Editorial

Published December 03, 2009

The common stereotype is that college students are poor. Between tuition fees, room and board costs and all the miscellaneous expenses that add up as students transition into adulthood, there isn’t much cash left to go around. And most students are quick to reveal how strapped for cash they are.

It seems that college students themselves are the first to fall back on, “Well, I’m just a poor college student.” As if this simple sentence, bordering on slipping into a universal truth, is a blanket excuse that completely justifies hitting up mom and dad for more money or for choosing to not go out and have fun on the town.

Students speak about their lack of cash almost in braggart terms, expecting sympathy from anyone within earshot.

But the Student Voice Editorial Board feels that there are several ways in which students can receive and/or save some extra money, such as selling and shopping online.

There are numerous Web sites that act as online flea markets, places in which people can put up for sale belongings they no longer have a need or desire for. The old adage says “one person’s trash is another’s treasure,” and never has that idea been more perfectly realized than on sites such as eBay and Amazon.

Gather up old clothes, entertainment equipment, knick-knacks, etc… and post them online. With a global community able to shop online, the chances of finding a buyer is quite high, given the quality of said product is not sub-par. It’s win-win - offload some extra stuff laying around and get some much needed cash.

But the flipside works, as well. Knowing that there is a large-scale global online community selling every imaginable product, there are bound to be deals. Used products are almost always cheaper, even with shipping costs, so purchasing from online thrift stores and virtual flea markets is a great way to save money and stretch your dollar.  Shopping for used products online is also a great sustainable effort in that it is contributing to the recycling off raw materials.

If more people were to shop and sell online, thus exchanging products, manufacturing would reduce, therefore conserving natural resources and reducing needless landfill waste.

The Internet offers the perfect place to practice thrifty practices. More students need to realize this and adopt online selling and shopping practices. With the leaps forward in online protection, personal information is secure in these transactions, and with internet connectivity available all over campus, there is no excuse anymore not to e-commerce.