling. The site is run by students so everything we do is intended to help make your (and our) lives that little bit easier! Please email us (info@boso.com) if you’d like to ask about anything (however small) as we like hearing from you (when we’re bored with nothing else to do… just kidding… really…)

Getting started back on top

We’ve designed Boso.com to be as easy to use as possible so you can start using it straight away. In the left hand column you’ll find everything you need to navigate the site - you can type in what you’re looking for, apply a filter to view items exclusively from a particular university. However if you’re just after a quick look around we suggest using the category links to get a good overview of what is on the site. Just click on a link e.g. “Books” and you’ll instantly be shown all of the books for sale on Boso.com. You can further refine this done via the sub categories on the right to help you find what you’re looking for. Once you see something interesting, just click on the Item Description to learn more or click on the seller’s name to see what else that student is listing for sale.

Registration back on top

You don’t need to register to use Boso.com, we’ve done that deliberately as we think that is your choice to make (power to the people and all that good stuff). If however you do decide to register, you will be able to do more with the site (e.g. add items to your watchlist, easily post multiple items for sale and allow other users to view your profile). Registration is very simple:

• Click on the Register link across the top of your screen and you’ll see a form to fill in.

• Punch in the info, most crucially your valid university email address.

• You will be sent an email at the email address you provide (so we can make sure you’re a student)

• Click on the link in the email and you will be taken to the My Boso page where you can start buying or selling online.

We want to make it very clear that we will NEVER sell your email addresses to third parties, they are safe with us and we only send occasional newsletters updating you with what is going on. Of course you can opt out of receiving these and we promise not to send the boys round if you decide to do so.

Contact us back on top

We know it’s pretty standard to have the old “please contact us” line on websites these days, but do you think they really want to hear from you? They’re all lying, they’d rather be down the pub or doing something else that is far more fun than replying emails. However things at Boso.com are not completely different and we honestly would love to hear from you. Think of it from our perspective, we’re not eBay, Apple, Amazon or some other huge company. We’re small and just starting out so we really do need your help and feedback if we’re going to get anywhere. So please drop us an email and we promise we’ll reply as quickly as possible.

Selling back on top

Posting an item for sale back on top

This is very straightforward, there are no auctions or the like to confuse you. There are two ways to post an item, each equally fantastic and it is up to you which one you choose:

1. Quick-posting: Just go to the “Post an item” page (in the left hand navigation column) and enter your email address and item information. You can upload a photo, too, or if you’re selling a book we’ll upload a cover image automatically. Then we’ll instantly email you to confirm your address, and once you’ve done that your item will appear for others to view. We set up quick-posting to make it easier for you to post one or two items quickly rather than registering, logging in and then posting things. However if you have a few things to sell we would definitely suggest registering with the site as it is easier to manage your items.

2. Registering: Once you have registered with the site and logged in, you will be able to post multiple items without having to manually verify each item (we’re already convinced at this point that you’re a student, clever eh?). You can then also return to My Boso and easily edit the items you have for sale or mark them as sold.

Editing an item for sale back on top

Once you have uploaded your item for sale, you may want to change something about it. Perhaps the item description or the price/availability. To do this just log onto the site, click on My Boso (in the left hand navigation column) and take a look at the items currently being listed by you. We give you a snapshot of the most recent items you have uploaded, just click “view all” to see everything you have listed on the site and feel free to edit away.

Item messages back on top

When you’ve uploaded your items for sale, anyone coming to Boso.com will be able to view them. Now a while ago we also used to display your email address to other Boso.com members who were logged in (as we know they are students and not random people who will start spamming you). After much thinking though we decided to stop displaying email addresses because we found that some rather nasty Internet programs were managing to harvest all the email addresses and send spam. Since we hate spam we decided this had to stop and now the only way potential buyers will be able to get in touch with you about your items will be via the Boso.com messaging system.

The messaging system is very simple to use and follow. Anyone on the site can message you about an item you have posted for sale, you will be sent an email alerting you to this message. To reply just log into My Boso and shoot something back to the messager - this is your chance to haggle/conclude a sale and earn some money!

