Seeing friends and starting new classes is always a refreshing start to the semester, but starting school again can also be very expensive with the price of tuition, new school supplies and, of course, buying textbooks.

Buying school supplies can still be fun, but buying books is another story. Many students end up spending over $500 on required books each semester. Thankfully, there are many ways to save money when it comes to purchasing books.

Most students already take advantage of buying their books online through Amazon or Chegg. But an already well-known website is becoming an increasingly popular place to buy and sell textbooks.

Nicole Lacy, a junior finance major found that Facebook was a great source for saving money. She posted on the ISU class of 2014 Facebook age, offering two textbooks for sale.

“It was my first time selling on Facebook, and I sold both of the books,” Lacy said.

Selling back textbooks at the end of a semester can also be very handy if students need the extra cash.

“I think the most efficient way to buy books is used, through websites like half.com and then sell them back to the same site at the end of the semester,” Lacy said.

Cally Lindenmier / Photographer: Jonathon Baldwin, Bloomington resident, restocks used textbooks at the Alamo II. Students are finding new ways to save money on textbooks by renting used books or reaching out to trade books with other students over Facebook.

Of course, students can buy and sell back books in local stores like The Alamo II, but there are multiple locations for students to buy and sell their books. A store that students typically overlook when trying to find somewhere to sell their books is Bobzbay in downtown Bloomington. Bobzbay is a unique consignment store that buys and sells used books, movies and music.

“Our real strength is the value we offer students when buying back their textbooks,” Robert Clark, owner of the store, said. “We typically don’t have a large number of textbooks on hand to sell to local students, but we do offer some of the highest buyback prices around.”

Another increasingly popular form of buying textbooks is through digital forms. Thanks to technological advancement, books are now available beyond the world of print. They can be downloaded or flipped through electronically. eBooks not only save paper, but they are typically much cheaper and can be downloaded straight to a tablet.

Many students think they can cut corners by not purchasing a textbook, but Joe Trefzger, professor of finance, says that doing so can hurt students academically.

“Communicate with your instructor to see if you can get away with purchasing an older edition of a book,” Trefzger said. “Sometimes publishers may only change a few examples in a book, so buying an older edition may have the same information you need for class.”

Older editions of textbooks can be much more affordable, but Trefzger stresses to always talk with a professor before purchasing a different edition, as it may be drastically different.

Sharing a class with a friend or two is not uncommon for many students.

“If you and a friend are both enrolled in the same class, see if they don’t mind sharing a textbook for assigned readings outside of class,” Trefzger added.

Many teachers will also put a copy of their textbook on hold at the library for any student to rent for a limited time.

Remember that professors don’t assign expensive books to empty out students’ wallets on purpose.

“We are aware that textbooks can get expensive and we want to help,” Trefzger said.

Remember that professors don’t assign expensive books to empty out students' wallets on purpose. They can even help find cheaper options.

“We are aware that textbooks can get expensive and we want to help,” Trefzger said.