Here’s something you may not know about me: I’ve always been what I call a saver, and proud of it. That means I hold onto everything I own for as long as humanly possible, which means I get to be surrounded by wonderful memories all the time. Lucky me.
The problem is, because I can’t seem to let go of the past, I can sometimes end up keeping things simply because I might one day drag them out of storage—but then I never do. That’s how I ended up with a room in my basement that’s crammed from floor to ceiling. It got to the point where I didn’t even know what was in there, and worse, I couldn’t even wedge open the door to find out.
Ugh, where do I start?
So there I was, wasting a whole room of my house because it was so full of stuff just wasting away in there. Ironic, right?
Then I turned 50, and spring came and I got really bold. One day, I used brute force to get in and start hauling out stuff. And more stuff. And more stuff. And guess what I discovered? I’ve got perfectly great items that I can sell or recycle through the second-hand economy.
Hello, Kijiji!
It has only taken me five decades, but I have finally realized that there’s no point in keeping things I’ll never use when there’s an even better alternative. I can get some cash in hand by selling these items to people who will give them some real love. Just like my Brazen Woman partner, Mara, for instance, who has recently become hooked on Kijiji to shop second-hand.
As it turns out, Mara has the opposite problem to mine. While I’ve got a room to clear out so I can use it, she’s got an empty guest room that’s just begging to be transformed into a usable space, like a study. But that means she’ll need to fill it with funky items, like a cool desk and chair, for instance, and a storage unit and a lamp and whatever else matches her décor, all while sticking to a budget.
What should we brazen women do? We’ve found what can only be described as a stroke-of-genius solution. I’ll sell my items online, and she’ll search for new items via online classifieds, and then we will each report back to let you know how it goes.
Now I realize I’m a little late to the party here but at least I’ve arrived, right? Mara and I are joining the nearly 85% of Canadians who participated in second-hand transactions in the last year, including donations, swaps, rentals and buying/selling items. That’s right, more Canadians were buying and selling second-hand goods than participated in Canada’s labour force. And not surprisingly, Kijiji is the number one commercial platform to exchange second-hand goods. So obviously that’s where we’re headed.
Time to save some cash!
Buying and selling online is a win-win on both sides of the transaction. According to the Second-Hand Economy Index, a comprehensive study on Canadians’ second-hand practices by Kijiji, in 2016, Canadians saved an average of $843 when buying used over new and earned an average of $1,037 through selling used items. Impressed by its popularity, I began to wonder ‘why do people sell stuff online?’ Same reasons I want to. They are being pragmatic and view platforms, like Kijiji, as a prime opportunity to dispose of items they no longer use. And making some extra cash doesn’t hurt!
So now that I’m sold on selling on Kijiji, where do I start? Well, the first step is clear. I’ll be right here, sorting through my goodies—everything from home décor, entertainment and tech products, and probably a whole lot more—so I can decide what to sell first.
As for Mara, she’s open to all possibilities, too. Not only will she be on the hunt for the basics for her new study, she’ll also be keeping her eye out for treasures being listed on Kijiji. As we brazen shoppers know well, the best buys are usually the ones you weren’t looking for, but just magically stumble upon and have to make your own.
Think we’ll emerge successfully recycled? You bet we will! Stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted on our #KijijiFind progress right here on Brazen Woman, and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. So be sure to follow along as we learn—and share—everything we buy and sell on Kijiji.
Note: This post was generously sponsored by Kijiji. All opinions are those of the Brazen Woman editors.
