What Textbooks.com does

MBS Textbook Exchange (operating in conjunction with the Textbooks.com consumer brand) is a B2B course-material distribution and bookstore technology provider serving U.S. college and university bookstores, headquartered in Columbia with operations dating back to 1924. The company operates as a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) and positions itself as holding the largest used-book inventory in the college bookstore industry, leveraging more than a century of supplier relationships to provide both new and used textbooks at scale.

Its core product portfolio comprises three integrated services: Course Material Solutions (textbook distribution and management), MBS Store Technology Solutions (inventory management, point-of-sale, and realtime ordering systems), and a Service Center (back-office operations including account management, textbook buyback support, and realtime ordering). Two supporting modules — Foreword Online, a daily industry newsletter and content resource, and Textbook Trader, an exchange/bulletin-board platform for buyback operations — extend the platform surface beyond physical distribution.

The business model is sales-led, with field sales teams targeting enterprise college and university bookstore buyers and dedicated support lines segmented by function (general customer service, buyback, and store technology). Revenue is generated through transaction-based course material distribution and recurring subscriptions or licensing for store technology. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated through direct contact. The company's value proposition centers on used-book inventory depth, end-to-end retail technology integration, and operational support that simplifies course material logistics for institutional bookstore partners.

Name

Textbooks.com

Legal name

MBS

Website

https://textbooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MBS Textbook Exchange (with Textbooks.com) distributes textbooks and retail-technology solutions to U.S. college and university bookstores under Barnes & Noble Education, claiming the industry's largest used-book inventory and offering inventory management, buyback, and store-operations platforms to institutional partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Bookstore Services

NAICS

Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (424920), Book Publishers (51313)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational & Academic Publishing Distribution (Textbooks) (CRAOALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Economics, Accounting & Management (EDAGABAC), Book Trade Wholesale (Print Books) (CRAOALAA)

Keywords

• Textbook distribution
• Course material services
• Bookstore technology
• College bookstore supplies
• Educational content distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Material Distribution: Distribution of textbooks and course materials to college bookstores, including both new and used books. The company leverages its position as a major used textbook provider with the largest used book inventory in the industry.
2. Store Technology Solutions: Sale and support of retail technology solutions to college bookstores, including software and systems integration services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Textbooks.com, through its MBS wholesale operations, distributes new and used textbooks and course materials to college and university bookstores, and provides those bookstores with retail technology solutions (inventory management, point-of-sale, real-time ordering) and back-office support services including textbook buyback operations. The company leverages the largest used book inventory in the college bookstore industry to serve institutional partners across the United States.

Product overview

MBS operates as a course material distribution platform offering a unified suite of services. The core portfolio consists of Course Material Solutions (textbook distribution and management), MBS Store Technology Solutions (retail technology for bookstores), and Service Center (back-office operations including realtime ordering and buyback). Supporting offerings include Foreword Online (industry news resource/newsletter) and Textbook Trader (exchange platform). The company has over 100 years of heritage and claims the largest inventory of used books in the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foreword Online: Industry news resource offering articles, ideas, and original strategies for course material industry updates.

Products and services

• Course Material Solutions Comprehensive distribution services for new and used textbooks and course materials, simplifying every aspect of textbook and course material delivery for university and college bookstore partners.
• MBS Store Technology Solutions

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Barnes & Noble Education (BNED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBS operates as a subsidiary under Barnes & Noble Education, providing integrated course material solutions and bookstore technology services. This parent-subsidiary relationship provides strategic alignment and resources for the college bookstore market.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• RedShelf: RedShelf is a digital textbook and courseware delivery platform partnering with bookstores and publishers. Overlaps with MBS on bookstore-side technology and course materials, though focused on digital delivery.
• Chegg: Chegg is a leading digital-first textbook rental and course materials platform competing for the same student purchasing dollars. An adjacent competitor in higher-ed course materials but with a direct-to-student model rather than wholesale-to-bookstore.
• VitalSource Technologies: VitalSource provides digital textbook delivery and learning platforms to institutions and bookstores. Competitive overlap with MBS in digital course materials distribution, especially inclusive-access programs.
• Slug Books: Slug Books operates a textbook price-comparison and rental marketplace targeting college students. Adjacent competitor in textbook sourcing, complementary to MBS's wholesale role.

Direct peers

• eFollet: eFollet is Follett's online direct-to-student course materials portal, including rentals and digital delivery. Comparable to MBS's bookstore-channel course materials distribution through a different parent.
• Barnes & Noble College: Barnes & Noble College operates campus bookstores across the U.S. and is part of the same BNED parent as MBS. They share the higher-ed course materials customer base, though they run stores rather than distribute to third parties.
• Follett Corporation: Follett is the largest operator of college bookstores in the U.S. and also runs its own wholesale/distribution arm. Direct overlap with MBS on serving university bookstores with course materials, inventory, and retail technology.
• Akademos: Akademos provides online bookstore and course materials solutions to colleges and universities, including access programs and digital textbooks. Directly comparable as a course materials provider serving institutional bookstore clients.
• Valore Books: Valore Books is an online used textbook retailer/marketplace operating in the same used textbook supply chain as MBS, though reaching students directly rather than via campus bookstores.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon (Textbooks): Amazon's textbook trade-in, rental, and new/used textbook marketplace competes for the same college textbook demand MBS helps supply. A broad e-commerce incumbent rather than a specialist distributor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Textbooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/textbookscom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/textbooks-com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Textbooks.com