Standing in long lines and paying higher prices at book stores is a thing of the past for students who choose to buy their books online.

More companies are allowing students to purchase books online at discounted prices, some even for free.

According to the National Association of College Stores, on average, students paid anywhere from $801 to $904 for books and supplies during the '05-'06 school year.

Sites such as SwapSimple.com, iChapters.com and allMSU.com help students purchase or trade books at a lower cost than going to a local bookstore.

They can also help students get more in return when they are done with the books.

SwapSimple.com, which launched at the beginning of this year, is a new Web site that allows people to post their books to receive credits. Once people acquire enough credits, they can use them to get books from other users for $2.

Elliot Hirsch, co-founder and president of SwapSimple, said he created the site because he was once a college student himself.

"I spent fortunes for books," Hirsch said. "The bookstores give you peanuts in return."

It was started with college students in mind, and they make up a good majority of users, he said, but it appeals to everybody.

Hirsch said SwapSimple officials are making it easy for everyone to use their Web site for online trading. Students who use Facebook.com, an online profile site for college and high school students, do not have to create an account with SwapSimple; they can log on using their Facebook username and password.

Mailing off books is also as simple as printing off a prepaid label with the buyer information already filled in.

Hirsch said online trading is a new concept, but predicted it will become mainstream like Amazon.com and eBay.com during the '90s.

"A concept like this is so new (that people) are not looking for it," Hirsch said. "We created the framework and everyone is molding it to their own needs."

Some sites, like allMSU, allow students to easily post their books for sale by class. Students communicate with each other by e-mail or phone and meet up on their own.

Students are also turning to Amazon or eBay's Half.com to purchase their books. These Web sites allow users to sell used and new books. People can go to the site to buy the books and receive their items through the mail.

Mike Wylie, assistant manager of the Student Book Store, or SBS, said he does not know if online book sales have affected their profits this year, but they seem to be consistent with previous years.

SBS also has a Web site where students can buy books for MSU and Lansing Community College courses and they are usually shipped out on the same day, he said.

"If you buy a book from us and the professor drops that book, you can get a refund if it is within 10 days," Wylie said, adding that you cannot get a refund if you buy the book online or from another student.

Another online book-buying alternative is iChapters.com. There, students can buy books published by Thomson Learning at discounted prices. Books can also be purchased one chapter at a time for as low as $1.99.

Advertising senior Jenna Buchanan said she never thought about buying her books online, but said it is a good idea.

"(In the bookstore) I can look at books hands-on and make sure it is in good condition," she said.

Microbiology senior Nina Flores said buying books online comes in handy if a book is not available in the bookstores. She bought books online before and would buy more online if she could.

"I had to come here," Flores said, adding that the supplies she needed were only available in the bookstores.