# My experience selling/buying used stuff off kijiji/craigslist/usedeverywhere



## canabiz

I am a big fan of buying and selling second hand stuff. One man's trash is another man's treasure. This thread is not about the pros and cons of buying used vs. new because you will have arguments on both sides. Rather, it is about sharing tips and tidbits on how to make your buying/selling experience on kijiji or other sites smooth and enjoyable.

One of my brother recently sold his house and long story short, I put up about 60 different items on kijiji and other sites and we managed to sell 90% of them with only a few stragglers left. People were buying everything from old-school VCR to flat screen TV to plants to furniture and all things in between.

Let's get to the meat and potatoes, shall we.

*Do*

1. Price your items right. I find this is the most single important tip. People will buy anything and I mean anything if they deem the price is right. I would never think people would still buy VCRs in this day and age but they do. Prior to listing your stuff, do a search for comparable items (via Google or on kijiji itself and depending on how fast you want to move your stuff, price them accordingly)

2. Take good pictures of the items. It goes without saying but a picture is worth a thousand words. People are more likely to click on your ad if they see a picture. Also make sure you do some prep work prior to taking the pictures and posting them online i.e. shining your shoes or dusting off your furniture. It's the little things that count.

3. Provide detailed descriptions of items, including dimensions, weights, shapes etc if applicable. This serves 2 purposes: to show the people that what they see is what they get and to avoid playing email or phone tags where you have to explain again and again and the potential buyers may lose interest.

4. Offer flexibility in terms of scheduling, pricing and delivery. This all goes back to the basics: Why should other people buy your junk and how fast do you want to move them?. People are busy and they may have reservations about parting their hard-earned dollars for your used stuff...that is completely understandable. It's your job to make the experience as easy and as painless as possible for potential buyers. This includes making yourself available when they want to pick stuff up, offering delivery if the price is right and keeping an open mind for price negotiations. No matter how you slice or spin it, your stuff is still used, after all.

5. Provide timely and adequate communications. Instant gratification - it applies to used stuff as well! Countless people have asked me if they could pick stuff up the same evening that I posted the ads. My iPhone has really come in handy in terms of replying to inquiries and coordinating pickup/delivery schedules as quickly as I could.

6. Use more than 1 website to sell your stuff. I primarily use kijiji and usedottawa.com and craigslist to a lesser extent. I guess it's Marketing 101, the more exposure you have, the more chances somebody will be inclined to go ahead and do the deal.

*Don't*

6. Have emotional attachment on your stuff. They did their jobs, served their purposes and it's time to move on. If you want to hang on to something, simply do not sell it. 

7. Provide your phone number unless you want to move things real fast and want to be bombarded with calls (unless you are a realtor!) What I normally do is to simply state *Please provide your contact number and I will get in touch to arrange viewing/pickup*. Again this serves 2 purposes: I can screen out the *tire-kickers* and *low-ballers* and focus on the more serious ones and I don't need to answer phone calls every few minutes. I have a life as well and as you know, using mobile phones at work or while driving are typically not good combinations.

8. Let the ads become *stale* and got buried deep down the categories. Occasionally, some of your used stuff does not get sold. It's a fact of life but don't let that discourage you. Maybe it's the price you set, maybe it's the picture you took, maybe it's the title you put - or lack thereof. In any event, take down the ad, re-work it and re-post it. This will bump it up to the top and you don't have to pay a cent for that.

That's all for me for now. If you guys got other good tips/tidbits to share, I am sure we are all ears.


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## Jungle

I think a portion of my life story has come from kijiji. From renting property, buying and selling cars, (sold 11 vehicles in my life), couches, (yes I know, used) and god knows everything else. 

Agreed with you strongly on point number 1. I sold so much of my junk when I moved in with my wife. I can't believe people would by this stuff. Forks, knifes, pictures, vases, old Nintendo video games? YUP. VCRs, tube TVS, my gosh. EVERYTHING. I would even price stuff at like $2 - $5. People would buy, if it was priced right. I just got them to pick it up of wheeled and deal a package deal + delivery. 

I always figured, better to get something, rather then nothing and have it take space and collect dust. And you wouldn't believe the crap you own, until you have to move. 

I even had people coming to my door during our engagement party. I was selling stuff and my family thought this was hillarious. I loved it.


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## GeniusBoy27

A wonderful guide, canabiz.

I do it too, not because I want/need the money, as much as I want someone to move the stuff out that I really don't want.

I provide my phone number (and I'm a physician of all things), because I usually want to move things quickly (time is money), such as furniture left behind in one of our rental properties, etc. My father-in-law or my dad (who are retired) may meet the individuals, but I like to do most of the negotiation up-front. I get people to come at coordinated times, so I'm not usually meeting just one person, I'm meeting 3 or 4 people.

It's amazing how much people will pay for "crap", so to speak.

Last time, we sold over $1000 for the office furniture left behind. It's amazing to me. For me, I couldn't figure out how to get the boardroom table out of the office. Sure enough, they came, paid lots for the table and chairs, and brought it out on the giant truck. Problem solved for me and cash too!


