"We're behind the game for this semester's exchange," Ebbel said, since the textbook sales season is waning.
Ebbel said CollegeBeans.com has spent about $1,500 of the $5,000 HSA prize.
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He added that Amazon.com and other Internet businesses are not yet making money, and that he doesn't expect to soon.
"The real value will be if you build up a good user base and get picked up [by a larger company]," he said.