{"id":17051,"date":"2021-02-04T07:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T12:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/?p=17051"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:26:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T18:26:58","slug":"staying-safe-when-buying-used-furniture-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/staying-safe-when-buying-used-furniture-online","title":{"rendered":"Staying Safe When Buying Used Furniture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p>Buying and selling online is now one of the most popular ways for people to find great deals on gently used products. Whether it\u2019s baby gear, home decor or gently used furniture, buying second-hand helps stretch tight budgets and keep items out of the landfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, saving a buck and clearing out some much-needed closet space shouldn\u2019t introduce safety concerns. And let\u2019s be real: It&#8217;s not always safe buying used furniture or household goods from an online shop or community marketplace, such as Facebook Marketplace of Kijiji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cira.ca\/resources\/corporate\/factbook\/canadas-internet-factbook-2019\">2019 report<\/a> from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) 87% of Canadians reported making an online purchase in the previous year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/n1\/daily-quotidien\/180829\/dq180829b-eng.htm\">Statistics Canada<\/a> found that 28% of Canadians made money online in 2018, and the most common way they earned extra cash was selling through community marketplaces, like Kijiji, Etsy and eBay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can you protect yourself as a consumer while shopping online and buying previously loved items, such as used furniture? Here are seven tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/safely-buy-used-furniture.png\" alt=\"List of ways to protect yourself online shopping\" class=\"wp-image-17053\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#1.-stick-to-popular-online-marketplaces<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>1. Stick to Popular Online Marketplaces<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike Miller of <a href=\"http:\/\/wildernesstimes.com\/\">WildernessTimes.com<\/a> has a lot of experience with online marketplaces, and his top recommendation is to stick to well-known and reputable sites. &#8220;The more people that use a site, the more reputable it probably is,&#8221; says Miller. Another way to confirm a site&#8217;s reputation is to determine how long it&#8217;s been around and read general reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#2.-determine-if-a-seller-is-legitimate\u00a0<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>2. Determine if a Seller Is Legitimate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Online marketplaces don&#8217;t always have the same luxury of a Better Business Bureau (BBB) review or ratings. Instead, knowing whether a seller is interested in selling an item can be tricky, says John MacMahon, Director at <a href=\"https:\/\/resure.co\/\">Re:sure CCTV<\/a>. &#8220;Some people are good at hiding their intentions.&#8221; However, one benefit is that most of these platforms come with public profiles. Take a look, do a Google search, and confirm that the account is real.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind, though, that you cannot always guarantee a seller\u2019s profile on every platform. For example, Kijiji does not require more than a first-name to create a profile. For this reason, and because it can be difficult to authenticate a profile across every online marketplace, it\u2019s exceptionally important to avoid giving out personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#3.-always-try-to-meet-in-public<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>3. Always Try to Meet in Public<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MacMahon says that when selling or buying used furniture from someone, you need to be extremely careful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There is always the possibility that you&#8217;re putting yourself in danger whether you meet them at their home or in a neutral spot.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best scenario is to find a neutral meeting place with a lot of foot traffic and plenty of people nearby. MacMahon suggests a supermarket parking lot or city centre. These places are more likely to have CCTV, and passers-by are on hand if there is any trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have to go to someone\u2019s home or have someone come to your home to exchange an item \u2013 like a heavy piece of used furniture or appliances \u2013 it\u2019s important to avoid having these meetings alone. If you are anxious about having to go to someone\u2019s home to buy used furniture, it\u2019s okay to ask if you can chat on the phone beforehand to get a better feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coordinate with the buyer or seller to have the item ready to go by the front door, have your phone on you at all times, and let another friend or family member who is not with you have the ability to track your location. It\u2019s never a bad idea to overprepare and cover all bases when meeting a stranger online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#4.