Regarding textbooks..... check the ISBN's carefully. My son had several books for intro type classes that were unique to his university. We'd find the title at Chegg or Amazon but the ISBN didn't match. For those books, the university bookstore was about the only option. And in some cases their prices weren't too bad.
He typically waited until he'd gone to class the first time to get books. Sometimes the prof would mention the book wouldn't be used much or had some other take on what they'd really need for the class. Then he'd go back and check prices, Amazon or Chegg got it there in a day or two which was adequate. Last fall Amazon would let students with a .edu email address sign up for 6 months Amazon prime free and that was very helpful. Might be worth checking to see if that deal is still i place. He used Amazon for several items last year (he was a freshman).
He typically waited until he'd gone to class the first time to get books. Sometimes the prof would mention the book wouldn't be used much or had some other take on what they'd really need for the class. Then he'd go back and check prices, Amazon or Chegg got it there in a day or two which was adequate. Last fall Amazon would let students with a .edu email address sign up for 6 months Amazon prime free and that was very helpful. Might be worth checking to see if that deal is still i place. He used Amazon for several items last year (he was a freshman).