More Kijiji Awesomeness & 10 Tips for Successful "Kijiji-ing"!

My name is Maggie. And I'm a Kijiji junkie. 

I spend A LOT of time perusing the website for deals, and I've even installed the Kijiji app on my iPhone so I can monitor my watchlist while I'm on the go.

It's so fun to hunt and haggle for the best deals on amazing items. My favourite time to "shop" Kijiji is in the middle of the night, when I'm up nursing Little A or trying to get her back to sleep.


Here are a few of my favourite recent finds:

An Amazing Bombay & Co. Lingerie Dresser for a mere $80 - retails for $799 in store

 This actually has an interesting story, and I'm indebted to my fellow Kijiji junkie friend Mrs. T for letting me have this one.  I was at her house and admired hers {she had just scored a similar one on Kijiji}, and I was determined to get one of my own. 

I was up at 6am one morning with the baby, and typed "Lingerie Dresser" into the search function, and here this baby popped up - just posted and located right in MY town! I sent an email to the seller right away and then I waited.


Later that day, I found out that Mrs. T also sent the seller an email offering $90, $10 over asking price. Neither of us heard from the seller for a few days, then one day, Mrs. T received an email saying the buyer with first dibs never showed so it was Mrs. T's for the taking.  What did my amazing friend, Mrs. T, do??? She called me and let me have it because I had emailed first! What a GREAT friend!!!  We picked it up that day and I've been smiling ever since.  


Thank you Mrs. T!!!

A lovely {and solid!} settee for $90!

This settee has a much less interesting story than my awesome lingerie dresser.  We haggled the price down from $130 to $90. I've been wanting a bench for the end of my bed for AGES, but isn't this two-seater much more sassy & stylish? It's in pretty decent condition, but eventually I'd like to recover it and YES - I'm changing out the pillows {I've already purchased fabric!}

Here's another photo of the curvy leg sweetness in all their glory!

And, of course, as posted yesterday, my long-awaited beloved gray microfiber two-seater in the conversation area of my fab dining room!

 

Here are my tips for successful "Kijiji-ing":

1. Check often.

2. Check misspellings of the item you are looking for {ie. "rod iron", "seatee", "setee", "run" instead of "rug". Try not to laugh at the moronic spellings of items.


3. If interested, email right away to show your intent and get your place "in line."


4. If you change your mind, also email right away.


5. Ask in your first email if the price is negotiable. Usually is, but if they are ornery and sticking to their guns on their over-priced ugly furniture, you probably don't want to deal with them.


6. If you want it, bid on it - maybe higher than asking if necessary. Once you are familiar with the going-rate of certain items, you know what's overpriced and what's an amazing deal.


7. Set up an alert for search terms you frequently use. Once a day, an email is sent to you with all ads posted that day containing that search term. Keeps it simple if you don't have time to constantly be checking Kijiji. Although be prepared that an ad placed early in the day may have numerous people already interested.


8. Know when you're being played. Recently, I found a $900 shag rug selling for $60. I responded to the ad within 2 minutes of it being posted. I received an email from the seller an hour later telling me that there was a lot of interest and that one person was coming to see it the next night. She wondered if I wanted to see it that night, then the other person would see it, then she would take best offers. I corresponded back and forth a few times, and I totally got the vibe that despite the fact I was first, she was greedy and wanted to create a bidding war scenario. No thanks, not interested.


9. Don't be too disappointed if you miss out on *the perfect* item. Someone else usually posts the same thing {or better!} within a week, and you will be happy soon.


10. DON'T SETTLE for something you just kinda like. Get what you love, even if it takes time {or YEARS in my case!}. And if you realize that it isn't as fabulous as you thought it would be, you could always sell it on Kijiji!!!