Let's Talk About Kijiji

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by pope04

How's that working for you?

They either come back with an actual offer or they leave me alone. So, I'd have to say perfectly.

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I respond to this with a price $10 higher than listed. Seems to get my point across.

It's quite funny because I like to think Kijiji is a buyer's market (also I am usually looking for generic stuff like a game or something). It takes 20 seconds for me to send the first response. Trust me, you are not "teaching me a lesson" or hurting my feelings with your response. Truth is, I probably sent the same message to a few people and at least one will get back to me and would want to negotiate.

As for you, I would delete your response and you can keep posting your ad every few days trying to sell your item. Just like in real life, if a salesman is being sassy, I can just go across the street and buy it from someone else.

Just my opinion though.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by keenan87

It's quite funny because I like to think Kijiji is a buyer's market (also I am usually looking for generic stuff like a game or something). It takes 20 seconds for me to send the first response. Trust me, you are not "teaching me a lesson" or hurting my feelings with your response. Truth is, I probably sent the same message to a few people and at least one will get back to me and would want to negotiate.

As for you, I would delete your response and you can keep posting your ad every few days trying to sell your item. Just like in real life, if a salesman is being sassy, I can just go across the street and buy it from someone else.

Just my opinion though.

Cool. Looks like it works for both of us then.

[pope04]

My personal rule when buying something used is if the price's fair, I don't haggle. If the price's a little out of line, I do ask the seller if they're firm on the price. Respectfully. I never lowball. If someone came back with a price higher than the original asking price I'd assume they've watched too many episodes of Pawn Stars or American Pickers.

[woob]

Yeah, if you send me a message saying what's my lowest price, you're not worth my time. You've made zero effort on your part so why should I make any on mine? Those messages either get ignored or replied with "feel free to make an offer".

The thing about Kijiji is unless I'm listing some piece of worthless garbage, you typically get a dozen or more replies and can find one who's reasonable and willing to discuss the item for sale and the price. Everyone else can wait in line or go somewhere else. If both parties make an effort, typically a sale happens at a price both are happy with.

[calgaryblood]

What's wrong with asking someone what their lowest price is? If you're selling something for $500 and someone only wants to pay $400, why waste time coming and looking at it? It can be solved with "what's your lowest price" if you say $475 then the person knows there is no point in continuing further. Saves time for everyone.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I never knew negotiating on kijiji was such serious business. I've never been offended by an offer. As calgaryblood says if someone said what's your lowest price I'd either just reiterate my asking price if the ad said firm or I'd treat it like any other opening offer and reduce my asking price as I would if they made an offer too low. Listed for $500. Expecting to settle around $450. Someone asks my lowest price I'm gonna say $480. They never respond, their loss they suck at negotiating. They come back with $420. Boom we settle on $450 everybody wins.

[woob]

It's not serious business, some people just have preferred ways of dealing with buyers/sellers. I like the back end of your method, but I chose to do that with people who make offers to start with. I find those who ask "what's your lowest price" aren't typically the people who are willing to haggle and are more interested in getting it as cheap as possible. I respect their method, I just choose not do deal with buyers like that.

[Ducay]

So there is a seller with an item I am in the market for, really good price on a still sealed product (so instant red flags). I click on "View poster's other ads" and its clear they've just selling things they've shoplifted.

- Prescription glasses straight from the store (demo lenses with the brand on the lens still, along with the price tag)
- Shrink wrapped cosmetics
- Electronics NIB

Stuff like that, and a lot of them have the pictures taken at a seat in the mall, with her bag and stroller right beside, making it pretty obvious. She has "reasons' for selling each item but its like, well why wouldn't you just return it if it is wrapped and new? And who buys prescription frames without lenses and changes their mind. Oh and the store didn't take the tag off?

Sure it could be legit, but feel like I should be reporting it somehow

[woob]

Using the stroller to lift stuff, likely? "Oh my baby is sleeping"

[Fuzz]

Grrr, put an old Shaw box up for free. Instantly 5 emails saying they want it. I pick the first one, then he starts asking questions like "does it have an HDMI port". Read the f'n add, it tells you the model number. Look it up. So some back and forth then he doesn't want it.

It's free, you want it? Come get it. Stop wasting my time.

[sketchyt]

The only time I've ever been annoyed on kijiji is someone who posted some sob story about needing a goalie bag for their kid and was too poor to buy one. So I met up with her, gave it to her for free, didn't get a thank you, and then saw it posted for sale for $50 a week later.

Wait, should I have posted this on the I Don't Want to Live on this Planet Anymore thread instead? Maybe I should start a Why I'm a Sucker thread.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by sketchyt

The only time I've ever been annoyed on kijiji is someone who posted some sob story about needing a goalie bag for their kid and was too poor to buy one. So I met up with her, gave it to her for free, didn't get a thank you, and then saw it posted for sale for $50 a week later.

Haha had a similar incident with a pair of hockey tickets. Don't remember the details exactly, but it was a newly single dad wanting to take his kid to a game. Emailed the person to give them a pair that I had, and the entire story was changed, to something about wanting to take his girlfriend to a game, so not sure if he forgot which sob story he used on kijiji, or he just wasn't very bright. Needless to say he didn't get the tickets.

