As classes begin, a major expense students face is textbooks. 

Nowadays there are multiple ways to obtain your textbooks. Shopping around and exploring all of your options is the best way to ensure you will save a pretty penny. 

Some of the most popular avenues of obtaining your books include: Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Chegg.com and the Iowa State University Bookstore. 

Most titles will have the choice of new or used copies of most titles and give you the option of buying or renting. 

If purchasing your textbooks at Iowa State’s campus bookstore, there are different options for your purchasing. A nice feature is online ordering. Submit your order via their website and employees will box your books up and have them ready for pick up.

Students can charge textbooks and other class materials directly to their U-bill, so be sure to bring your student ID. An ISU student ID is also needed to rent a textbook from the bookstore. 

Amazon offers buying and renting, shipping most orders fulfilled by Amazon of $25 or more for free. When renting, the return shipping of your textbook is paid for free. All you need is an Amazon account and a valid credit card. 

Barnes and Noble has similar terms to their textbook shopping as Amazon. They offer renting and buying, along with free shipping on orders over $25. Return shipping for rentals is also free. A Barnes and Noble online account and a valid credit card are needed for ordering.

Chegg is a very popular textbook service among students. Textbooks are offered in new, used and eBook formats. There are used rentals, new and used purchases and eBook rentals lasting 180 days. Shipping with Chegg isn’t free when ordering your textbooks but when postage is paid on rental returns. 

To get your books from Chegg, a Chegg.com account is needed along with either a valid credit card or a PayPal account.

At the end of the semester, earn some money back by selling back your textbooks. All of the textbook mediums mentioned above participate in a buy back program, making it easy for students to earn some extra cash off their textbooks.