Canada’s largest classifieds site, Kijiji, is the first online site many Canadians turn to when buying and selling household items.
In an attempt to clear some clutter, and get rid of household items we hadn’t used in a very long time, we recently turned to Kijiji to list them for sale.
We wanted to purge these things, and pocket some extra cash to be used towards the purchase of a special piece of furniture.
To date, we have managed to sell about 75% of the items we have listed on Kijiji, and have almost $1,000 saved up towards our furniture purchase.
Not too shabby!
While it has been great being able to turn our unwanted items into cash, it’s not all fun and games when it comes to buying and selling on Kijiji.
And not because of the platform itself – because of some of the users of this online classifieds site.
Who knew purging our household items could turn out to be so complicated, frustrating – and mind-boggling?
The following is advice from us after everything we have learned from buying and selling items on Kijiji.
**No buyers or sellers were hurt during these real-life buying and selling transactions! (Although we may have felt like slamming a door in someone’s face from time-to-time! Ha!)
Kijiji Etiquette – What NOT To Do When Buying And Selling
Don’t Make Plans With Us When Your Wife Is Out With The Car
Arrive when you say you will.
Telling us you’ll be here in 15 minutes, and then making us wait 45 minutes to finally hear back from you, is not cool.
You agreed upon a set time with us to pick up the item you wanted.
The fact that your wife has your car and is still out shopping, is not our problem. You knew your wife was out with the car when you told us you’d be here in 15 minutes.
We’re also sure you knew that your wife’s trip to the store would take longer than you had hoped it would. (Speaking from experience of course)
Lesson for sellers? Don’t change your own plans for a buyer.
Stop Your Repeated Haggling
When we put something up for sale, we price it to sell. A buyer gets a good deal from us. We share the retail price and a link to where you could buy the item online if available. No secrets. So, please, stop with the repeated haggling.
It just gets so tiresome.
Trying to haggle the price down more and more reminds us of this quote – and we just might start using it:
“For those that need to haggle, we will gladly raise the price so we can give you a discount.”
Whoever came up with that quote must have been a Kijiji seller. Ha!
This Isn’t Pizza – We Don’t Do Delivery
We sure are glad you want to buy the item we have for sale!
Wait. What?
You want us to deliver the item to you?
Whaaat???
Okay sure, we’ll deliver door-to-door. Let me just add 25% to the price of our item, to account for our time required to deal with this debacle.
We’ll get back to you shortly with the rate FedEx charges to deliver to your front door.
How’s that bargain you found on Kijiji working out for you now?
No, We’re Not Playing 20 Questions
We’re so happy you are interested in the item we have for sale.
Really, we are.
But please…make a decision.
We are not here to play “20 Questions” with you online.
“Is it brand new?”
Did you read the description in the ad? Brand new, never used, still in the box.
“Does it fit a queen-sized mattress?”
Um…our ad states “Queen-size bed frame”
We are not sure what part of “queen-size” you don’t get.
Please, people. Read the ad carefully before you start an unnecessary chain of back-and-forth, time-wasting, emails.
And We Don’t Play Cricket(s) Either
Things get worse when you play 20 Questions and that game morphs into “crickets”.
At least have the common courtesy to finish the discussion.
Don’t want to buy our item after all? No worries.
JUST TELL US.
Don’t log off and run away into the abyss, and leave us “listening” to crickets.
The sound of silence. I do love Simon and Garfunkel but…
Do you want to buy the item or not?
JUST TELL US.
Speaking Of Crickets…
Worse than disappearing online? Disappearing in real life.
You’ve agreed on a price. You’ve agreed on a time to come by.
We sit. We wait. We check the clock. We wait some more.
Nothing.
You are gone, never to be seen or heard from again.
Those are the noisiest and most annoying crickets!
Sorry, We’re Not Your Bank
Buying unwanted household items from someone off Kijiji is not rocket science.
There are no debit machines, and no, you can’t use your credit card to earn rewards.
This is a cash purchase…and we are not your bank.
No, we don’t have $35 in change to give you from the purchase of our $15 item – with your $50 bill!
And no, we really don’t have time to wait for you to run over to your bank to get some change.
Sorry.
What Part Of $40 Did You Not Understand?
Our transaction went well.
You liked the item we were selling. Online, you were easy to deal with.
You offered $10 off our asking price.
We said yes and agreed on $40.
You arrived at our door with $30.
*Jaw drop*
Don’t. Just Don’t.
