New Website Lets Canadian Students Rent Textbooks

Cut costs by renting textbooks from BigMama.

As tuition prices rise across Canada, a new website is promising to give students some relief.

BigMama offers students a chance to cut costs by renting their textbooks, instead of buying them.

“Let’s face it, a post-secondary education isn’t getting any cheaper,” said Ramona MacLeod, founder of BigMamma.ca.

“By giving students the option to rent their textbooks, we make a post-secondary education more affordable.”

MacLeod started the website after she saw the daunting costs faced by her oldest son, as he prepared for university. The single mother from Vancouver wanted to help students everywhere make their education more affordable.

The rental rates range between 25% – 50% of the face value of the textbook. Students can potentially save up to 75% of their book costs.

Most universities students spend around $1,000, per year, on textbooks, so they can save anywhere from $500 to $750 per year by renting, or $2000 to $3000 over 4 years.

Rental periods are from 60 to 120 days. Each rental also comes with a quality guarantee that the book will be slightly or gently used.

The company also claims that aside from slashing textbook costs, they also help students to make sure they’re not stuck with an obsolete textbook at the end of the school year.