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## kcowan

I sold off my family estate. Two day contents sale advertised in the Torstar and craigslist/kijiji, then two more days with individual items, then two free days, then everything that good will or sallyann didn't want to GotJunk.

People bought all kinds of stuff: contents of the fridge/freezer, stale-dated food items, a collection of Popular Mechanics from 1948 through 1964.


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## the-royal-mail

Yes, if your stuff is priced properly it will sell. I've sold some things on there but there's no use being firm on overpriced material. I figure about 30 cents on the dollar is about average. This applies to ebay as well.

The most important point is to provide an email address and to respond to msgs quickly. I do not have time to play phone tag and try to guess when you are home. With email I can send the msg and then we can communicate the details that way. It is difficult for me to place phone calls at certain times of the day, so email really works best.


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## carverman

Thanks for the informative post on how to sell yer stuff on Kijji/CL.

I've been wanting to sell a good set of golf clubs/bag/cart that I can't
use anymore because of my disability. I don't think I used the clubs more
than 4 or 5 times, and they have been sitting around taking space and 
collecting dust for the last 9 yrs, so it's time to dust them off, take some
pictures and sell them now as spring is beginning and so will the golf season.

I like your point #6..use more than one website.

The other thing I might add is that Kijji, (even though they claim it's free) will date your post as new posts come in in the
same catagory and then people have to go to page 2 and page x and so on to come across it.

However, Kijji will put it on a special header at the top of each page for a "couple bucks"...$2.00? for a limited time as well and
that makes it more visible to anyone that is looking for stuff in that catagory. 

One tip I was given recently was to go in occasionally and edit it... change a couple of words around in your post,
to keep your ad more current..as if you were putting it in for the first time, keep it on the first page for a few days.


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## Plugging Along

Great tips. We do a lot of ebay and reselling too. Usually for items we have bought specifically for resaling, but its the same idea.

A few other things we do:
For things that you have a lot of, but can't seem to get rid of, if they are similar, group them in lots. We usually do this in the end, when the individual sales no longer seem to be pulling in. For example, a lot of computer hard drives or equiptment, a bunch of kids clothing, etc.

We also group things that no one seems to want, with popular items. 

Depending on the items, I try to find specific sales for them. So this isn't really on line. For example, there are kids community garage sales in the city. We went in with a friend and sold alot of the stuff we had, plus we have a retailer account for a childrens wholesaler, so we bought some hot items specifically for that too. We got about $1200 that day. Our fee was $40 split 2 ways.

I always ask for a phone number to try and see if they are serious.

We have found listing time to be important on Ebay. You want them to end in the evenings, and consider the different time zones. The tough part is different items have different listing times. I used to have a chart, but can't seem to find it.


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## GoldStone

canabiz said:


> My iPhone has really come in handy in terms of replying to inquiries and coordinating pickup/delivery schedules as quickly as I could.


You own iPhone and you have the temerity to offer advice in the Frugality section??? What a nerve! iPhone is THE symbol of being a spendthrift.


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## Helianthus

For eBay sales, I always set my items to end at 10PM PST. 10PM PST allows all of North America a reasonable opportunity to bid on your item at the last minute. For 10 cents, eBay allows you to set your auction start time in advance, and it is worth every penny. I found the best days to end auctions were Wednesday and Thursday.


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## canabiz

GoldStone said:


> You own iPhone and you have the temerity to offer advice in the Frugality section??? What a nerve! iPhone is THE symbol of being a spendthrift.


Gold, not sure if your post was meant to be a joke or serious. If it's the former then it's all good!

If you dig up some previous posts with my username right here on this forum, you will see that I only recently picked up a used first generation iPhone and got a great plan to go with it. I am certainly not a spendthrift and only buy items that I consider as a *need* rather than a *want*. By the same token, there are many frugal folks who drive luxury cars, own big houses and take nice vacations . Does that mean they are spendthrift as well?

Where do you draw the line? Is there even a line to be drawn or it all depends on individual situations?

In any event, I don't see how that is relevant to the thread. Carry on, my friends.


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## GoldStone

canabiz said:


> Gold, not sure if your post was meant to be a joke or serious. If it's the former then it's all good!


See the smiles? Of course it's a joke.


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## dubmac

We live in Vancouver and often go to consignment stores like Sports Junkies & Cheapskates...excellent places to get ...and sell..stuff for good prices. Check out your area for consignment stores


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## carverman

*definition of frugal/frugality*

fru·gal (frgl)
adj.
1. *Practicing or marked by economy*, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources. 
2. Costing little; inexpensive: a frugal lunch.



Well, I don't drive a luxury car, nor own a expensive home with more than 
the standard 1.5 bathrooms, and haven't won that lottery because I won't
waste money on lottery tickes with odds of over 14 million to 1 of winning
the big prize.

I subscribe to being as frugal as I can possibly be these days.

