Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Discuss :lol:

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

is it? I hadn't noticed.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

To start the discussion off.....

I think we would happily furnish our house 100% second hand, but really, is there a deal to be had?? Its the same with cars, SO expensive compared to Europe.

It would seem that they don't understand the meaning of second-hand here. What's the point in expecting to get back close to what you paid for it originally??

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

i've honestly never experienced that. we bought art deco furniture off craigslist, covered in designer fabric, for a few hundred bucks. maybe it's a calgary thing.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

With Kijiji you have to be scanning it all day long to get in quickly enough to pick up any deals.

Their idea of 'antique' is a joke, which is what you'd expect as there isn't much old stuff to be had. The furniture itself is no better than what you'd see at your local car boot sale.

I guess what annoys us the most is that the asking price of a lot of stuff is close to the retail price.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

You should try buying and selling music gear. Most people have no clue what items are worth and try to get all of their money back out of things that aren't worth $100. Or they try to sell for more than they paid originally. The problem is that too many people think they are wheelers and dealers when they aren't.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

join your local buy and sell group on FB. :thumbup:

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

With cars it's simply the lack of MOT which helps them retain their value (in Britain value is depreciated quickly).

With furniture it's very true that tat that would be on step away from the tip in Britain is often regarded as near antique. A lack of supply issue.

However, keep in mind you can probably bargain Down the price more aggressively than you can in Britain.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Compared to Europe? Have you checked the prices of cars in Portugal lately? They have annual road tests there also.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Not that I drive but I occasionally look at used car prices and there don't seem to be bargains around.

But household stuff?

I got an apartment size cooker for $25 off kijiji from someone who had half a dozen going. They are usually $700 and up. There's an appliance store here that does used washer/dryers for $200-$300 (also bought from there for our rental) and another used store that does cookers for $150 and a ton of furniture of decent quality for about a quarter of new price.

The salvation army store has plenty of serviceable stuff for almost give-away prices.

While there are bargains advertised on kijiji (bought $10 monitor, $15 computer chair and sold a $600 3 seater for $150 -space needed) I think private sellers often ask an unrealistic price.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I agree. You have to wade through some crap (it's not for me but Mrs. JonboyE seems to enjoy it) but you can find incredible bargins in thrift stores.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

With used cars there tends to be a lot of haggling involved, and there are bargains around, but usually outside the city and further out past the suburbs.

For everything else I don't find any difference, Amazon and eBay are equivalent, used books are a steal on Amazon in particular and you don't even need a US mailbox for that. Craigslist is a mixed bag, sometimes people get these weird ideas in their head that their $50 item is worth $500, other times the prices are more reasonable.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

It's no different to anything else here. It's in my experience over the last year a more expensive place to live than the UK. Just about the only thing I can say with confidence that is any cheaper is 'Gas'..... Ouch er I mean petrol.


I have purchased a couple of bargains off Kijiji. They are there if you keep your eye on it and act swiftly.

The other thing is whilst second hand goods sell at a premium you will also obtain the same premium when you come to sell.

I'm currently looking for a car. We have a car and I also have a motorbike but now we have a son my wife thinks we will need another car for the winter.

I have seen a few good deals but you need to look hard and nothing ever seems to get to the price point it would in the UK. Then to think you have to pay 13% tax. WTF is that all about?

Incidentally my motorbike was from a dealer and was maybe a couple of hundred more than the UK equivalent so not too much difference.

If the exchange rate was back to the old days of $2 I'm sure we would all the very differently.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

You can find deals on second hand stuff all the time, there is a lot of mega expensive stuff, but deals are to be had (usually when we're selling I suppose lol). OH has been trying to sell a Mustang, 1st day it went on he got two calls asking why it was so cheap and advising him to put the price up, he has done so, it's still priced cheaper than others on Kijiji and now has blingy wheels on it, he's thinking of putting the price up again. Did the same with the Spitfire, put it up for sale, no interest, put it up a grand and sold it the next day...Weird.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

It's the same with jobs - its about networking!

We were looking for a water sprayer to go in the bed of the truck, didn't wanna spend more than $150. Couldn't find anything online that wasn't junk.

Casually mentioned it to an uncle who says "oooh I know who's got one of those............."