After you ask if our item is still available, and we tell you it is and ask you when would you like to come by, never utter these four words…
“When can we meet somewhere?”
You can meet us at our doorstep, any time during the day. Or, we can meet you at our local coffee shop – not yours…across town.
Sure, as Keith Partridge used to sing, “I’ll meet you halfway…that’s better than no way“, but I’m afraid I’d have to disagree with my childhood heartthrob on this one.
We don’t own a multicoloured school bus, we’re not in a traveling band, and we certainly aren’t starting up a mobile delivery service, driving a van full of “sold on Kijiji” items around this great city of ours.
No Midnight Cowboys Wanted
We get it. Some people have to work late.
We aren’t keen on selling our used items at night but, sure, we’ll make the odd exception.
The problem occurs when you arrive over an hour later than agreed upon, and you wish to test out this motorized item in our driveway – after most of our neighbours are already in bed.
Oh! You’d also like to test this motorized item out on the street?
No.
Hard no.
Come back and see us tomorrow…in the daylight…when our neighbours are awake, and we can follow you in our car – you know, in case you decide to keep going.
The Long And Winding…Driveway
We see you out there. Oh yes, we do.
You’ve pulled up to the curb with your car lights off.
Sitting in your car for five minutes, you text your wife.
You finally get out of the car and walk to the end of our driveway.
We go to the door to meet you.
You’re not on the porch. We can’t see you.
Turns out, you are still at the end of our driveway staring at our house.
You get out your mobile phone, dial, and slowly start to make your way up the driveway.
You’re talking to your wife again, aren’t you?
We’re on to you. You’re making contingency plans with your wife in case this whole transaction goes horribly wrong.
Aren’t you?
Or maybe you’re just trying to creep us out.
Oh, wait! Now you’re stopping to take a photo of our house. How lovely! You want to remember us! Sweet!
Just get to the door and ring our bell, okay???!!! We don’t have all night!!!
Please Take The High Road And Don’t Low Ball
When we price items to sell on Kijiji, we price them fair.
Sometimes too fair, in my opinion. We sometimes argue about how high to price an item.
I like to price a little high, to leave some wiggle room for that inevitable haggling. Because, no matter what, you know there’s going to be haggling, right?
My partner? He’s a “get ‘er done and sold” type of Kijiji seller. He doesn’t want to keep an item in the house for 6 months just to score an extra $10 when it finally does sell. I know. He’s a smart man.
The one thing we do agree on is the “low baller”. The Kijiji buyer who’s looking for (basically) something for nothing.
Like the person who wanted to buy our already rock-bottom priced $20 item – for $5.
Did I mention? He wanted us to deliver it – across the city.
Ya. NO.
From Far And Wide
Aka…come from away.
The only “X” you can find for sale online is the one we are selling?
That’s SO great that we have what you need! *Sitting at the computer, rubbing hands together in anticipation of a quick and easy sale*
Oh. You live how far from Ottawa? Oh.
20 bazillion emails later, negotiations, numerous schedule changes, and several canceled pick-up times, the item is sold.
Glad it worked out for you. We gather you really wanted that item.
Not so sure we wanted to jump through all those hoops just to sell it to you but…yay.
We Don’t Want An Invite To Your Guilty Party
You don’t own a car.
You don’t drive.
You’re a student.
You never leave your apartment.
You live all the way across town from us.
Your friend can only pick the item up for you between 11:59pm and 2:30am because that’s the only time they have free to hop the bus and spend 2 hours getting to our place.
Whew!
We get it. Life can be tough.
The thing is, we don’t put stuff for sale on Kijiji to make our life harder.
We’re not selling our used items so that we can get invited to your guilty party.
Because that’s how we are left to feel.
Guilty. With a capital G.
Guilty that we are taking money from you when it seems like you can’t afford to give it to us.
Guilty that we are making you ride the bus all the way across town just to pick up a $10 item you really want.
Guilty because you really want to buy the item for your brother but, you are $20 short of cash when you arrive at our doorstep – after we have already agreed upon the price before you left.
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
And when “the sellers” became “the buyers”, things didn’t get much better…
How ‘Bout Them Apples…Or Rather…Oranges
We want a specific car part, and you’ve got it.
Sold!
We come to pick it up – halfway across the city.
Sure enough, you’ve got the advertised part we want…but it’s attached to something else we don’t want!
No worries you say…the part we want comes with that additional part – for an extra cost. We can take it all.
