Don't bother breaking out the Magic Markers and the masking tape to create yet another batch of tear-off posters to sell your used books.

The Web may make your job a whole lot easier.

A new Web site for students to buy and sell used books and other items debuted Wednesday--just in time for shopping period.

"We wanted to provide students a place to post on a Web site the books they have, and for students to search to find the books they need," said David B. Alpert '00, business manager of the Harvard Computer Society (HCS).

The site, www.hcs.harvard.edu/market, is sponsored by HCS and the Undergraduate Council. It allows owners of textbooks, furniture, tickets and other items to post "for sale" notices online. Students hoping to buy used books can search by course to see which are available.

Although the site will serve as a clearinghouse for various goods, no actual transactions will take place on-line.

"Our hopes are that with this you will have everything in one place," said C. J. Mahoney '00, the Leverett House council representative who sponsored the marketplace bill.

"As it is right now, the used book market is kind of haphazard," he said. "We want to increase the number of used books in the marketplace."

Mahoney said the council hopes that the site will help to increase competition in the Harvard book market. Such expanded accessibility may cause the price of used books to drop.

"I'm very excited about it," Mahoney said. "I think this is the kind of thing the U.C. needs to do more of."

Mahoney added that he thought the marketplace was a good example of the student services called for by council president Beth A. Stewart '00 during her campaign.

Students' reactions were mixed when questioned last week at the Science Center. Some were enthusiastic about the project and the increased use of the Web, while the 'Net-shy were concerned about the marketplace's accessibility.

"I think there's a definite use for the online marketplace," Harry B. Kargman '98 said. "I've had used books that I wanted to sell but didn't want to take the time and effort to put up a sign."

However, Kargman cautioned, "The word's going to need to get out. Students need to use it for it to be valuable."

Students may appreciate the new-found ease of finding buyers or sellers with the click of a mouse.