[psyang]

After a terrific experience getting a great set of rims for cheap, I've had two consecutive bad experiences trying to find winter tires on kijiji.

In the first one, we agreed to meet at a shopping mall parking lot at 3:30. The seller arrived closer to 4, and when she opened her trunk to show the tires, she said "Oh, by the way, there are only 3 tires, I hope that's ok". Ugh - good lesson to never assume that "tires" in an ad means 4 tires. I'll accept the blame for not asking, but really, wouldn't a seller think that is important information?

Two days later, I go to look at winter tires that have "70% tread left". When I got there, I measured the tread at 2/32". So worn out tires are considered 70%.

I may just buy new and avoid the aggravation.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by psyang

After a terrific experience getting a great set of rims for cheap, I've had two consecutive bad experiences trying to find winter tires on kijiji.

In the first one, we agreed to meet at a shopping mall parking lot at 3:30. The seller arrived closer to 4, and when she opened her trunk to show the tires, she said "Oh, by the way, there are only 3 tires, I hope that's ok". Ugh - good lesson to never assume that "tires" in an ad means 4 tires. I'll accept the blame for not asking, but really, wouldn't a seller think that is important information?

Two days later, I go to look at winter tires that have "70% tread left". When I got there, I measured the tread at 2/32". So worn out tires are considered 70%.

I may just buy new and avoid the aggravation.

Pics. If the pics don't show 4 tires, there aren't 4 tires. And if the pics show a bald ass tire, it's not 70%. And if there's no pics, keep clicking. You don't want to buy something from someone that is too much of a struggler to post a couple pics.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Pics. If the pics don't show 4 tires, there aren't 4 tires. And if the pics show a bald ass tire, it's not 70%. And if there's no pics, keep clicking. You don't want to buy something from someone that is too much of a struggler to post a couple pics.

The caveat to that is if you are willing to put up with strugglers withou pics you can get really good deals as no on responds to adds without pics. The used cars I have bought (2 of them) ended up being from old adds without pics for huge discounts of people wanting just to get rid of the vehicle by then.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

^You can definitely take advantage of poor seller practices if you've got the patience. A lot of those are going to end up being disappointments but there's the occasional diamond in the rough, for sure. Friend of mine went to look at an older model Porsche on a whim a couple of years ago. The ad had one blurry, badly lit picture and some fairly denigrating description ("needs some work", etc) and when he got there the thing was basically pristine other than one fender with a dent and some paint scraped off, and more importantly it had the entire chain of regular dealership maintenance records going all the way back to the date of purchase. He bought it for about 2/3 of its value.

[taco.vidal]

I find it funny that people take low offers so personally, almost as an insult.

I always browse Kijiji for a few items I have my eye. Sometimes Ill see a new listing for an item that hasnt been posted before. The seller often prices it at the highend of the market. The listing then keeps getting renewed for weeks or months. If Im interested, Ill send a friendly message saying if they need to get rid of it, I am willing to willing to pay $xxx for the item, usually somewhere between 25 to 50% of the listing price. Some people dont respond. Some people respond saying the cant go that low and send a price that might 75% of the original price. Others respond with a nasty email explaining that Im and idiot and why there item is worth top dollar. And then every so often someone responds and accepts my offer and we make a deal. I think these people just get sick of listing the item and dealing with tire kickers and other idiots on Kijiji. Also, if youve got your prcing way out of whack, you might notbe getting many offers.

Some of the worst offenders for pricing are people who buy a highend item and then dont use it as much as they expected and then try to sell it a year or two later. They try to sell the item at a 10 or 20% discount. Well you can find that item at a retailer for cheaper than that if they still have previous years stock or you can buy the current years model which has better features and newer technology for the same price that your asking for something used on Kijiji.

[4X4]

You get emails from people telling you you're an idiot? Like, several emails? But it's everyone else that's wrong, eh?

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

....snip....

Some of the worst offenders for pricing are people who buy a highend item and then dont use it as much as they expected and then try to sell it a year or two later. They try to sell the item at a 10 or 20% discount. Well you can find that item at a retailer for cheaper than that if they still have previous years stock or you can buy the current years model which has better features and newer technology for the same price that your asking for something used on Kijiji.

This happens constantly on electronics. I laugh at people who think their 4 year old apple laptop is still worth over $1k, maybe if you find a fanboy as big as you.

I was looking for TV's recently, they still have old school projection TV's on there, most are free to pick up (heck I tossed one in the BestBuy recycling 4 years ago because I didn't want to move it up 3 flights of stairs) but there is the occasional person trying to sell them for 150ish range (but its in perfect condition!). drives me nuts. 10 year old sony aquos tv? $400 lol. I picked up a brand new 42" smart TV from Canadian Tire's big sale over the weekend for $300. these people are delusional but maybe I'm just not patient enough cuz I'm sure if they wait some of them get a buyer who is just as dumb as them.