I abhor gov't waste on all three levels of gov't. Taxpayer's (my taxed pension) money wasted on commissions to investigate the actions of those in parliament..that are supposed to be there to govern, and make proper decisions in a proper manner, and not try to scoop as much as they can for themselves in the process. And in some cases, getting tax free money or even avoiding 
paying their fair share of taxes), while the rest of us seniors are scraping by paying our fair share of taxes and health care. 

This pork barrel/public trough politics has to stop, but the way things are going, with very little accountabilty ,(unless caught or investigated), it's hard to keep them way from the trough, if you know what I mean. 

But I've been frugal all along, because on a limited (and declining pension now), disabled to a point, I can't work to supplement my income anymore, so frugality makes even more sense to me now.

So my frugal policy is: *If I can do anything about it...*..that *after tax dollar*..might as well be IN MY POCKET...rather than in someone elses"


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## the-royal-mail

Excellent lessons from the wise, caverman!


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## Kim

carverman


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## hboy43

Hi:

I don't use Kijiji et al as much as I'd like to because I live so remotely that it is not practical to do a deal at under $1000. I have a 3 or 4 hour round trip drive to any reasonably sized city.

I can report that I own almost nothing that is new. Almost every item that I own with an at new cost over $500 was acquired free or used. The only big ticket things I can think of off hand other than one vehicle were bicycles, the pool table, two computers, and a few $600 tools in the shop. The only reason the bicycles were new is that I am so physically large, I in general can't get a bicycle off the shelf that fits me.

Buying and selling used is a brilliant way to stretch the dollars. My wife wishes I'd do more selling.

hboy43


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## LondonHomes

Are there any other site out there other than KJ / CL that people have had success with?


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## the-royal-mail

ebay, used*yourcity*.com, freecycle email lists


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## jamesbe

I recently had some great success with this.

First I sold my Ikea couch that I had for 7 years for $100 (I think i robbed that person).

Then I sold my Ikea dining set that I had for 8 years, for $250, this was typical ikea mdf crap. It was in good shape but we didn't like the style.

I then found a real maple dining table and 6 chairs for sale for $300 and offered $250. net-net ZERO and I upgraded from Ikea to real wood!

Used Furniture is so cheap!


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## HaroldCrump

Recently, a friend who had the exact same TV that I do sold his for $300.
We had both originally bought the TV for approx. $600 about 7 years ago.
I think he made out like a bandit...and I pity the poor sucker that bought it (it's a regular picture tube TV that probably belongs in a museum).
This was through kijiji....I'm in the wrong racket!


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## brad

The only downside I've found with Craigslist is that an amazingly high proportion of the people who set up an appointment to come pick up whatever they've agreed to buy from you never show up. Maybe I've just had particularly bad luck, but I'd say 60-70% are no-shows and I've learned to keep several people on a waitlist in case the sale falls through.


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## jamesbe

Yes that is the same in my experience as a result I no longer keep a wait list I just tell everyone first come first served, too freakin' bad. Money talks BS walks


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## canabiz

LondonHomes said:


> Are there any other site out there other than KJ / CL that people have had success with?


I don't know if there is any similar site for London but for folks in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, cavendre.com is another site for French-speaking buyers and sellers.

I typically stick to 2 or 3 sites at the most. If your stuff doesn't sell within a reasonable amount of time, it's probably the price or the descriptions and not so much for lack of exposure. I have dealt with people from all walks of life who browse kijiji and usedottawa regularly.

I was a big eBay seller before but have switched to dealing locally for a few reasons: shipping hassles, scammers, exchange rate and eBay fees. But if you guys have stuff that also command international appeal, eBay is most definitely another avenue to look into.


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## Jungle

I tell people that I need their cell phone number to confirm they are still coming, otherwise you will be waiting around all day wondering what happened.


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## Cal

Jungle said:


> I tell people that I need their cell phone number to confirm they are still coming, otherwise you will be waiting around all day wondering what happened.


Same.

Also, alot of local communities will have local websites that might be useful as well, my neighbours have used the local site to sell off some items that they had in their garage.


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## chaudi

If you are selling a in demand item and expect a good price for it ebay is the way to go because you will waste so much time with free ads and it is a pain to have people come to your house. In the ebay advert mention that you allow local pickup, this way most people will come and pay cash and you will save a lot on ebay fee's that are high about $40 on a $400 item.


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## Guigz

chaudi said:


> If you are selling a in demand item and expect a good price for it ebay is the way to go because you will waste so much time with free ads and it is a pain to have people come to your house. In the ebay advert mention that you allow local pickup, this way most people will come and pay cash and you will save a lot on ebay fee's that are high about $40 on a $400 item.


This is not my experience. 

Actually, the reverse is my experience.

In demand items sell very well on the local market. I used to use Ebay for lesser value items (I can reach a larger market) but now I just list them up a few times on Kijiji and, if they don't sell, I get rid of them.

Besides, shipping with Ebay and wrapping and driving to the post office and all that stuff takes a lot of time.


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## carverman

Guigz said:


> Besides, shipping with Ebay and wrapping and driving to the post office and all that stuff takes a lot of time.


