Textbook depression: A common malady among college students. Occurs when high textbook prices compile over the first five days known as Welcome Week.

Buying textbooks may not be this clinical, but it’s not uncommon to walk out of the bookstore twitching. However, with the development of new technology comes alternative options. Or perhaps a cure.

BIGWORDS.com is a free service devoted to fighting the textbook blues. The website’s staff spends laborious hours searching book merchants and comparing prices to present college students with the lowest prices on the market.

Jeff Sherwood, CEO of BIGWORDS and a former textbook retailer himself, said, “BIGWORDS is not here to find you a Harry Potter book. We cater to the college buyer who needs books immediately, in good condition and in the right edition.”

In most textbook purchases, students make hasty buying decisions without first comparing prices, owing it to the quick marriage of homework and course books. BIGWORDS understands this rush and allows buyers to pick their delivery date. Along with providing them with a variety of other options, like choosing to rent your books and offering e-books.

Through their multi-item price optimization feature, BIGWORDS has become a kind of Internet celebrity. This technology scans all possible merchants through a complex calculation of coupon and promotion loopholes to direct you to the lowest possible price for all books. The average student saves around $225 per semester using BIGWORDS.

Just recently, BIGWORDS released a textbook comparison application for our iPhoned friends. “The iPhone application takes the best parts of BIGWORDS.com. It is also the only textbook comparison app out there,” Sherwood said. Bloggers and students are raving about the application because of its easy to use format. The New York Times just named it “App of the Week” and the social media guide Mashable.com awarded it one of the top 10 iPhone apps for students.

The theme of today’s class: Textbooks aren’t going away soon, but they can be bought with compassion for your wallet.