-explore-safe-ways-to-exchange-payment<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>4. Explore Safe Ways to Exchange Payment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/buy-used-furniture-with-etransfer-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Young female businesswoman buying used furniture online\" class=\"wp-image-17054\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Both experts agree that the most common choice for payment across most platforms is cash. Miller says that many digital payments can be revoked or fraudulent. For that reason, cash is the safest bet, and it&#8217;s universally accepted everywhere.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although MacMahon agrees, he says it&#8217;s important to lower the risk if you carry cash by only bringing the agreed-upon amount. If the item is $85 and you bring $100 to the sale, you&#8217;re putting yourself at a higher risk for robbery. &#8220;Only take the required amount of cash and make sure someone is there with you,&#8221; says MacMahon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, cash isn\u2019t always king. Instead, most sellers and buyers prefer to use e-transfer as their chosen payment method. To ensure both parties are satisfied, payment can be made during the exchange. You can also use a strong security question that you provide an answer to only after goods have been exchanged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One specific safety tip noted on Kijiji\u2019s website is that \u201cif any buyer sends you an electronic transfer and then asks you to move some of the funds somewhere else \u2013 especially if they require the funds to be moved before you actually receive the money \u2013 don\u2019t do it! This is likely an <a href=\"https:\/\/help.kijiji.ca\/helpdesk\/autos\/safety\/avoiding-sms-text-scams\">SMS scam<\/a>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#5.-consider-safe-ways-to-do-a-contactless-exchange<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>5. Consider Safe Ways to Do a Contactless Exchange<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, with COVID-19 requiring social distancing and less human interaction, it\u2019s always a good idea to attempt a contactless exchange of goods. Cashless payments (as we suggested above) and shipping items are a great way to eliminate meeting in person. You can also do a curbside pick up or drop off, without meeting face to face.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure you are getting the item you expect and that it\u2019s up to par, consider doing a video chat or remote inspection to view the item before you organize a meet to pick up the item. It is also highly encouraged to disinfect any items before and after you complete a transaction through an online marketplace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#6.-be-aware-of-red-flags<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>6. Be Aware of Red Flags<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meeting-in-public-to-buy-used-furniture-1024x593.jpg\" alt=\"Business Woman with Medical Mask Looking Up while Using Smartphone.\" class=\"wp-image-17055\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Red flags can pop up in a variety of ways. For one, if the online account seems new, doesn&#8217;t have many genuine interactions with other accounts or doesn&#8217;t have a real profile photo, that could be a red flag. Secondly, MacMahon says that if they want to meet in a private place, like a backroad or a low-traffic area, you should be on high alert.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a seller refuses to send photos of the item or is making you jump through hoops to buy the product, it could be a scam. If the seller or buyer is not responsive and isn\u2019t very forthcoming when answering your questions, they may not be reliable. In some situations, it\u2019s best to trust your gut and wait for a sale that sits well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;#7.-make-sure-second-hand-is-worthwhile<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>7. Make Sure Second-Hand Is Worthwhile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying used furniture online can save you a ton of money, particularly if you opt to buy used goods, such as decor and household small appliances.&nbsp; Before you make the purchase, be sure that the item you are buying is safe to buy second-hand. For example, it may not always be best to buy a used mattress or couch unless you can confirm the item is free from pests, such as bed-bugs and lice. Unfortunately, the only way to confirm this is by doing in-person testing. So, consider the time and money you may spend, and add this into your risk analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Confirm the item&#8217;s original cost and age to see if the used sale price is in line with current market prices. If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of how prepared you are for buying and selling through an online marketplace, it&#8217;s never a bad idea to bring an experienced friend or family member. If you do everything you can to keep yourself safe, buying used furniture online can be a fantastic experience and a great way to stay on budget!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before you meet with a stranger from the internet, remember these safety tips<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":17052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"guide":[],"class_list":["post-17051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"zolo_excerpt":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17051"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24728,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17051\/revisions\/24728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17051"},{"taxonomy":"guide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guide?post=17051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}