Did the deal for 2 flats of Kokanee :thumbup:

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I can't believe these posts that claim Canada is more expensive that the UK! Which century did they last visit this UK paradise they dream about! Cars, groceries, transit, homes, clothes, etc. seem to cost twice as much in the UK as in Toronto whenever we have travelled there. There are probably fewer used items at lower prices because new items are more reasonably priced: a new Dodge Caravan sells for under $20 000 fully equipped while used ones are almost the same price and don't come with a 3-5 year warranty. The same applies to furniture, appliances,...
Perhaps Toronto's larger market competition creates better prices than Down East, the Left Coast and Oil Country...

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Maybe because you're not in Europe anymore?

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

if you go pick it up then it's reasonable: try kijiji
If you use ebay then it's gonna be expensive because the post is so expensive to ship long distance

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I have had some very good deals on Kijiji. We just bought a second-hand garage door, second hand windows and a storm door, and siding.....we paid "lots" for our garage but it came with no 'ends'. I also bought two sofas for the basement and a recliner. Oh, we've just bought railway ties for $20 a piece for landscaping the garden and the man delivered. There are some outrageous prices on there but we just ignore them, as does everyone. I also bought a brand new, never out of the box, food mixer for $9 at the Salvation Army...I was taking them a couple of spare duvets when I found it. In my first couple of weeks here when we had nothing (our shipment didn't arrive) I thought it was expensive as I needed/wanted everything, now I'm settling in I spot bargains all the time and can ignore them! Very best of bargain hunting.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

We have a set of cast iron garden chairs tbat were free, assorted chairs from Facebook groups and a sideboard from a second hand consignment store. I particularly like that place as when you get bored with the piece you take it back in for resale.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I've never really understood this. I get that some things are cheaper back in the UK (used cars being a prime example) but I find other things in the UK more expensive or the same as they are priced here. And since salaries here are higher here than in the UK the cost of living is lower here as you are paying out a smaller percentage of your salary.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Its not so much cars being expensive, compared to the UK second hand cars in Canada look very poor value to me. I've been looking around for a while in the St Catharines area in Ontario, the selection is very poor (so much so I've ended up going round to Mississauga/Vaughan to look at cars) and the number of rusty skips that are available is scary. I'm moving over in September and i'm a bit concerned about the number of cars around that I wouldn't even consider in the UK.

Can anyone answer a question - why do some car dealers advertise cars "as is" without e-test or safety? :confused: Can you imagine many dealers in the UK advertising cars with no valid MOT? (I have seen one or two in the past but its usually the £100-200 wreck that you may pick up for parts). Given the fact the car cannot be licensed without the e-test or safety I really don't understand the point - very frustrating when trawling through autotrader!

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Off topic but I do think house prices in Calgary are on a par with the southeast of the UK, so salaries here are in line with the cost of living. On that note, we find that the cost of most things here (in Calgary) is higher than the UK because a) they have to travel further to be delivered here and weather not conducive to reliable deliveries b) no free trade agreement with the US c) Canadian Govt piles on large import duties on a lot of consumables. BUT we don't have a grasp on what the price of things is like in the UK these days.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

NAFTA is the free trade agreement with the US.

Some items have duty, a lot don't or it is small, a lot of photo stuff is no duty and some 1%. A lot of the items we bring in for business are zero duty, all depends on the country of origin and type of goods.

Prices are often higher than the US because manufacturers price it that way because they can.

How prices compare is also affected by the FX, from the rate we got when we moved here, Canada was a lot cheaper than the UK, at $1.58/GBP it is going to appear more expensive. Now I buy a lot of stuff in the UK and have it shipped over, but not everything is cheaper.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

We've been fairly successful at finding furniture on Kijiji, but we are usually at the person's house within 90 minutes of the ad going up, and you have to plough through a load of terrible ads to find the good ones. Basically just looking for the people who want their furniture gone to a good home, and the money is secondary.

My best bit of kijiji-ism was I saw a guitar effects pedal listed for about $500, and pointed out to the seller that I could buy it new for $400. He dropped the price to $375... Seriously, if you're selling it second hand, it better be half the price of a new one at most.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I agree, I have seen pieces of furniture where someone is asking $500 for it second hand, or used baby stuff that is not far off the retail price and yet is 5 years old and gone through two children. I have heard of people with old broken washing machines that still put them up for sale for $50 even though they admit they dont even work.

