Registration is in full swing, and students who are tired of shelling out their money to the UofA Bookstore are finding cheaper places to buy their textbooks.

"I buy almost all my books from Amazon.co.uk," said Shawn Jackson, a molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry junior. "They're usually about a third off the UofA Bookstore price."

Many students said they hadn't heard about the online savings but would have purchased their books online if the savings had been advertised better.

Salina Ramirez, a biochemistry freshman, wished she'd heard about online savings earlier. Ramirez bought her books at the UofA Bookstore.

"It was the easiest," she said.

Friends told her she should have looked online in the first place, suggesting Web sites like eBay.com.

But not everyone purchasing books online does so as their first choice.

"Sometimes professors are so focused on their research that they forget to put their books through the bureaucracy in time to get them in the bookstore," said Tom Douglas, a senior majoring in Spanish and anthropology.

In those circumstances, Douglas said he usually purchases them from Amazon.

Brian Hewlett, a sociology graduate student, said that he had to go to Amazon to find one book that wasn't at the UofA Bookstore.

"They didn't have it at local libraries either, even though it's a classic," Hewlett said. "That's problematic."

But despite the savings available online, local textbook stores said they aren't concerned.

"Online purchasing is a lot less now than it was five years ago when (online textbook retailers) were spending a hell of a lot of money advertising on campuses across the U.S.," said Michael Baun, the textbook manager at Arizona and Rother's Bookstores. "Five years ago the online competitors were scaring everybody, and now the vast majority of them are out of business."

Danny Laloggia, a creative writing senior, said that he keeps buying books from the bookstores around campus because it's more convenient, even if it does cost more.

"It's the most logical thing to do," said Laloggia. "I'm on campus anyway."

John Holt, a political science junior, said that he also values convenience over price.

"Sometimes I'll compare prices between Rother's and the UofA Bookstore, but I usually just go wherever I'm closest to at the time I want to buy a book," he said.

For others, where they buy their books is based less on cost and convenience. It is a matter of conscience.

Political science doctoral student Greg Knehans said he likes to support independent bookstores.

"It's a very good, simple, political thing to do. When I teach I order my books through Antigone," said Knehans.

He said that even though he once received a memo saying all books should be ordered through the UofA Bookstore, he continues to order books from independent bookstores because no one has come up to him and told him to stop.

Trudy Mills, co-owner of Antigone, 411 N. Fourth Ave., said that professors choose to order books from independent bookstores because they want to support local business.

A few years back, when many independent bookstores around the country were closing due to competition from stores like Barnes and Noble, Antigone began to see a surge in orders. Mills said that the professors were concerned about a loss of diversity.

"We need a variety of different types (of bookstores)," Mills said.

Maggie Golston, owner of Biblio, 222 E. Congress St., said that people support locally-owned stores as a way to keep money in the local economy.

"Some people want funky little shops around town," said Golston. "You have to support them to keep them alive."

Golston also pointed out that independent bookstore staffs tend to be more knowledgeable sources when looking for recommendations and related materials.

"Some students come here to get supplementary readings, like Howard Zinn's ÎA People's History of the United States,' that professors might not assign, but that are invaluable resources," she said.