Manchester-based web designer Mark Fraser spent a couple of years developing Sell Student Books.com before bringing in a six-figure investor (David Kaitiff, who made £1.7 million from the sale of textiles firm Friedman’s) and launching the all-singing all-dancing website this year.

The principle is straightforward enough. Students and graduates use the site as a marketplace to sell second-hand books, much as they might with Amazon. It is in the functioning and marketing, however, that Fraser’s offering differs.

The site has a database of more than 700,000 books, covering the reading lists from every university course in the country. As well as acting as the middleman for students who wish to sell course texts they no longer require, the business acts as custodian for payments, which are only released to sellers once the buyer has confirmed receipt and that they are happy with the condition of the book.

The really nifty stuff, though, is the site’s integration with mobile phone technology. Students looking for books send a text message saying “Search” followed by the ISBN, barcode number or title, the site searches its database for a match and, if available, texts them back with the price and availability. The buyer can then reserve the book for 24 hours by text message.

It is also possible for potential buyers to post their reading lists on the site. They then receive alerts when items become available.

The service has, thus far, only been promoted around universities in Manchester and Liverpool.However, promotional campaigns with Uniaid and Sta Travel are set to kick off a national campaign. Fraser says he is also looking at running campaigns with snooty students’ favourite social networking site Facebook and, over the next couple of years, hopes to roll the concept out internationally.

The site is also being marketed as environmentally friendly, since second hand books mean fewer trees being chopped down. The hardpressed student market will doubtless love this, though what low-paid academics who rely on book royalties to keep themselves in granola flakes will make of it is another question.

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