Yard sales seem to be your best bet for a bargain

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Insurance, food, booze, meds, clothes, flowers, cleaning stuff, household appliances, all cost more than the UK.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Our Buick is coming up to 20 years old, runs OK and still looks almost new without a speck of rust on the body. My Fiat in the UK was coming up to 20 years old before I scrapped it, I had replaced half the body panels in the ten years I owned it, and the reason I scrapped it was because it needed another 2,000 pounds of rust repairs to get through the MoT.

The UK dealers selling similar cars probably have a dodgy mate who'll give it an MOT without actually testing it. I've bought used cars there with recent MOTs that clearly couldn't have passed legitimately.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

You see far more rusty cars on the road in Ontario than in the UK these days. When I was a kid (30+ years ago) it was commonplace for cars to suffer from tinworm within a few years (or months in the case of my Dad's 1985 Ford Escort!) but looking at secondhand cars in Ontario reminds me of when I bought my first Vauxhall Nova in 1993. Its very rare to see a car with significant corrosion in the UK these days. I still think that many secondhand cars I've seen I certainly wouldn't feel safe driving, whether they are "legal" to drive on the roads or not. It's got to a point when I am considering not bothering buying a car and just renting one for the odd weekend when I want to get away - that's how worried I am at the state of the cars I've looked at!

I can't comment much on your view of the MOT, I know I've had cars pass one year and fail the next on a fault that was present the year before, so some variation exists certainly

Also - what about service history in Canada? All the cars I've looked at have had nothing, no stamped book or invoices detailing work carried out. When I've asked car salesman about service history they have looked at me like I've just asked them to take their daughter out on a date! :)

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

If you buy as-is you do the work yourself and then get the car safetied. If you don't want to do the work yourself, don't buy as-is.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Calgary is more expensive because it is booming right now (ie. supply and demand). it is not representative of the rest of the country.

And I have no idea what you mean by "b) no free trade agreement with the US" as the entire country is party to a free trade agreement with the US (NAFTA).

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

I disagree.

Food and clothes are not more expensive here (unless you are shopping in bargain basement places in the UK). I found that prices in the UK were basically the same as here, but that was obviously in GBP rather than CDN. Once you do the exchange rate that makes the British stuff more expensive. When you factor in the lower salaries there then food is definitely more expensive. Same goes for cleaning stuff (I am assuming you are referring to household cleaning products as opposed to industrial stuff).

I have no idea about insurance rates back in Britain because I didn't own a car there but my insurance rates here are very reasonable - less than $1000 per year. And gas is cheaper here as well. Plus there is no ridiculous MOT required.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Try looking at reputable dealers and you'll be fine.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

An MOT is not ridiculous imo, its a sensible safety thing. You see some real horrors here, bald tyres, no brakes, rusted frames, at least if there was some form of yearly safety check these road hazards would be controlled a little more and there would I reckon be fewer deaths.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Happen to know of any in the St Catharines/Niagara Falls area? I've not found one yet (at least one I feel comfortable with) and without service histories I am unwilling to commit serious money to a car. I wouldn't dream of spending a lot of money on a car in the UK without some evidence that the car has had maintenance, i'm not about to start in Canada.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Couldn't agree more with this - the MOT has forced people to sort their cars out or get rid of deathtraps as it has become more stringent - the main problem in the UK now are the plethora of Eastern European cars now on the roads (which are still on their old countries plates) which have not been MOT'd. There is a big problem with unroadworthy Eastern European trucks as well.
I was surprised at how many knackered cars there are on the roads in Ontario (the same goes for New York State - I saw a Ford Explorer in Top's car park where the frames were so corroded that the thing would have folded like concertina in a shunt).

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Milk and cheese. Dairy is a ridiculous price in Ontario.

Car insurance is also very expensive (and I live in Greater Manchester where I get ripped off for car insurance even though I've got 15 years no claims). When my wife moved over to Ontario last April the cheapest quote she had was $4000! Fortunately this dropped after 6 months to around $1200, but cheap it most certainly isn't.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Have a look at Wiley Autos in St Catherines, we bought a gorgeous car from there a couple of years ago and the guy was really good to deal with.

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Was the guy open to negotiation? Everything I looked at on there seemed a bit pricey (I looked at a VW a couple of months ago that was dear).

Re: Why is second-hand stuff here so expensive?
 

Yes he is and he only seems to have decent stuff (or did when we were there). From our conversations, it seems like he has been in business for a long time, we would deal with him again. My oh will only buy a 'deal' so it says something if we bought there and then paid for shipping to Alberta and it was still a deal ;)