It's a lot of hassle. I was going to sell one of my jazz guitars on Flea-Bay,
and it turned out to be too expensive for shipping, insurance, paperwork and
paypal etc. I decided just to withdraw the ad. Shipping across the border
can be frustrating too, because sometimes you are under pressure to ship
before you have received the money and it is good money..not some scam.
And that means delays, because you should NEVER ship an item across the
border (or anywhere for that matter), until the money is recieved,
and and safely in your possession.

Too many "tire kickers"out there never mind scam artists.


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## carverman

canabiz said:


> Rather, it is about sharing tips and tidbits on how to make your buying/selling experience on kijiji or other sites smooth and enjoyable.


Thanks for the tips Canabiz. I'm selling a "practically new"s set of golf clubs
and a couple of my geetars..from my collection.

I used a lot of your tips to set up my ad..and still the time wasters and tire
kickers surfaced with a lot of stupid emails.

Uh..I see you have a set of clubs for sale?..are they new or used? 
Me:  (Stupid!) Read the description in the ad.
Uh..how come you are charging so much for yours when the going rate is
$___?
Me:  Because they are mine and they have "sentimental value" ..(not!) 

On the guitar/amp...
I'm interested in your guitar (for my son) but we only have a budget of $400?

Me: I'm asking a bit more..but less than half of the new value and did I mention that the price is FIRM?

Uh duh!..would you be interested in trading for....

Me:  (No Stupid!) Does my ad indicate anywhere that I'm willing to swap for something else?

So far 90% are time wasters and tire kickers..but at least the ad is free
and don't get sucked into paying $1.99 or more to list it in a more favourable
page..it doesn't matter to the time wasters and tire kickers whether it's
a "free Kijji ad" or you actually put some cash into it. 
And if you have to cancel the ad because the item didn't move because you
didn't find the other 10% that may have actually bought it..at least you are
not out of pocket.


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## kcowan

I asked one craigslist vendor if he was sure the price was right because I found the same item for one quarter the price. I just wanted to make sure their had not been a keying error. He said that everything in his ad was correct!

So I bought from the other vendor...


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## Berubeland

The best thing we ever did was buy 4 wall ovens at IKEA on Wacky Wednesday for $100 each, we waited a while and put them on Craigslist and Kijiji for $400 which is still a huge discount considering the original price was $799 for one kind and $679 for the other plus taxes. 

Getting them was the biggest problem... then we delivered 2 of them. Still we did well even though it took a while to sell them. 

They were brand new with warrantee and everything.

I bought the kind of IKEA couches I wanted (the ones with removable covers) on Craigslist, this is before I found out about bedbugs. They were over $1300 at IKEA. Weirdly I managed to get some with a matching set of covers. I paid $225 for a loveseat and sofa. 

About 4 seconds after I got them home the dog threw up on them, which made me really grateful that I didn't pay for the brand new ones and that the covers were washable. With 2 dogs and a three year old we have to wash these on a regular basis. We have a few sets of covers from Craigslist and the As is section of IKEA that we can just change out in case of juice spills, food accidents and muddy paws.


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## carverman

Berubeland said:


> The best thing we ever did was buy 4 wall ovens at IKEA on Wacky Wednesday for $100 each, we waited a while and put them on Craigslist and Kijiji for $400 which is still a huge discount considering the original price was $799 for one kind and $679 for the other plus taxes.
> They were brand new with warrantee and everything.


Why "B"? You like to go stand in line and wait for the bargoons?



> About 4 seconds after I got them home the dog threw up on them, which made me really grateful that I didn't pay for the brand new ones and that the covers were washable.* With 2 dogs and a three year old we have to wash these on a regular basis*. We have a few sets of covers from Craigslist and the As is section of IKEA that we can just change out in case of juice spills, food accidents and muddy paws.


Must keep ya busy! With your dependents requiring so much attention, is 
it any wonder, you manage to find the time to shop and sell the bargoons
you find.


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## behappytoday

Do the sites like kijiji and craigslist charge the sellers?


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## Nemo2

behappytoday said:


> Do the sites like kijiji and craigslist charge the sellers?


Kijiji doesn't.....haven't used craigslist.


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## Spudd

Kijiji is free if you use the basic service, but they have all kinds of "upgrades" you can do to your ad which cost money. Craigslist is just free.


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## fraser

Kijiji was our friend when we were downsizing. 

What I like about kijiji:

-it is free (we never used the upsell adverts)
-you use email to screen all the inquiries vs lots of phone calls and to respond to questions-no telephone tag or calls at unsocial hours.
-kijiji lets people know where you are located (at least in what postal code area) so that gets rid of the 'it is too far to come' folks

What I do not like about kijiji:

-on every ad we seemed to have at least one person offer half of the asking price without even seeing the item. I suspect this was a scam. We never replied to this.
-on two occasions we had someone try to rip us off. The story started out the same way...person working on a cruise ship etc, etc. We deleted these as we did not really need any more entertainment value.


