Yeah, for sure. I've gotta say doing it through the university is noticeably more convenient, but not $500 more convenient. There, it's simply a matter of logging in and clicking a button. Running around the internet is a slight hassle.
Well, your university might be more convenient, here it's still a pain in the ass. Go to the bookstore's website. Go through a few menus, find class, get book. At that time, I've got the ISBN, so I see no reason to click the purchase button. That, or I could go to the bookstore and find the engineering section, my classes, and pick them up there. Wyoming seems to be way behind the times on things like this.