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Writer's pictureRich Gould

How Kijiji Can Help New Home-Buyers

Kijiji Screen Shot

Buying a new house is exciting. Moving can be daunting though. When you begin packing you realize just how much clutter has accumulated in your closets and sheds. You may also realize that you can’t bring all your stuff to your new home. That kitchen table that was perfect for your apartment looks out-of-place in your new dining room.

Given all the other tasks associated with moving, the last thing you want to do on a precious Saturday is hold a traditional garage sale. Kijiji can help new home-buyers clear some clutter and make some extra cash to help ease their move to their new home.

Kijiji Can Help YouKijiji  is Canada’s most popular free, local classifieds site. The word 'kijiji' (pronounced like key-gee-gee) means 'village' in Swahili. This name captures the essence of the site: a place where people connect with others in their community. Think of it as a virtual garage sale. Kijiji provides a free and convenient way for people to buy, sell or trade things that you no longer use or the curtains that don’t fit the windows in your new house. While there are other online classified sites around—most notably Craigslist—Kijiji is the #1 classifieds site in Canada. It boasts over 15 million Canadian visitors each month. in 2010 there were over 40 million ads posted nationwide. In Moncton alone, there are currently 2,880 listings for furniture and 2,330 listings for home and garden items. These ads also include ‘wanted’ postings. This means that there may already be a buyer for your gas lawnmower or patio furniture.

How to Post an Ad on Kijiji Here are 15 tips to successfully sell an item on Kijiji:

1. Choose an item to advertise. It is usually best to create separate posts for each item, unless they are a set (i.e. bed frame and night stand). You can post up to 25 unique Ads on Kijiji every day.

2. Register with Kijiji. Registration is not required. However,it allows you to post and manage ads without having to confirm each action via email and reserve your own nickname. This makes your experience easier and more enjoyable.

3. Choose an area (e.g. Moncton) to post your ad in.

4. Select a Category (furniture; home and garden; sports, bikes, etc) and a sub-category (bookcases, coffee tables patio, etc) for your item

5. Fill in the Ad Details. These include ‘ad type’ (offering or wanting) and if you are an owner or dealer.

6. Select a Price. Prices vary depending on condition, age and demand. They should be along the lines of what you would expect to get at a garage sale. If you are having problems determining a fair price, check out WorthMonkey for help in deciding on a value.

7. Choose a Post Title. Try and create a catchy yet descriptive title. This is important because your title will be seen most often. It will be what gets people to click on your ad.

8. Write a Description. The description is where you describe your item to prospective buyers. It's what will convince people to contact you. Be sure to include as many relevant details as possible.

9. Add Pictures. This is optional, but highly recommended. Ads with pictures get twice the number of replies. They allows to you show your item from different angles or highlighting different features. You can update many photos, but 3-4 pictures is usually enough.

10. Include your Contact Information.

  1. Email (required): You may wish to set up a separate email address for your Kijiji account. Even though it will be anonymized on the site, your customers will get your email address when you respond to them after they have contacted  you.

  2. Phone (optional): Keen buyers are more likely to respond to ads with phone numbers. Be aware, however, that if you enter your phone number it will show up on your ad . If you don't want to include your number, no problem; prospective buyers will still be able to contact you via email. When registering you can also include your Skype details if you would like to be contacted this way instead.

  3. Address (postal code required). This is so people know where you live and won't be suprised that you live an hour away. If you are concerned about privacy, a postal code is enough.

11. Select Upgrades: While a basic ad (including picture) is free and enough for most people, Kijiji offers upgrades to help get your ad seen buy more people. This will help  your items get sold quicker.

  1. Urgent: ($7.99/week) Adds a red urgent banner to your listing. Ads with the urgent icon stand out from others because of their different look.

  2. Link to your Website ($4.00) Allows an external link you your website where you can offer more details, pictures and other information)

  3. Top Ad ($12.99/week) Sell faster by putting your ad in the ‘Top Ads’ section. This is located above all other ads so prospective buyers see it first.

  4. Homepage Gallery ($14.99/week) Your ad photo and title is placed at the top of the Kijiji homepage and seen by everybody visiting the site for a week.

12. Preview and Post Your Ad to make sure everything looks right. After the ad looks like you want it to, click on ‘Post Your Ad.’ Once posted, be sure to click on the link to see how your ad will look to your customers.

13. Respond Quickly to Queries. Chances are your item isn't the only one of its kind posted on the site. If you want to sell quickly (and for top dollar), be sure to respond to prospective buyers quickly.

14. Make the Transaction. Most often buyers will be willing to come to you to pick up and pay for the item. If you are worried about them coming to your home, pick a nearby public spot to meet—such as a park or parking lot. Be prepared to allow the buyer to check out the item to make sure it works properly. Also, be ready to negotiate a bit over the price.

15. Cancel your Ad. It is considerate to cancel your ad once your item has been sold.  You don't want to get people interested in buying something you no longer have. This is the process in a nutshell. While it may seem complicated, using the site is actually quite straightforward. if you have questions along the way, Kijiji maintains an excellent online help desk to guide you. Once you sell your unwanted items, you can look forward to moving into your new house with a little extra cash to help you get settled!

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