Buyer Behaviour on Kijiji or Craigslist

Adventure rightly sums up every selling experience I have on Kijiji and Craigslist. One would think that selling your used goods would be so simple, but there are definite buyer patterns that emerge. Maybe exchanges using Kijiji and Craigslist are a true reflection of the society we live, with some good and some bad. Here are some that I see here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Lowball Offers: I research my products and do not over charge. I prefer that my goods sell quickly. When I get someone emailing me with an offer of half what I want, this is a lowball offer. These offers are extremely common. I ignore them.

Buyers asking for your address and phone number without setting up a meeting. Why should I give out my address and phone number to anyone who asks for it? If we have arranged a meeting and you state you will come at a certain time, then Ok, you get my address, and I want your phone number too, just in case you do not show up.

Buyers arrange a meeting and do not show up: This is pretty common and discourteous, but that can you do? I do not specifically stay home for any meeting for a buyer. If I will be home anyway, then Ok I will set up a meeting. Many buyers simply do not show up, and do not call you back to say they will not show up. I guess they feel that they do not know you, so why call? I do not know. This is also the reason I do not “meet me half way”, because I will show up on time, and the seller may not show up at all.

First come First Serve: Whomever gets to my house with the cash first gets the sale. I will not “save” stuff for you irregardless of the reason. The reason is that many buyers do not show up, so why should I wait? If you really want some product, then hustle and get to the seller as quickly as you can, otherwise it will be gone.

Be Nice to Everyone: This is not a cut-throat business for sellers. We can be nice to each other and have a good time. Life is too short to nit pick at each other.

Happy selling and buying.

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