**Sorry my hyperlinks don't work... not enough posts yet.
I'm almost done with graduate school, so I've definitely had some experience in this department! Plus, I'm getting ready to hunt down books for my daughter next semester... here's some tips:
1. Once you have a class list, go into the college's bookstore and find out what books are needed for each class. The books are usually organized there by class numbers. Make your own book list. (Sometimes, you can email the professors through the school's website and ask directly what books will be required for the classes. I've always found them to be very helpful. This could be beneficial if your child is going away to college and you can't just go browse the bookstore.)
2. Once you have a list of books, hit the internet. Go to
allbookstores.com and search for the books. You'll get a comprehensive list of where the new/used book is selling across the internet with prices, to include shipping. (This site includes all on-line bookstores, including half.com, ebay.com, etc.) I have always been able to get the cheapest price this way.
3. Do it now! As you get closer to the semester, more people will be looking for books and you could pay more. Most people aren't looking on eBay right now for that book they'll need this fall!
4. Sometimes, you can get away with a previous edition for a book. Once, there was a $90 difference between the current edition and the previous edition. I checked the text's website and found that the only changes seem to be a reorganization of about three chapters. I bought the cheaper edition and didn't have any problems. It's a risk... but sometimes it pays off.
5. Check with paperbackswap.com for the books. I've found some texts at that website before and they didn't cost me anything!
6. Never underestimate eBay. I had a class once where I plunked down $75 for a book on British politics at the univ. bookstore. The 19-year-old kid sitting in front of me walked in the next day with an identical copy that he found on eBay for $2. Oh, the lessons we can learn from the young.
Good luck! You're smart to jump on it now!