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## hystat

fraser said:


> on every ad we seemed to have at least one person offer half of the asking price without even seeing the item. I suspect this was a scam. We never replied to this.


those are generally teenagers of possibly a certain ethnicity (not sure about that). They have a "flip" mentality. They don't generally even know what the item is. 

I have before responded "sure, I'll take it" to the lowball offer, then sent about 15 or 20 cryptic responses to their consequent communications. One kid eventually said "I'll have to get my mom to give me a ride to come get it"

One kid who was particularly rude and condescending about an old Toyota Supra I was selling, (it went way beyond healthy contact - it was wild how this guy was so obviously out to scam me) got directions to an abandoned garage an hour north of where I live. He rented a car trailer and everything. Mess with me, I mess with you. He was pissed.


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## Ponderling

Depends on how big the liquidation is and how much hassle you want in selling it. 

I 'shop' semi -regularly at an auction house that mostly deals with suburban estates. Usually between 4 and 9 hosueholds of stuff per week.

The seller pays a 30% cut to the auction house, and can hire them for $85 per hour to pick up your stuff. Buyer pays 10%

They sort and display and lot id all of your stuff to sell it in sensible lots with what eles they are selling to maximize your likely return. 

They catalog and photograph it and web post it to their web site, and laorger auction web sites and they have a following of about 150-200 regulars who attend most weeks, in addition to casual buyers. 

At the end of the night all but a very small portion of the full hall of two industial strip mall units is gone. 

You pick up the cheque the next day. No missed pickups/rescheduling hassles, annoying calls, emails that go on forever, etc.


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## kcowan

I always just say first person to arrive with cash gets it. No commitment. And I say when it is convenient to come. And everyone gets the same time. This creates a competitive environment. Buyers don't like it. But they put up with it if they are serious.


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## fraser

Absolutely. A fellow called and said he would buy our deep freeze and pick it up the next day. Our response was call us tomorrow just in case someone came before him. He came right over with cash and picked it up.

We don't do layaways, credit sales, or installment purchases. First to the door with cash.


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## peterk

Generally, if you're not in a hurry to get rid of your stuff, if people need to race to your house to get the item, the price is too low. I have no problem getting 1 email a day, taking a week or two to sell, and making an appointment with the buyer for the next day. 

If I'm getting so many emails that I can't make a time for the buyer to come over tomorrow, then I up the price.

This method also reduces the number of stupid emails you get.


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## dave2012

Kijiji is great!

When we moved we sold everything from couches, chairs, to a Thule rack and solar panel. Most things sold in a day or too.

We just sold our old SUV. We had several calls. ALL were from the Kijiji ad. None from Autotrader. Autocatch was totally useless (ad never did appear after several attempts).

My wife has posted specific items she was looking for (IKEA stuff actually) and received calls within a week.

I believe the real key to selling on Kijiji is taking decent photos! We clean stuff up and take shots with our DSLR in good light with sharp focus. We post the maximum number of photos allowed as well.
Never posted anything that didn't sell actually.

We spend a few hours cleaning up our 10 year old SUV and took great photos. The couple who bought it drove 5 hours to pick it up! A lot due to the fact that they could get a good look at it rather than going from a few fuzzy shots taken at a distance.


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## behappytoday

I recenly opened an account on craigslist, and noted that this site asks for your credit card number. So far I did not gave mine. That's why I thought that craigslist may charge the seller just like the ebay does. Why does craigslist ask for it?

Do you guys place your ads even without opening an account?


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## kcowan

Yes there is no charge at all.


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## dsaljurator

craigslist ads in certain categories in certain locations cost money. I just can't remember what those locations and categories are right now. I think one of them might be sf bay area job postings for some reason.


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## HaroldCrump

Do these recent incidents of gruesome foul play bother anyone, regarding online listing services like Kijiji, Craigslist, etc?
Apparently, there have been 3 such incidents in the last 1 month alone.
3 media-profiled ones, who knows how many unpublicized more there are.



> Bosma disappeared last Monday night after accompanying two men who took his 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck on a test drive. Bosma had posted the truck for sale on Kijiji and AutoTrader.
> Just last week a father of two in Connecticut was killed after setting off to sell a Samsung tablet he had advertised on Craigslist.
> And last month, Richard James Beasley was convicted of murdering three men who answered a Craigslist ad to work on an Ohio cattle farm.


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/puls...osma-change-online-classifieds-152529428.html


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## fraser

Not a bit. None of the items that we have sold had much value, let alone quick resale value. Items such as an old deep deepfreze, an old extension ladder, and older upright piano, metal bed etc.

Actually, in a few instances we have used Kijiji to sell items rather than pay to have the taken away. We have found that advertising at a low price gets a better response than advertising them for free. We don't get the silly questions like....I want that free fridge or deep freeze but can you deliver it for free as well?


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## HaroldCrump

For those types of items, why don't you (or others) use Freecycle?


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## canabiz

HaroldCrump said:


> For those types of items, why don't you (or others) use Freecycle?


Freecycle is good but based on my (limited) experience, folks simply didn't show up or were a tad demanding e.g. asking us to deliver stuff to different locations, as fraser alluded to in his post.