Yipee!
Wait. Whaaat?
So now it’s a combo?
So we fork over the extra cash because we still want the part we came for…and because we just drove all the way across the city for this.
*Jaw drop*
Don’t Be A Tease Please
You posted an item for “X” price.
Yippee! We like the item and the price. We don’t even try and haggle. Imagine.
We grab our money and drive across town to pick up the item.
Huh? The price went up $20 between logging off the computer and arriving at your door?
“Do we still want it?” you ask.
Hmmm….let’s see…$20 extra to you and we bring the item home.
Say no, we bring home nothing, and just spend $20 in gas.
Nice to meet you. You can call us “rock” and “hard place”.
No, We Don’t Want To See What You’ve Got Hiding Out Back
We want that one item you’ve got for sale.
We agree upon a price.
When we come calling we simply want to purchase the item from you and get on our merry way.
But you have other plans.
Apparently, we are your new best friends and you want to show us around your place.
“Come see all the great things I have for sale out back!” you say.
Suddenly we feel like we are appearing on “Hoarders”, only this episode features all kinds of rusty old tools, scrap metal, used furniture, and other assorted items of an unknown nature.
When you need to tell someone you’re not in the market for a used toilet seat, it’s time to bolt.
And so…we’re officially Kijiji’d out!
Pooped!
We had no idea that buying and selling used items could be so exhausting!
We’re off to bed…
Wait! Didn’t we sell our queen-sized bed frame?
Has anyone got a queen-sized bed frame they’d like to sell us? Ha!
What about you? Have YOU had any funny, crazy, frustrating experiences when buying and selling on Kijiji? We’ LOVE you to share them in the comments below. It might just help us feel better!
Tammy Bell says
LOL, what a story, I think I have lived this and never want to sell on Kijiji again… Everyone wants everything for nothing until you try to buy something someone else is selling.
Sandy says
You can relate, eh Tammy? Yes, it sure seems like everyone wants something for nothing. You sort of have to go into this with a sense of humour – or it can drive you nuts! Thanks for reading and sharing your comments!
Alyssa says
LOVE this post so much!!! Oh we have had our share of bad ones like hagglers, no shows and more, but it is nice when you do sell something without hassle (thank you man who bought my John Lennon edition iPod touch a few years ago!)
Sandy says
Thanks so much Alyssa! So glad you enjoyed it! I loved the story you shared on Facebook and, of course, can totally relate to that. A John Lennon edition iPod?! How cool! Hope he’s still using it! Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your stories!!
Kim K says
Sounds like a familiar story for sure. I don’t use Kijiji very much anymore, however, it’s the same thing in FB groups these days.
Sandy says
Is it Kim? I belong to one but, it has been a long time since I used it. I actually forgot I still belonged to it. I thought maybe it might be better (in terms of the users) in a FB group…but maybe not, eh? Thanks for stopping by!!
Carole D says
Most people ask me were do you want to meet, My husband prefer it that way, he doesn’t like them coming to the house, of course it small items. I hate when people say I’ll go tomorrow, then I ask what time, I’m not sure. Do they expect me to stay home all day. I tell them, message me when you know what time….
Sandy says
Yes, unfortunately, I think some people think you are just hanging around home and they can show up any time during the day, lol. At least that is the impression I have gotten at times. I can definitely understand you wanting to meet elsewhere. I’m starting to understand from the comments I’m getting that perhaps people ask to meet because that is more the “norm” when it comes to buying and selling on Kijiji. Maybe we are out-of-the-loop with that. Still, I’m not about to travel across town to meet someone at a coffee shop close to them – when we are the ones selling the stuff. I wouldn’t expect people to meet me near my coffee shop if I was the buyer. Thanks so much for stopping by, Carole! Loved hearing your opinion!
Elizabeth Vlug says
Ah yes Kijiji, You gotta love it. But it can be so darn frustrating. I only have trouble with the low ballers, but now I just reply ” Let me think about it”. I can just imagine them at the other end thinking they have pulled a fast one. lol. Then a few days later they put forward their low ball offer again and I just say no. Me bad. Thanks for the laugh Sandy. ps. My biggest pet peeve response is ” Is this still available?”
