My name is Javier Gonzalez. I read about CampusTK.com in The Daily Campus last week and went to the website to check it out.

I learned that it is actually like Craigslist but only for SMU students! I realized that only SMU students can post items but that anyone around Dallas can browse the site. I really like this exclusivity. It was very user friendly and easy to register an account! I didn’t have to pay anything to sign up and had access to about 80 items from other SMU students.

I saw items such as brand new iPods, shoes, clothes, textbooks, old furniture, refrigerators, cars and tutorial services. It was pretty cool to see everything that other SMU students were buying and selling in just one place.

I decided to buy a brand new printer from CampusTK.com. Similar to Craigslist, I contacted the other SMU student at his SMU e-mail address. I told him I was interested, and we met up at the flagpole. The entire transaction was fast and easy!

I really think that the more people use it on campus the more we will all be able to benefit from this. Especially now that the semester is coming to an end, I know I am going to sell my books at CampusTK.com.

Previously I was buying and selling my books from the SMU bookstore, and I was spending a lot of money, to only get a small fraction back at the end of each semester. In addition, I knew that other schools had other means through which to buy and sell popular items. This always seemed like a good idea, and a smart way for students to both practice running a business and enjoy the benefits of a free market.

In economics I have studied the theories that normatively support a free market, as the most efficient way to allocate resources. While I always agreed in theory, it was not until I began to use CampusTK.com that I understood the logic of the free market. This is truly the most efficient way to buy and sell goods that are essential for college students. It guarantees that the prices are not inflated, while the quality is still great.

The best part of this website is that it is an SMU student endeavor. Much like TOMS shoes, this venture shows that SMU students are succeeding in the real world with a creative idea and the preparation of the Cox School of business.

Thanks and congratulations CampusTK.com for creating this exclusive online marketplace for the SMU community.

Javier Gonzales is a senior management science major. He can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].