I don't mind helping out every now and again and in the right circumstances e.g. single moms or seniors who don't have access to a vehicle but as you know there's a time and place for everything. Some people take it too far and I hate to sound like a cop-out but I simply got other stuff on my plate.


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## the-royal-mail

Harold raises a really valid point. That pickup truck story was pretty scary and is a cautionary tale to all of us.

On the positive side, I actually sold my old scanner just today through Kijiji in fact. I considered the safety suggestions posted here and elsewhere and the buyer was a real pleasure to deal with. We spoke on the phone and exchanged phone/cell phone numbers first after a few emails, learned a bit about each other first and then hashed out the details. We met at a busy location earlier today and did the tx - happy buyer and seller, all is well. I do acknowledge we were both lucky.


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## Belguy

Sadly, it's a dog eat dog world out there. Take care!!

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/how-to-stay-safe-while-selling-your-stuff-online-1.1280996


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## Eclectic12

the-royal-mail said:


> Harold raises a really valid point. That pickup truck story was pretty scary and is a cautionary tale to all of us ...
> 
> We met at a busy location earlier today and did the tx - happy buyer and seller, all is well. I do acknowledge we were both lucky.


That's why I'd stick to smaller items as well as the safety steps you took. IMO, something worth thousands, if not tens of thousands is going to be of interest to those with bad intentions compared to old electronics.


I'm glad it worked out for you.

Cheers


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## canabiz

Kijiji said the suspect did not find Tim Bosma through its online site ad

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...ind_tim_bosma_through_its_online_ad_site.html

This story is getting weirder by the day. RIP Tim and I hope justice will be served swiftly.


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## Four Pillars

canabiz said:


> Kijiji said the suspect did not find Tim Bosma through its online site ad


They can't be 100% certain of that - only that they didn't contact him directly.

Of course, it's very possible that he advertised the truck in other places as well.


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## canabiz

Four Pillars said:


> They can't be 100% certain of that - only that they didn't contact him directly.
> 
> Of course, it's very possible that he advertised the truck in other places as well.


Mike, Tim also posted his truck on AutoTrader, as per multiple sources.

I don't want to speculate anything and don't want to go off topic but I think there is no reason to shun Kijiji or Craigslist (or any other used good website really) because of this story. It is indeed a sad story but life must go on and as mentioned by other posters, practicing some common sense when dealing with strangers will go a long way in ensuring a smooth and safe transaction.


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## Nemo2

I have a _really_ hard time comprehending why someone/anyone would kill to obtain a truck, which would immediately have cops everywhere looking for it, when one could be stolen off the street or off a lot with less risk, less ongoing scrutiny, and infinitely less of a penalty if/when caught.


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## Eclectic12

^^^^

You would think ... but for whatever reason, the perps thought differently.


Cheers


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## fraser

This data that I have read on the Bosma case not make sense to me. I think that there is a lot more to this than we know or are being told.


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## Four Pillars

Nemo2 said:


> I have a _really_ hard time comprehending why someone/anyone would kill to obtain a truck, which would immediately have cops everywhere looking for it, when one could be stolen off the street or off a lot with less risk, less ongoing scrutiny, and infinitely less of a penalty if/when caught.


And then the guy parks it at his mom's place? Nothing makes sense.


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## kcowan

I think we may have a serial killer like the guy in BC. Just caught earlier. Hopefully.

It is not about the truck but about the opportunity...


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## 6811

Nemo2 said:


> I have a _really_ hard time comprehending why someone/anyone would kill to obtain a truck, which would immediately have cops everywhere looking for it, when one could be stolen off the street or off a lot with less risk, less ongoing scrutiny, and infinitely less of a penalty if/when caught.


The police said early on that he was targeted, which meant to me that it was not a random spur-of-the-moment killing. I have been curious to hear more and have been following the newscasts with interest. Agree with fraser, there's a lot more to this.


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## Ponderling

Auctiion liquidation results - I cleaned out the house and garage of stuff that was weighing us down and no longer being used. Took it to the auction. Cheque arrived last night . I cleared $475, with only the hassle of dropping the stuff off there. 

Yes, they got 30% of proceeds, but i had no hassle with inquiry calls, missed pickups, haggles over price at time of pickup, etc like I have had selling on Kijiji or Carigslist.
Not nearly the hassles of people flaking on pickups that I found on moving stuff on on freecycle.


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## james4beach

Geez that Bosma case is gut wrenching. My old community too. Sigh.

I'm not sure how to react to the internet listings part of the story. I've done so much on the internet... any time I move I sell my old stuff on kijiji (used to do it on USENET). Doing this for over 10 years, in different countries I've never encountered anyone who scared me and I must have met well over 100 people like this. I've also used online dating sites quite a bit in the last year and met strangers, though it might actually be a bit safer because one always first meets in a public place.

Anyway back on the topic, I've had good results selling through kijiji, worse results selling through craigslist. The best results by far have been posting paper ads in an apartment building where I live. This is my preferred method for getting rid of furniture etc if moving out... just post it in the building lobby or laundry room.