Sandy says
Hahahaha!!!!!!!! That’s a GREAT idea, Elizabeth!! I love it! I’ve filed that one away, lol. Can’t wait to use it one day. Oh yes! The ol’ “is this still available?”. I always have to bite my tongue with that one. Thanks so much for stopping by, and making ME laugh!
mojo says
I got to say the ammount of times ive come across ads that werent removed after sold make the is it still available an expected question
Sandy says
You do have a point, Mojo. I’m sure this happens a lot. People are happy to sell…and completely forget to remove the item once it is gone. I’ve seen that too. Thanks for stopping by!
don says
It is also one of the default/auto replies that Kijiji includes in reply unless you edit it out and type your own message it is sent,In addition for a while it was buggy and seemed to trigger just by mousing over the reply button or clicking close to but not on the button,so for a while those replies were rampant,.I believe that issue was fixed, so the ones like that you receive now are the ones too lazy to type or they want to be “first reply” in hopes of receiving your just posted freebie or a priced dirt cheap well below value item so just hit send.
Luzy says
Good evening Sandy. Oh my.. you made my day lighter. . Its real …very well said….I thought I had the worst day but this simply made me smile. Yes I heard a lot of bad experience using kijiji. Seller: used iPhone $×××.
Buyer: I am interested. I am a priest and I am buying this for somebody but I will be travelling but I will pay more if you mail it to this address. I will.send a cheque to your address so once you get it mail it right away.
You know this is scam. Coz the cheq never exist and a fraudulent item. Seller will push to mail.the item right away but dont get deceived as they use fake name, create fake email and they just want that iPhone. So be careful. I heard a lot of stories about this.
Sandy says
Hi Luzy! So glad you enjoyed this post so much! You are so right, so many scams out there. No matter what platform you are dealing with, you need to be cautious and be aware of things that sound too good to be true. I’ve heard of the type of scenario you mention as well. Thanks so much for reading and for stopping by to comment!
Sab Edwards says
Take down the ad when you sell it..that too doesn’t seem to happen LOL
also take a person with you who stays outside if its a high priced item ($800 etc) and you have to go inside to see this item (ie fridge) …. go to the door with them, say , I will wait outside for x amount of time so that you don’t get robbed (yes, scary world)
and sometimes kijiji doesn’t get it right, EVERY ad I have placed has put me 500 miles away from where I actually live (It goes by postal codes so I have no idea if its google maps or what)
Sandy says
Yes! That’s a big one (not taking down ad when sold). Yes, you should definitely take someone with you when you go to someone’s house to purchase an item. As for your address/postal code issue, what a pain! I’ve had others mention that as well. I would not be happy about that! Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts, Sab!
Maria McLachlan says
I’ve been through most of these situations. So unreal eh, ugh some people.
Sandy says
I sure understand now, Maria, that I’m not alone with this. Sounds like everyone has these problems. At least I have company! Thanks for stopping by!!
Robert Buck says
My pet peeve is you have something for sale. I message you to ask if it still available. Don’t bother to respond. Either you want to sell it or you do not. If it is sold tell me and delete it. Another on is they ask is this still available? You respond yes. That is the last you hear from them.
Sandy says
I truly dislike when people just disappear like that, Robert! It only takes a couple of seconds to respond to someone. This happens a lot though. Thanks so much for stopping by to share your thoughts!
Don says
One of the things I miss since they masked emails is it makes it more difficult and sometimes impossible to recognise who send a email.Of course that’s the purpose of it I suppose but I like many had a list of folks I simply would not reply to,timewasters most often ,redundant questions or repetitive lowballing etc,One way or another they would have to earn a place on the list,all others would be replied to,
Sandy says
I didn’t realize the did this on Kijiji, Don. Interesting. I do understand why they do but, yes, it would help to be able to recognize those you no longer wish to deal with.
Katryna says
I agree completely with everything you wrote! To me it’s just plain common sense but it doesn’t seem like it’s so common anymore!! What led me to this page is the frustration lately wth kijiji users. All I’d like is if your going to message me anything I would just appreciate a response back once I reply to you. That is whether you are still interested or wanting to back out and change your mind. I’ll have someone ask something and then I reply and nothing back? Have also had a big conversation with someone who REALLY wanted my item and the day comes where they’d love to come pick it up and I don’t even hear back and they don’t show. Just blows my mind really and a big waste of time on my end as I am busy enough yet I have the courtesy to take the time to message you back. Also what you had said about low balling. I had an item that I ended up dropping to $10 and I had spent $30 on it originally and they offer $5 when I had wrote good deal in the write up and then I offer $8 and add a bonus similar item to it for them and they don’t reply at all and disappear. So I would have to say my biggest frustration with kijiji users is the no response back. I don’t mind if you changed your mind. It would suck but all I would want is that reply saying sorry I changed my mind! That’s it!! Not that hard is it?
