Americans love to shop. After all, we made “The Price is Right” the longest-running TV game show.

But when it comes to shopping for student loans – a complex product with hundreds of lenders to choose from – we rather would have someone else do the legwork. Now, we’ve learned, that can be a problem.

Colleges for years have compiled lists of recommended lenders to help families navigate a maze of options. An investigation by the New York attorney general’s office, though, uncovered chummy financial relationships between some financial aid officers and lenders promoted on schools’ lists. Suddenly, doubts popped up over whether such lists were compiled with students’ best interests in mind.

The moral of this story: You have to do some of the work yourself if you want to make sure you’re getting a good deal.

“A lot of students and parents want the answer handed to them on a platter. They don’t want to do the work themselves,” says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, an online provider of student loan information. “Families need to realize it pays to shop around, and there can be substantial difference in the cost of these loans.”

Now is the time that parents and students seek loans for the upcoming school year. A college’s financial aid office remains a good source for information, but it shouldn’t be your only resource. Web sites have cropped up to make shopping for loans easier, and more are coming online.

But as you prepare to shop, understand that these Web sites, too, might have financial ties to lenders. Already you might be seeing more pitches directly from lenders, which might not make the waters clearer.

If you must borrow for college, start with federal student loans. The interest rate is fixed, and Uncle Sam sometimes will pay the interest while the student is in school.

After that, parents can take out a federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students to cover a shortfall for tuition, fees, books and living expenses. Financial aid directors say sometimes parents don’t want to take out a PLUS loan. They might have too much debt or think that young adults should be responsible for college bills.

Kantrowitz says the 8.5 percent fixed rate on PLUS loans is a couple percentage points below the typical variable rates now offered on private loans.

“The private loan market is still the Wild West,” and comparison shopping is difficult, says Robert Shireman, executive director of the Project on Student Debt.

The interest rate you’ll get on a private loan depends on your credit record. Young borrowers are more likely to secure a loan with favorable terms if they have a parent with a good credit history as a co-signer.