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## liquidfinance

I had used Ebay quite a bit in the UK for both buying and selling. There doesn't seem to be much activity over here and I have only really heard people here talk about Kijiji.

I gave it a try and so far sold a couple of items and purchased one. All good experiences other than a few spam texts and emails for the items I sold. 

Most recent item sold was the Blackberry Playbook. Not sure why I purchased that. In the end it depreciated about as much as the stock.


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## Spudd

eBay is used here too, but the problem in Canada is shipping is very expensive, so it's only really worth it for high-dollar small/lightweight items. In Toronto I prefer Craigslist over Kijiji - much cleaner interface and 100% free. But I think if you're listing something big-ticket it's worth it to list on both CL and Kijiji, that way you get a bigger audience.


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## liquidfinance

Spudd said:


> eBay is used here too, but the problem in Canada is shipping is very expensive, so it's only really worth it for high-dollar small/lightweight items. In Toronto I prefer Craigslist over Kijiji - much cleaner interface and 100% free. But I think if you're listing something big-ticket it's worth it to list on both CL and Kijiji, that way you get a bigger audience.



No kidding about the price of postage. I have used Ebay for some small items such as phone screen protectors. Never used Craigs List. That's worth thinking about in the future.


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## dude_smile

decided to give this a go and make about $200 on old Lululemon sweaters that I was given as gifts. Was a pain in the *** connecting and meeting people, but the extra cash for stuff I don't use makes up for it.


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## Hawkdog

GoldStone said:


> You own iPhone and you have the temerity to offer advice in the Frugality section??? What a nerve! iPhone is THE symbol of being a spendthrift.


Unless of course your Iphone bill is covered by your employer 

I have found facebook to be the best place to sell stuff.


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## ideasonfinancing

I think tip no. 6 is a little hard to deal with. Aside from that, all the other parts of this post are fantastic. I think, people who really put sentimental value on their belongings will not go too far in selling second hand items. Letting go is really essential in this kind of business. :02.47-tranquillity::encouragement:


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## YYC

I've recently been on a decluttering binge, my new rule is anything I haven't used in 6 months that has any resale value needs to go. With the recent experience, here are a few tips I would offer:

Regarding Kijiji, it's super efficient in the big cities where there is a local Kijiji page. My rules for Kijiji sales are as follows:
- Do not list your phone number. Don't exchange phone numbers until you have agreed on a price and are working out the details of when they are going to come pick it up.
- Do not deliver. Make people come to you. Going to them means you are wasting gas, time, and taking the chance that A: they won't be home, and B: They will lowball you at the door, which is especially annoying when you have just driven to them.
- Agree on a price before hand, making them come to you makes it easier to stick to this price. If they come to you and try to lowball, tell them to F off, they just wasted their own time driving
- Don't post anything with a "Firm" price. Look at what is listed, look at recent sales on ebay if it's relevant, then price accordingly with enough of a buffer built in so people can offer you less and you still get a price you are ok with.
- Always post a picture
- Monitor your e-mail and respond as close to instantly as you can
- Don't be a dick, tell people the honest quality of what you are selling.

For those in small towns, a really great option is Facebook buy/sell groups. I live in a small town outside Calgary, and I always list everything first on my local buy and sell group. Search for "Yourtownname Buy & Sell" or similar on Facebook, there's one for every small town in my area. Selling locally is always easier if possible. If an item doesn't sell, then I list it on Calgary Kijiji and bring it to work with me once I have an interested buyer and price agreed upon. I make them meet me at work, which also reduces the chances of any funny business or crime.

Also, Kijiji is a great place to buy stuff, not just sell. We recently got a solid cherry wood buffet & hutch for $300, worth over $2000 new. I'm seriously never buying anything new again.


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## userfl5026

Awesome guide when I was selling my house and I wasn't sure how to prep my house I searched high and low for information man I wish I would have read this first but I found this blog post and it helped me maybe it could do the same for someone else. 

http://www.krisztinaneglia.com/Blog.php/how-to-prep-your-house-for-a-sale


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## eulogy

I think I might have had my first attempted scam selling on kijiji tonight. I was selling an old cell phone and some guy was coming to my place. About 10 minutes before he arrives, he calls me and says something along the lines of "I'm running short on cash and only have about $25 dollars. But I have a VISA gift card with *blah blah balance*. I'm willing to over pay for it."

And I was like "sorry, cash only." He did come and pay though, which was nice.

The fun of Christmas eve selling on kijiji.


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## uptoolate

Why do you assume it was a scam? Could have met him at a local store and checked the balance. Cash only is a good policy though.


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## eulogy

It very well could have been genuine. But usually when I hear non-cash alternative + over pay, I think scam.

Plus I don't understand enough about Visa gift cards to really protect myself, even though I'm sure there is a number to call to verify. I had a friend who bought Garth Brooks tickets off kijiji, called ticketmaster and verified they were authentic. Screwed out of over $1000. It's another conversation about spending that much on kijiji on some tickets from some guy in a public place, but sometimes you can get confident and think you're doing your due diligent, but who knows.