Sandy says
Yes! This is so frustrating, Katryna! It takes 2 seconds to respond. It’s simply common courtesy to let the other person know you’ve changed your mind, can’t make it, etc. No big deal, really. Just let us know. The worst though is like you mention – the person who was really interested, took up a lot of your time messaging…and then ghosts you. Thanks for stopping by to share your comments, Katryna!
Marj says
I made plans to buy tickets pick up tickets to Banjo Bowl next day..i get up this morning to the guy who’s selling the tix txtd me late that night saying..” i gave them to my cousin but hey family first..sorry..such a dick move…i suggested that he should check with his fucking family FIRST before posting it on kijiji
Sandy says
Wow! Yes, maybe next time he could check with family first. That’s super frustrating! Especially for tickets to something. Hope you somehow got to the show another way, Marj. Thanks for stopping by to share your comments.
Kevin says
Been selling my extra clutter for only 2 weeks now, 2 weeks and I’ve already experienced most of your experiences.
I look at it this way. If I had a retail store people would be visiting, looking around, walking out.
So who knows, maybe they price compare, they like bargains, they’re lonely, some just ask questions and nothing more. However I do believe some are just s- -t disturbers.
What gets me most concerned is when we’ve had our discussions, agreed on price. I have your phone number. They have mine.
Most of my items are large, they need to come and get them. I give them my home address, but never show up. Never hear from them again. Ghosted. What’s with that?
Tanner says
Fair enough. Now how about some Kijiji SELLER etiquette?
1. If the item is no longer for sale and you just left your ad up like an idiot, and someone contacts you, contact them back and say so, then remove the ad. Twice this week now I’ve emailed a seller who didn’t have a phone number posted, didn’t get a reply, then later the same day the ad disappeared.
2. Take your ad down when you sell something. Seriously. And additionally, don’t get your panties all in a twist when people keep contacting you about something you already sold. It’s your own fault you didn’t take the ad down.
3. If you’re serious about selling something, put your phone number. If you’re going to only use email, at least check it every once in a while.
4. Make yourself available if you actually want to sell the item.
5. This is minor but how about a little humanity? I can’t tell you how many times I would reply to an ad asking if it’s still available and simply get back “no.” It just seems rude.
6. If you actually expect to sell something, put an actual description and take some actual pictures, instead of just one blurry photo of it in a dimly lit area from far away, and just putting the title of the ad as the description too. Then don’t be surprised or annoyed when people bombard you with questions about it.
Sandy says
Tanner, I love this! I especially love #’s 5 & 6! There’s no doubt about it, it can be equally as frustrating to be a seller. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!!
don says
Many folks like myself NEVER post a phone number for good reason,For starters email is much less intrusive and can be replied to when I have time for it,Some things are more important then a Kijiji sale,Nothing like a phone call at a bad time from a kijijidiot asking if item is available or something else already answered in ad,Not to mention the after item is sold calls from prospective buyers or worse a buyer who has buyers remorse after they read my descriptive ad and after they viewed and inspected their buy,One example is one of the few times I used phone was because it was getting to be a long process of questions one by one by a prospective computer buyer,so I called and answered all questions and set up a time to view/buy.The guy arrives and I demo the computer,starting with log on at which time I telll him its a fresh install of windows without a password being required,I show him to just click “buyer” user name whom is admin and it will log on .He leaves with computer happy as it was a bargain,I am happy to have it out of the way until 2 mornings later at 7am my phone goes and kijijidiot has a attitude as he asks for password to log on ,My phone is for family.friends and wanted business calls,Kijijiidiots are none of those,If people want to buy from me its by my rules and if they don’t want to go with the program I move on,simple as that..
