The famous classified ads on the web are a huge source of pleasure for voyeurs and lovers of language pearls. The indescribable Chantal Lamarre has turned this sometimes surreal universe into a delicious section to Infoman.
The composition of the texts, the quality of the French, the choice of the articles offered, all this goes through his twist and his formidable sense of repartee.
Thus, among the bargains of the week, the mischievous redhead has already unearthed a “child’s canada coat”, a “snow cauliflower”, a “very beautiful crèche” with “the baby who has a broken arm”, a ” bar that belonged to the Lavigueurs” and a superb “bell in the evening”.
Browsing sessions on second-hand resale platforms are as hilarious as they are distressing.
The recent sale of the house of a member of my family allowed me to enter this fascinating world which offers an impressive lot of surprises. As well to say it right away, the pleasure and the advantages offered by the Kijiji, Craiglist, Marketplace and other platforms are clearly greater for the one who buys than for the one who sells.
First, be prepared to have to show great humility. For the item that you value a lot and that you display at a very good price, you will receive ridiculously low offers. Added to this is the inevitable question: do you provide transport?
A slipper with that?
Tell yourself that a sale is never made until the person has turned the corner with your items. There are those who arrive at your home and, after a few insulting comments which they make as if you were not there, leave without taking anything.
There is also the lack of customer planning. My sister-in-law arranged to meet a woman who was interested in a filing cabinet with several drawers. Despite the fact that she knew the dimensions, the lady arrived with a tiny car that absolutely could not accommodate the piece of furniture.
And then there are the rabbits you are asked. How many people don’t show up? Or cancel at the last minute when you have just refused three offers?
In short, don’t be surprised to squeal with joy after selling a high-quality sofa (worth a whopping $375) for the paltry sum of $35.
I now understand why many people no longer break their heads and display the mention “to give away” from the start. Between a community donation center that refuses to take possession of the furniture you give it for free (yes, yes, yes) and an individual who comes to pick up the lot with his brother-in-law’s truck, many prefer the second option.
This experience also made me understand that some beautiful objects no longer have any value. In fact, they have some for those with an eye: antique dealers or second-hand dealers who spend their days on these platforms in search of real treasures.
We tried for several days to sell dining room furniture made by a cabinetmaker in the 1970s. This set would cost a fortune these days. Interest was zero. A lover of fine furniture finally got his hands on it for a pittance. He was mad as a broom.
In recent years, antique stores have been disappearing one after the other. To go where do you think? On these platforms where they offer objects in spare parts. The pleasure of antiquing in dusty stores at the back of a courtyard and discovering objects that one can feel and smell at will has become rare.
The good old days of the 1970s and 1980s when one could, like the characters in the novel The Tomcat, discovering an old wardrobe in the back of a barn is really a thing of the past. Today, it happens mostly on the web.
A good number of “virtual junk dealers” therefore use these sites to resell objects that they have often unearthed… on other sites. Prices can then skyrocket. This is called “object gentrification”.
The sale of second-hand items on the web, however, has something extremely positive: it is excellent for the environment. By selling or giving away furniture, tools or kitchen items for free to others, we limit the production of new objects that will eventually end up in landfills.
However, there remains the question of the means of delivery or transport.
Resale platforms are a solid link in the second-hand economy. According to the 5e Kijiji Index report, published in 2019 (available on the website of the Responsible Consumption Observatory of UQAM), Canadians gave a second life to 2.4 billion objects in 2018. That’s 250 million objects more than in 2014.
And among the top-selling items are shoes and clothing, which account for 30% of all second-hand items sold.
In short, if the resale or the search for objects can be a huge entertainment, a relaxing pastime or a source of frustration and hassle (beware of scammers), remains that it is now part of our reality.
Since the start of the pandemic, many people have discovered the (barely guilty) pleasure of second-hand resale platforms. Failing to get a fair price or find treasures there, you will have a fun black to read some ads.
My favorites are the ones that are blatantly truthful, like this one (a real classic) about a Mazda: “Don’t buy that as your first tank.” I tell you, you’re going to swear. But if you’re manual and you feel like kidding on all fours on a Sunday afternoon, this is for you! »
The seller then offers to negotiate the price around a Subway. “We will be able to talk about life and perhaps develop an extraordinary bond. Do you want a tank and a friend? Think about it! »
A second-hand friendship and a used car for $600, I admit that’s a bargain!