A University of Cape Town (UCT) student, fed up with the exorbitant prices of textbooks, has developed an App to help students buy and sell second hand books.
The App Quillo already has over 10 000 subscribers and lists almost 3000 books. The free-to-use service is making the laborious task of acquiring second hand books simple.
When he was a first year computer engineering student, Tamir Shklaz had to buy a physics textbook that cost over R1000. An impossible feat for a student on a tight budget, he scoured notice boards and online platforms looking for a second hand book.
When he finally located one, it was already sold. Frustrated, he started working on an idea and with the help of a few fellow students, Quillo was born.
He says now, students can save vast amounts of money, like this recent purchase.
“The new textbook cost R3 300 and he got it for R150. People sometimes just want to get rid of their books. Obviously, not all of our books would have that much savings, but on average around R700 to R1000 per textbook,” says Shklaz.
The app is still evolving but nearly a year on, it’s become a fully-fledged business. Shklaz has big dreams for the possibilities the app holds.
“Quillo exists to democratise information and resources at universities in order to make it more meaningful. So, I would love to take that core vision and drive it across Africa and across the world,” says Shklaz.
The app is used by students at a number of institutions across the country. And who knows, if Shklaz has his way it could become that next big app that changes the world.