Don says
Would like to add a couple of ommisions,First the computer buyer.Apparently 2 days later was the first chance he had to set up the computer,unfortunately I chose to try to catch a extra hour or two of sleep on that morning,what I left out was it was 7am SUNDAY morning.It seems the common courtesy I grew up with is not shared among many or is simply gone now,It used to be that even friends and family did not call until a reasonable time on weekends unless it was a prearranged expected call or they otherwise knew it would not be a disturbance or it was a emergency,
Secondly as a Kijiji user since it was created by Ebay and time spent on the gone Kijiji forums I like most came to the conclusion that 90% of the ones who insist on phone do not end up buying and most often they LOWBALL along with asking redundant questions already answered in ad or asked in preceeding emails.Bottom line is you have to figure out what works best for you,make your own rules and stick to them so it becomes less frustrating for you,Remember if your items are priced fairly another buyer will come along,As other have said do not put Kijiji sales ahead of whatever else you may be doing plan sales around your own schedule,,I often will ask a buyer what works for them for a time to pick up and if it is the same day,great I will try to work with them and accommodate that time,however if they email back mins before the agreed time to tell me they cannot make it until much later or in the following days ,I move on,If they cannot stick to the time of their choosing the first time I will not waste another minute to rebook and put life on hold to wonder if they will turn up the second time,I stick to the one strike you are out rule most times,
Sandy says
It all sounds so frustrating, Don! Wow. Good advice – figure out what works for you and stick with it. You are less likely to become frustrated or become disappointed. Above all…don’t go changing your plans to suit someone – we all know how that can work out 😉 . Thanks for stopping by to share your comments!
Sandy says
I’m with you on the choice of using email over a phone number, Don. I mean, sometimes you do want to speak by phone but, if it’s pretty straight forward, email works best IMO. It certainly helps avoid those unwanted phone calls at 7am! That’s horrible! Sorry you had to experience that, Don!
J. Z. says
Facebook Marketplace is just as (or even more) worse.
You’ll still get the automated “Hi, is this available? I’m interested”
responses. Unlike Kijiji however, you are also able to tell when
the potential buyer is ignoring your messages.
You know, important questions like “so…when would you like to
meet up?”, “how does X o’clock work for you?” or my personal
favorite “are you still interested?”.
Sandy says
Lol! Love the comments, J.Z.! I didn’t know that about FB Marketplace – that people can see when a potential buyer is ignoring your messages. Makes sense though as you can see when regular messages have been read by your friends on FB. Thanks for stopping by to share your comments!
Chris C. says
I agree with your post… As a buyer regarding SELLERS!!! Believe me, I’ve had my share of frustrations from sellers! You know, we agree, I don’t even haggle, make arrangements to meet you at a certain time and date and show up… NO ANSWER (not on the phone, not at the door!), only to find the next day in my inbox ‘sry sold’. Happened more than once… And the main reason I wish there was a rating system to block flaky sellers, or those that dare insult you when you ask them why they sold after you had made arrangements and everything seemed to run so well from the emails, the rude people that kill it for regular people with, you know, HONOUR.
As for prices… Let’s just say some sellers really believe their used appliance is worth more what I can get it for new. Because it costs nothing to post on kijiji and commercial sellers easily bypass the system to post for free, you get some items posted and reposted every couple of days for 2 years with still no takers (don’t even bother letting kijiji know about multiple listings of the same item – they ignore it). You’d think these sellers are actually interested in selling but no, it seems they’d rather spend their time reposting and spam the search results with their overpriced junk nobody wants! Interested in a used box for a vintage turntable simply because it’s got the brand name on it ? I’ve got a link for one, yay! And it’s getting worse with every passing year – you have to sift maybe 100 ads for a particular item to find one that is reasonably priced. I used to find things after a few weeks, now it’s more like every few months. Not because I’m looking for impossible to find items – we’re talking the same items that I was looking for a few years ago. You see, I maintain my searches to find out how the market has evolved and there is something inescapable: it is much, much harder to find things on kijiji than it used to be, you have now a much better chance of success in thrift stores, even with their sharp price increases since they’ve become ‘in’ places to shop at.
And please, sellers – stop insulting our intelligence stating “paid $$$ at Canadian Tire” (when it regularly gets on sale for less than what you are trying to sell it for) or the classic “it sells for $$$ on kijiji, I checked…” No, you DON’T know what its SELLS for, the prices you mention are for the items THAT DON’T SELL and keep being posted every couple of days for MONTHS >:-(
To sum it up, it’s a real chore to find stuff on kijiji, but it’s worth it if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, like something from your grandma’s time. One piece of advice though – if you see “vintage” in the title, it almost always means “worn out junk I’ll ask an outrageous amount of money for”. Very, very few items are truly vintage and in a condition that is decent enough to warrant what most people who label it ‘vintage’ ask for.
Thank you again for your article – Hopefully it will catch kijiji’s eyes. It confirms what many people feel, the fact kijiji sorely needs revamping to let users filter out the many bad apples that have and seemingly taken over what used to be once a great site.
