Classes have begun, and buying textbooks is on everybody’s mind. There is an easy and convenient way to take care of it all at once: the Campus Bookstore. Purchasing books is certainly simple. There is, however, a downside: the bookstore is very expensive. A wide variety of alternative options exist for students unable to shell out several hundred dollars a semester for books.

Cheaper books are definitely the main advantage of online textbook shopping. However, one must be cautious when purchasing online. Since you cannot actually see and check the product, the delivered books may not look exactly like what you were expecting. In addition, online shipping is often volatile and runs the risk of delayed or lost packages. These problems are compounded when faced with a subpar online merchant. To prevent these things, be sure to double-check some important points such as condition, availability, expected shipping date, price and, most importantly, customer reviews. Most of the sellers are welcoming inquiries from prospective customers, so feel free to contact them about the products.

Besides buying from different online sellers, there are a lot of options to get textbooks for less money—used books, online or digital edition and rental among them. The best option varies between individuals. If pencil or highlighter marks in your textbook easily annoy you, buying used books may not be a good option. If using a computer screen for a long period of time is undesirable, digital copies are not for you.

During the textbook shopping season, starting a couple weeks before classes begin and running a few weeks into the semester, online prices may change day by day. Therefore, it is strong recommended that you do extra research to find the best balance of availability, price and quality. The process has been simplified thanks to Google Product Search. Click the shopping tab at the front page of Google and type the title and the author of the textbook you need. The engine searches a wide variety of online sellers, allowing you to locate the best textbook retailer for you.