(set of 4 Queen Anne Chairs in perfect condition, $100)I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had a lovely weekend visiting family! We still have more work to do on our bedroom before it is ready... so I thought since I have had some questions on how to find things on Kijiji and Craigslist, I would outline some of the things I have learned. Throughout the post I have included pictures of things we have bought on Kijiji, and where possible, what we paid in Canadian dollars to give you some idea of pricing.
(Dishwasher - $40)First of all, Kijiji is an online classified site similar to Craigslist except the pictures are listed down the side which makes it much easier to scan through multiple items, instead of clicking on each ad to see a picture. (Edit: You can actually download this to let you see thumbnails on Craigslist - Thanks Linden Townhouse!) Of course location is key, it helps to live in or near a bigger city. Here are some tips I have to share.
1) Be Patient - I think this is the most important thing. Almost anything you are looking for will eventually come up, it just may take a few weeks or months. We looked for our sofa for two weeks, our dining room chairs for two months, and our front porch wicker furniture for a whole year!
2) Key Words - I think knowing how to search is very important. While you could spend hours searching the "Furniture" category, it would be much more effective to type in "Antique Dresser". However, keep in mind that someone who labels their dresser as antique probably recognizes it's true value and the price will reflect that. You may have more luck finding a deal by searching "old dresser" or just "dresser." You can also search for descriptive words such as "vintage" or "Pottery Barn."
3) Email Function - On Kijiji there is an email function where you can have items with key words emailed to your account. For example, right now I am looking for a claw foot tub for our bathroom renovation (so excited about this!) So any ads with "Claw Foot Tub" are sent directly to my email. This works for items that are pretty rare, since you don't want your inbox filled with dozens of ads.
(Jenny Lind Change Table - $40, retails $130)
[Ikea Lenda drapes $5 per panel (retails $30 per pair), matchstick blinds $12 each, Ikea ektorp Sofa $100 (retails about $600) Pottery Barn Chunky Wool Jute Rug $130 off with discounted gift card]4) Timing - Timing is key in getting a good deal. To find something that is initially underpriced you have to be quick, as I was with this dresser and chair. Alternatively, you can search for items that are a couple of weeks old and offer the seller less than what they are asking. You are taking the chance that the item is no longer available but you might just get a good deal. Our dining room chairs were posted for $200, which was more than I could pay, so I offered the seller $100 and told her she could contact me if she was unable to sell them for $200. A couple months later she emailed me and said I could have them for $100.
5) Pricing - My opinion is that any used item should sell for 50% of the original price, with adjustments made higher or lower for the condition of the item. Of course antiques are a whole other category, but this is a general rule I follow when trying to determine if something is a good deal.
(Vintage stool, $10)6) Be Flexible - If you are going to get a good deal you will most likely have to act quickly. Unfortunately, this often means dropping everything to go pick up the item NOW. People are usually selling stuff because they are moving, need space, or are replacing the item with something new so they want you to pick it up now, not in a week. I have gotten better deals by offering to come pick it up right away.
(Pottery Barn Manhattan Leather Club Chair and Ottoman, $600 (our most expensive Kijiji purchase!) retails around $2500 in Canada)
(Antique Dresser and Chair, $20 for both)7) Gift Cards - This is one of the best secrets of Kijiji. People will sell Gift Cards and Merchandise Cards for significantly discounted amounts if they are not looking to purchase anything from that store. I have seen great deals for Home Depot, Ikea, Restoration Hardware, and many others. We purchased our living room rug after buying a Pottery Barn gift card that was discounted $130. The best time to look for these is after Christmas but I do see them all year round.
8) Be Creative - This means looking at Kijiji first before making almost any other purchase. You would be surprised at what can be found. In addition to furniture, we have purchased window treatments, kitchen appliances, a hockey jersey, baby toys, baby clothes, and baby accessories.
(Baby clothes $5 for outfit, Pottery Barn Wagon and Blocks $10)I hope this helps some of you. I think shopping Kijiji is a great way to recycle and save money, and it is really not that time consuming once you know how to search.