Just trying to protect myself


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## uptoolate

Definitely the attitude to have when buying and selling used, and generally for that matter.


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## OurBigFatWallet

One of my pet peeves is when people post things for sale in a large city but they aren't in the city. Ive seen items for sale from small towns within 2-3 hours driving distance that I was interested in and want to buy but can't meet the person because they don't even live in the city


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## hystat

OurBigFatWallet said:


> One of my pet peeves is when people post things for sale in a large city but they aren't in the city. Ive seen items for sale from small towns within 2-3 hours driving distance that I was interested in and want to buy but can't meet the person because they don't even live in the city


There's no option to list in a small town. There are only categories for cities. Seems like that could be sorted in the first email contact anyways.


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## eulogy

Well along as people put their town in the ad. It's can be surprising how many people will just put a postal code. I realize a postal code will tell me, but it's something I have to investigate.


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## eulogy

I've been selling a lot of stuff on kijiji lately, and I'm wondering if some products that just produce an abundance of tire kickers.

I've sold probably a hundred items on Kijiji and some computer speakers are taking the reign for the most tire kicking ever!


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## Synergy

eulogy said:


> I've been selling a lot of stuff on kijiji lately, and I'm wondering if some products that just produce an abundance of tire kickers.
> 
> I've sold probably a hundred items on Kijiji and some computer speakers are taking the reign for the most tire kicking ever!


Same here, been selling a lot lately. I've been pretty lucky over the years, bought and sold lots of items and dealt with a lot of great people on kijiji. You get the odd tire kicker and extreme low baller - all part of the game. I'm not sure why speakers would be any different than selling a computer, phone, etc.


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## 1980z28

Fun with good people


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## eulogy

I've yet to run into a bad person. Most people that have come to my place have been nice and reasonable. Maybe the occasional eccentric person, but still, very nice.

Since I'm selling a bunch of stuff right now, I'm really appreciating the fact that people will look at my other ads. Two people have come to buy one thing, and ended up grabbing something else while here. Makes it a lot easier for me.


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## marina628

We sold a boat on boat trader in July and my husband took a friend with him to show the boat and the seller also brought his son.It was a mid $xx,xxx transaction so when it came to paying we both banked with TD so my husband met him at the branch when he transferred the funds to us and my husband gave him all the paperwork.In 2012 we sold a car on kijiji and we got a copy of their license ,they left their car on our property and they asked to pay cash.Once again my husband went to their bank with them to get a wire done and gave them papers at the bank.Not a good idea to accept cash from strangers for big items.We got unbelievable scam email and text in both cases ,one guy wanted to send a friend to buy the car ,claimed to be offshore on oil rig!


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## Synergy

1980z28 said:


> Fun with good people


Wise decision on deleting the content of your post - enough said!


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## OurBigFatWallet

Funny story, I am a pretty big Vancouver Canucks fan so when they made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011 I jumped at the chance to go (and I don't even live in Vancouver). I didn't have tickets and had no connections who could get some so I searched for some online. 

After some searching I finally found good pair in kijiji. It turns out a guy who had season tickets wasn't able to go as he had a family emergency.

The tickets were so much money that I was a bit hesitant to buy them from someone I didn't know.

The transaction went well. I met the guy at his house and was comfortable that they were legit.

Still, I wanted to go to ticketmaster to verify that they were legitimate. Since I paid cash, he wanted to go to the bank to make sure the cash was legitimate. We did both - went to Ticketmaster as well as the bank so both parties were comfortable.

Luckily it was game 2 and the Canucks won so there were no riots afterwards.


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## Sasquatch

I do a lot of buying and selling mostly on KIJIJI and despite a few minor problems I enjoy it.
I sold multiple used cars and motorcycles on KIJIJI and here's my very simple advice for a speedy, successful transaction.
a. price it right
b. wash, clean, scrub, wax or polish item until your arms fall off!
you know that you've done a good job when you start having doubts about selling it because it looks and works so good.
c. disclose all problems

I sold my wife's 2004 Hyundai Elantra last spring, asking a middle of the road price and had just one call about it.

Young guy and his wife showed up and took one quick look and said....we'll take it. I said, don't you want to take it for a drive? He said, no, not really, it looks so good. I think it will be OK. I insisted they take it for a ride. They didn't even try to talk me down on my price. He said they were looking at about 6 other cars the past week and you wouldn't believe what POSs people will try to sell.
Note: I had washed and waxed the exterior despite a few rust spots on the quarter panels, dressed the wheels, washed and shampooed the carpets ( even in the trunk) and armouralled all interior panels and dash. Cleaned all windows and even power washed and shampoed the engine. It took me about 2 days to do but was well worth it.
The damned thing looked so good I didn't want to sell it anymore.


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## naysmitj

I have bought items and sold items in the hundreds of dollars as well as found and bought cars on KIJIJI. We have also sourced contractors to upgrade our kitchen, install floors and garage door openers, new appliance installations. Always found all transactions worked out well.


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