Sandy says
I want you on my side, Chris, when I’m selling on Kijiji! You sure have done your homework! I really dislike when I see all those spammy ads. They really mess things up in there. I love your quote “vintage” in the title, it almost always means “worn out junk I’ll ask an outrageous amount of money for”. Priceless! Very true at times from what I’ve seen. Thanks – hopefully Kijiji sees it as well. It sure is interesting reading all the feedback on this post. People sure have a lot to say about this topic! Thanks for stopping by to share your comments!
Niki says
Feeling a bit frustrated been trying to buy a pet on kijiji for days and they take forever to get back to us about a day they are avalible
Sandy says
Yes, things can be a bit frustrating with trying to buy as well. Hopefully things work out for you to get a new furry friend, Niki. Thanks for reading!
Dave w says
Decent article on buying and selling on kijiji, but I have to say, selling to the public is a chore on its own. I find if I near give it away I have no trouble with responses or any problem in general. We are dealing with the public and it is the nature of the beast. Gone to ever gets here first, and that works.
Sandy says
Thank you Dave!! Yes, it sure can be a chore, eh? Yes…if you start off with a dirt cheap price you’ll likely have no problems…at least I would hope not! lol Thanks for stopping by!!
Lori says
People on kijiji totally suck. So many times I have had no shows for arranged times for pick up. Just today I agreed to buy something and arrange when it was convenient for them for me to pick up the item and then crickets, WAH??
Sandy says
It can be sooo frustrating, eh Lori? Thanks for reading and for sharing your comment!
Wishang says
i loved this post .When we put something up for sale, we price it to sell. Right price is important task for every seller. If you actually expect to sell something, put an actual description and take some actual pictures, instead of just one blurry photo of it. all factors are taken into consideration while selling your house. i will share your post with others.
Sandy says
Thanks Wishang! All very good points! As for blurry photos…I know what you mean. I’ve seen plenty of those myself! Thanks for stopping by!
Lilly says
I had an ad for a desktop computer for sale. It was a computer that my husband had purchased from an office. It came with the monitor, tower, keyboard, and I decided to sell it because I wanted a laptop instead. Within two hours of posting the ad for the pc, someone had called me to ask if he could see it and asked if it was negotiable. I said yes, it is negotiable. He wanted to come and see it but I brought it to him instead because I was going to be in his area. Then he called me back and said “I just want to see it and test it first, it’s not a sale”. I said no problem, will let you see and test it first. The next day, I brought it, and I already dropped the price over the phone, when I arrived, he wanted to pay less again! I told him you should have negotiated the price more over the phone the night before. I had removed another $20. Then he looked at the computer without testing it. I offered him to try it first and he said, “no, it’s ok..it’s good and I will take it.” I sold it for $180. The next day he called back and said the power adapter was missing for the monitor. I had not noticed as my husband put it all in a bag. The adapter ranges from $8 to $12. Since then, he had called me and I tried my best to get him another one. I had tried to accomodate this person and he is a harrassing nuisance. He asked for his money back because he went out and bought another computer and wants me to refund him. So let me get this straight, you couldn’t buy an $8 or $10 adapter, even after I lowered the price when I was at his place, but he went and bought another computer? Now he’s constantly harrassing me and even texted me at 2am. Does anyone have any advice on this. He sent a text claiming he will take legal action. Yet when I bought 4 used winter tires last year, one was installed and we noticed after all of them were cracked. I couldn’t get a refund and I paid $300! Do you think I should still refund this harrassing haggler for the computer? I told him he could try to sell it if he doesn’t want it and he said no! Beleive me, he lives better than I do and makes a good living…talk about being tightwad!! He is really getting on my nerves. Kijiji is not Walmart where you have a receipt and get a refund..it’s not a store!
Sandy says
Ugh Lilly. I’m so sorry to hear you are dealing with this issue. Unfortunately, I can’t offer you any legal advice as to how to deal with this situation as we are not lawyers, and do not have any knowledge of the law in this regard. If it were me, I would probably cut my losses and get the computer back from him and refund his money. Regardless of any possible legal action, at a minimum, it sounds like he’s not going to stop bothering you about this. If I were you, I would rather get it back from him and try to sell it to someone else, taking note of this situation, and perhaps wording your ad to take into account some of the annoying things you had to deal with (in the hopes that you don’t have to go through them again).
