According to Marketmetrics, with 283,000 unique visitors, VarsityBooks was the most visited college site on the Internet in January 1999. Not to be outdone, BigWords, founded in 1998, operates its own warehouse and orders directly from all the publishers, rather than a single distributor. Unlike Varsity Books, BigWords offers an extensive list of graduate school textbooks and used books. In addition, BigWords rents books to students for about one half the list price of the book. However, a deposit for the full price of the book is required.
Most colleges authorize individual bookstores to sell required textbooks.
In return, most schools receive a percentage of the profits. The move to the Internet eliminates the school's profit margin. The Follett Corporation manages 585 campus bookstores. An online sale from a student at a partnering institution results in the same profit sharing between Follett and the institution. Though eFollett cannot offer the same discounts as other Internet upstarts, it compensates by being more comprehensive.