A student auction site that began at Iowa State is expanding nationally.

ISU alumnus Josh Carlson, a 2002 graduate, said he started www.cheggpost.com when he was a sophomore in computer science as a trading post where students could post used books online, rather than hanging fliers on campus.

“My friends and I had recently gone to the bookstore and were complaining about how little money they give you for your books and then turn around and sell them for almost full price,” he said. “We came up with the idea for the site so students could sell their books for about $15 less and still make $15 more.”

Since its beginning, the site has grown to include listings for furniture, electronics, apartments and other items essential to college students. The site currently has between 6,000 and 7,000 members at Iowa State and has added 500 new members at schools across Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota in the last two weeks.

Aayush Phumbhra, an ISU alumnus who graduated in 2004 with an MBA in marketing and accounting, and Osman Rashid, a University of Minnesota alumnus, joined Carlson’s venture a few months ago with an interest in stepping up the marketing campaign and reaching out to more campuses. Phumbhra said he became interested in Cheggpost after he used it to sell more than 15 items in three hours.

Carlson said his former marketing budget was about $20 and allowed for little more than fliers on campus. Since then Carlson, Phumbhra and Rashid have formed Chegg Inc. and have obtained funding from investors to make their budget “quite a bit bigger.” They have also sold advertising to local businesses to further fund the venture.

Rashid said while the three currently have other jobs, they are discussing focusing on Cheggpost full time to “take it to the next level.” They are starting to introduce the site at Midwest campuses and hope to eventually roll out to 200 major campuses and their near-by community colleges, Rashid said.

Phumbhra said besides being a site to buy and sell goods, Cheggpost is nothing like eBay. Members must sign up through their college e-mail to ensure they are students. Sellers’ contact information is provided so interested buyers can call to set up a meeting to see the product. Sales are made in person and it is free to post or view a product.

“On eBay you have to worry that you won’t get the right product. On here, all transactions are done face-to-face so you can see the product,” Phumbhra said. “You are never cheated; you’re paying for something you like.”

Trent Robertson, senior in electrical engineering, said he has used Cheggpost for the past three years to sell and purchase books and furniture. He said it usually takes less than two weeks to sell his items.

Cheggpost currently offers a feature that identifies products that have buyer interest or are likely sold. Buyers can view items on their campus and participating campuses. More features are expected to be added to the ISU site in November, Phumbhra said.

“Iowa State is Cheggpost’s home,” Rashid said. “Every new rollout will happen first at Iowa State.”