Curriculum Exchange of Wake County

November 4, 10:04 PMRaleigh Homeschooling ExaminerStacey Cotrufo

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Buying your curriculum used is a great way to save money when you have a lot of books to buy.
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Whether you are new to homeschooling or have been at it for years, you are going to need curriculum almost every year for your kids.  When times are tough and money is tight, the most economical way to keep homeschooling is to sell your old curriculum and to purchase used books where you can.  Granted, workbooks and consumable books cannot be re-used, but textbooks and teacher's guides sure can!

A great resource here in Wake County is a group called Curriculum Exchange of Wake County and it is through Yahoo Groups.  You do need to become a member of the group to post your items or to see what is being offered but as with just about all Yahoo groups, membership is free. 

Once you join, there are some rules to follow:  First, all transactions are to take place in person.  That is why this group is offered in Wake County - so that you can drive to meet one another.  Another perk to meeting in person rather than just mailing the books is that you actually get to see what you are getting.  As stated on the groups home page, "This is a local, face-to-face loop where you can post used curriculum and resources to buy or sell to homeschoolers in Wake County, NC and its bordering counties." 

So whether you have books to sell or you are looking for something specific, you can post it on the loop and hopefully find a local match.  Whether you have one child or five, buying curriculum can get expensive and in most cases, used editions of books are in pretty good shape.  Make sure that you know what edition you are purchasing or needing especially if you are having to purchase consumable supplements to go with it.  For example, if you are purchasing workbooks for a math textbook and you buy a used first edition but then order a new second edition workbook, well, things are not going to match up. 

Know your prices when posting.  The general rule of consignment stores is that you should price your items at 50% off of the original price.  As a lone seller, of course you can price your items however you want but remember, you want it to sell so price accordingly.

When you post your items on the Curriculum Exchange, you need to post whether your item is "for sale" or if it is "wanted to buy" or WTB.  In the body of your message be sure to include your location - particularly if you are the seller.  People will want to know where they are going to have to travel to in order to purchase the merchandise. 

The group was formed six years ago and currently has over 600 members!  With numbers like that you could very well get lucky in finding a match to your homeschool curriculum needs!