Although we’d like to see the best in everyone, there are some nasty pieces of work out there so please tread carefully when dealing with messagers who are not students. They do not have a verifiable email address like university students do so you don’t have the same level of security when you deal with them. Having said that, there are still sales to be made and so as long as you’re careful (i.e. don’t go posting cash to addresses in Zimbabwe) there is still money to be made!

Selling tips back on top

Posting an item for sale is very simple but there are a few tricks of the trade that will help you sell your items that little bit quicker:

• Set a realistic price because if that DVD is cheaper on Amazon then let’s face facts, it’s not going to sell anytime soon! A good rule of thumb is to look around on Amazon and eBay for similar items and consider whether your item is brand new/used. If it is used then what kind of condition is it in? If the price is an honest reflection of the item then you are far more likely to sell it.

• Try and make the item description as comprehensive as possible. Did you get that iPod nano as a gift but you had one already so you’re selling it dirt cheap? Well let people know that so they don’t think you happened to “acquire” it from the back of a lorry…

• Put as much information about the logistics of selling the item as possible, the golden nuggets of information to display are:

  • Who pays postage and packing?

  • Can people come and collect? If so where?

  • What payment types are you happy to accept? (We recommend trying to use something like PayPal which gives you a little bit more security.)

Buying back on top

Filter by University back on top

Buying items on Boso.com is completely at your discretion - just browse around the site and message the seller of an item that takes your fancy. Wait to hear back from them and then arrange a way to exchange items and money. To make it easier to view items, we have a University filter on the left hand side of the screen. Once you select a particular university, you will be redirected to university.boso.com - from now on you will only see items from the university you have selected. To revert backing to viewing all items from all universities, simply click “view all” and you’re away.

Asking a question back on top

We noticed that when a seller posts an item for sale, they get asked a set of standard questions e.g. who pays for delivery/do you have another picture of the item. So to make things easier we have set up a question and answer board on the item pages - this is your chance to view questions that other users have asked the seller and the answers to them. You can also easily ask a question, which is quicker and easier than sending a message through.

FAQ’s back on top

How do I buy an item?

Simply browse through the listings on the site (or search!) and then use the “Message the seller” box to express your interest in the item. Then the seller can arrange payment and delivery with you. You don’t need your university address to use this service.

How much does it cost to use Boso.com?

It’s completely free to buy and sell as many items as you want! If you register, any items you post will be displayed on the site permanently (or until you’ve sold the item) rather than expire.

Is Boso.com available for all universities?

We currently accept student accounts at all UK universities. If you’re encountering any problems, let us know at info@boso.com and we’ll help you out ASAP!

What is the “Noticeboard” function for?

You can use the noticeboard to leave a public message for the seller that you think might be useful for other users to see. A good example is requesting more clarification on the item they’ve posted, like “what colour is the iPod you’re selling?”

Boso.com would be much better if you could do ‘X’. Can you make it happen?

We’re busy improving the site constantly, and we’d love to hear your ideas on how we can make it even more useful and easy to use. Clue us in at info@boso.com.

I run a business aimed at students - can I sell my products on your site?

For a small fee, you can post as many of your products on the site as you like, in the same way a normal user would. For further information, contact business@boso.com. Alternatively, you can buy targeted advertising space that will be displayed separately from the normal adverts. For more information, contact our sales team at advertise@boso.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Are there any restrictions on using the site?

Yes, but only the obvious ones. You can’t use Boso.com to sell restricted items like alcohol or cigarettes, or counterfeit items (including mix CDs, etc). Also, remember that transactions are between the buyer and the seller, and that we aren’t responsible for the integrity of trades conducted via Boso.com. Always practice safe shopping! For more, read our Terms and Conditions.

Why should I upload a photo? back on top

One of the major issues in online selling or buying is trust. We have several cunning ways of cutting down fraud so that an item posted on Boso.com is very likely to be genuine. If you upload a digital photo of your item, buyers are more likely to trust that you actually have the item. Also, everyone likes to see what they are buying!

What is this ISBN lookup thing all about? back on top

This is quite cool. Simply enter the ISBN or ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) in the box and click somewhere else. The site will then return all the information that it can find about the item, often including a photo, saving you time.