If you’re unfamiliar with Kijiji, it’s a free local network for posting buy, sell, trade, jobs and other classified ads. Kijiji (pronounced “ka-gee-gee”) has individual sites for specific cities in several countries including the United States and Canada.
Local classifieds are a good option for online sellers who have larger items that are expensive to ship, items that are hard to sell “sight unseen” or lower-value items where listing fees can cut profits.
Kijiji registration is optional, but with it you can quickly and easily manage your live ads.
(Click for larger image).Kijiji for Beginners
Selling on Kijiji differs greatly from eBay and other online marketplaces. When you use Kijiji, there is no contractual agreement if someone offers to buy an item from you. Also, buyers and sellers do not have any type of protection or the means to conduct the transaction through the Kijiji site.
As the seller, you simply post your classified ad and interested buyers contact you by e-mail directly from the listing page. Transactions are all managed off-site, without intervention by Kijiji.
Posting and replying to ads on the site is completely free. You can post up to 25 unique ads on Kijiji every day, with each ad staying online for 60 days.
Tips for Selling on KijijiFor the past year I have been using Kijiji, instead of eBay, to sell used computers. It was obvious that this type of item was best suited to a local market—a computer tower is expensive to ship, and buyers can view and test the system before buying.
Here are 10 tips for selling on Kijiji—things that I do in my own listings—to produce better quality leads and sales.
1. Register an account: Kijiji does not require you to register to post; however, with a registered account you can use a "My Kijiji" dashboard for quick access to your ads and page view information. If you plan to frequently list on Kijiji, make registering on the site your first step.
2. Keep personal details to a minimum: If you sell items from your home, think twice about adding your house address and phone number in the public ad. Instead, provide detailed contact information— at your own discretion— in private e-mails with interested buyers.
3. Do the research: Search Kijiji for similar items to see what categories people use and to get a better idea of current selling prices in your local area. This can also help you choose keywords to use in your title (e.g. use the keywords that are getting the most page views).
4. Use a template: Mange multiple Kijiji ads by creating a basic template, in Word or even Notepad, that you can copy-and-paste into each ad you post. The template should contain the basic information you carry over to each ad, such as contact information, pick-up and delivery details, and so on. Save each ad you list in a file on your computer for future use.
5. Send ads to top category page: On some Kijiji sites, you might get an e-mail to let you know your listing has fallen off the first page for the category you have listed in, and an offer to “bump” your ad back to the main for a small fee of $1.99. You can bump the ad yourself by deleting it and reposting it as a new ad. If you have saved the ads in a template, you can put your item back on the main category page in seconds.
6. Don’t delete pending sale ads: Kijiji sellers can save time by not deleting an ad until the item has actually sold. Don’t delete the ad as soon as an e-mail comes in with a request to buy, as the person may never show up to get the item. If you leave the ad online you can go back and respond to the second and subsequent requests after a “no-show.”
7. Provide viewing and pick-up details: Specify times and dates that people can view or pick-up the item, as well as delivery or local-pick-up-only details in the text of your ad. This will save you time in responding to basic e-mail questions. This type of information should be included in your template so you can simply copy and paste the details in each new ad you post.
8. Be honest: Always be accurate and honest in your ad. The more details you provide, the less time you’ll save in responding to e-mails. Be sure to upload at least one or two clear photos of the item you are selling. Kijiji allows you to include four images (up to 4MB) with each ad.
9. Add a guarantee: Like most online marketplaces, Kijiji buyers also like to feel confident about a seller before making a purchase. By adding a simple guarantee you will encourage more inquiries and more sales. With used computers I offer a 21-day guarantee against hardware failure (or free replacement). Since adding that to my ads, sales have nearly doubled.
10. Monitor and reply quickly: If you are porting an existing business to Kijiji and you sell multiples of similar items, track your best listing and selling days. Over time you will see a pattern emerge that will help you determine what days are best for having your item on page one in any given category. Also, be sure to set up a dedicated e-mail address just for Kijiji to help you to better monitor incoming e-mails so you can get replies out to interested buyers before they move on to another listing.
Vangie Beal is a veteran online seller and frequent contributor to ECommerce-Guide.com. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com. You can tweet with her online @AuroraGG.
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