Silver says
I never offer refunds it’s sold as is where is let me tell you a little story after 30 years of being a mechanic I found that could you g can be a fairly profitable place to repair cheap consumer goods like lawn mowers snow blowers ride tractors chainsaws I saw them at about 50% of their price new sometimes 40% or even 30% of their price new and they run perfectly when they leave my house but every once in awhile some Dingus breaks it 6/8 Weeks Later and calls me up and says he wants his money back well sorry there’s no refunds the machine worked if it’s a snow blower you used it for 3 months to blow your snow and then at the end of the season you want to run all the gas out of it so you started it up ran it full blast and blew the motor because it was not under load and it over sped and threw a rod but now you want to take the money that I earned from me and give me your broken junk no way not in a million years do I ever give anybody on Kijiji a refund the reason why you bought it used is because you’re too cheap to buy it new and if you bought it new maybe it would come with a warranty but this is nowhere
a warranty house. I’m an honest hard-working man is just trying to piece his life together and pay the bills.
another really evil scam was a guy who bought a car from me and then he registered it in his name and then he wanted to return it it was an audacious scam he used the car as collateral at a Payday Loans place so he wanted me to just accept the car not title it under my name which would have cost me you know $1,000 in taxes and then run off with my money and not pay back the Payday Loan Company so I was an obvious scam and I just told him to pound sand.
Sandy says
You’ve actually made me feel better about our interactions with Kijiji buyers and sellers, Silver. Wow, sounds like you’ve been through the ringer with some of your transactions. So very frustrating for you – and potentially very dangerous in regards to that scammer. Glad to hear you knew what he was up to! Thanks so much for sharing your stories, Silver!
Helena says
I found this page because I’m worried I’m saying something wrong when people message me saying “Is this still available?” I reply “yes it is, would you like to come and have a look?” they either never reply or say “no thanks”. Has happened so many times. What am I saying wrong?
Sandy says
Hi Helena! I really don’t think you are saying something wrong. I just think it’s the “nature of the beast” so to speak. As we have learned since writing this piece, this is the sort of thing that happens all the times. I don’t think it’s you. Thanks for stopping by to share your comment!
Annic says
All my ads have this on the first line: “If the ad is up, they are still available” this has cut down on the very frustrating question “do you still have it?” from my experience the people you still ask “if It still available?” (are too lazy), are usually the one who will not buy, so it is a good way to screen them out.
Don says
Delivery is definitely a no go for me.I price my items with the intent to sell and most often research for comparables before pricing,If someone cannot pick up someone else will.
Most often those who do deliver will eventually be hit with one of the ways it goes bad and it can go real bad with no sale in the end,You end up wasting your time and expense of travel and often end up frustrated
One of the worst and most common ploys is the prospective buyer uses your generous offer of delivery as leverage to doorstep LOWBALL you knowing you have already spent YOUR time and expense to get there and they have lost nothing if you refuse.
annic says
I rarely deliver but when I do, I get a deposit before
Lesley says
If you are buying something from from someone in a different city and paying for the shipping, Do you send the money before the package is mailed or when you receive it? ( ie: etransfer)
Thanks so much!
I have enjoyed reading your page
Annic says
I like the one that just reply with just a price, no hi or anything just dollar sign (sometime) and a number usually it’s less then haft the listed price. I know these people are just low ballers, so I have fun I usually reply with: “Ah! a man with many words” it messes them up usually too dumb to know I am playing with them.
The classic question: Oh can you hold this for me? Sure, only if I get a deposit, (Interac e-transfer) is good, no deposit, no holding! Serious people will give a deposit it has never been a problem.
All my ads have this on the first line: “If the ad is up, they are still available” this has cut down on the very frustrating question “do you still have it?” from my experience the people you still ask for if I still have it (are too lazy), are usually the one who will not buy, so it is a good way to screen them out.
All my ads have lots of great photos and great description, it has cut down lots of questions and I can ask for more for my product, I also add this to the end of all my ads “No silly low ball offers please, we are in Canada here” it also helps.
I been selling on Kijijij and LesPAC (in Quebec) for 1o years +, For the last 4 years I have notice since it is more popular the quality of clients had dropped. Yet again it depends what you sell, ski stuff good clients, Trailer stuff you get the scum of the earth.
I have just sent a link of this page to a kijiji “client” who was wasting my time for a $20 item! thanks I will use it again.
Sorry for my English it’s my 2nd language