Kelsey Bollum says she furnished her entire first apartment with second-hand finds.Supplied
In no particular order, here are a few things I came across on Facebook Marketplace this week: Chocolate sourdough starter, a private elevator, a 19th-century rocking chair with chamber pot and “homegrown chayote seedlings.”
You might wonder how a platform like this would be useful.
But many of us are thrifting to rein in rising costs (or, yes, to be trendy), which means second-hand goods can come at a premium as charity shops turn into “vintage boutiques.”
I recently moved into a new place, so I find myself spending more time on Marketplace, sifting through the oddities to get to the fluted TV stands and kitchen stools.
So far, I’ve found better deals here than anywhere else. But the platform hasn’t escaped the effects of the booming demand for second-hand goods. Online scammers exploit the rush, and the chase can make you forget what you were really there for: a bargain.
I decided to speak to a few Marketplace super-users to learn how they score the best deals and avoid getting stuck with an IKEA shelf with half the screws missing.
Here’s what they shared:
Kelsey Bollum from Toronto furnished her entire first apartment with secondhand Facebook finds under $1,000. Handout.Supplied
Kelsey Bollum, 26 - Toronto
Ms. Bollum got hooked on Facebook Marketplace while in university.
“I was just a broke student that didn’t want to be buying stuff from IKEA,” she said. The city’s major second-hand stores were “expensive and egregious.”
After graduating, she furnished her entire first apartment with second-hand Facebook finds, “all for under $1,000.”
“The only thing that I haven’t gotten on Facebook is probably, like, bedsheets and underwear,” said Ms. Bollum.
Her best bargains include a $75, 28-piece Le Creuset dish set that retailed for more than $600, and a $200 Breville espresso machine that typically sells in stores for around $800. “The guy taught me how to use the machine, made me an espresso shot,” she said.
She did learn an important lesson after a teak wardrobe was delivered smelling of cigarettes: Always ask - politely - if the piece is from a smoking household.
Lessandra Barahona, 27 - MontrealSupplied
Lessandra Barahona, 27 - Montreal
About 80 per cent of Lessandra Barahona’s apartment is Facebook Marketplace finds – from her acacia wood dining table and mushroom lamps to her rental in Montreal’s Old Port.
Furnishing the space is what got her onto the platform to begin with. While she still occasionally snags a good deal at traditional thrift shops, “thrifting has become more of a higher-end kind of luxury way of shopping,” she said.
Marketplace was an easy way to get affordable pieces that still had some edge to them, and she’s been amassing a following sharing her tips on social media.
Her most memorable bargain included a massive $200 wooden dining table retailing for $600, which she expects will last for years.
She paid between $7 and $20 on the lamps lining the interior of her Quebec apartment, including a mushroom lamp retailing for $148 at Simons.
Here are their tips:
Start scrolling with a rough budget in mind for every category
It’s easy to get excited when you find a specific item on Marketplace – so excited that you forget whether it’s a bargain. Ms. Barahona starts her search with rough spending caps for different categories of items. “The max I would spend would be $100–$150,” she said of her ideal price for an armchair.
Never reply to a post with: “Is this still available?”
When you see an item you are interested in buying, do not reply with this default message – there’s nothing sellers on the platform despise more. For something in demand, opening with when and where pickup can happen multiplies your chance of closing the deal, Ms. Barahona said.
Tailor your feed to what you’re looking for
“When I look at my friends’ Facebook marketplaces, they are getting used tires,” which isn’t what they want, said Ms. Bollum. “I’m seeing exactly what I want.” She advises liking and saving items that match your taste and budget, even if you can’t always buy them, as it curates your feed over time.
Always check when the seller’s profile was created
Ms. Bollum once nearly put down a deposit on an item before noticing the account appeared brand new – she later learned this was a common scam.
“I don’t know anybody who hasn’t made a Facebook account ever, and then is suddenly selling like the best thing ever, for the best price ever,” she said.
Do you have any thrifting hacks (or horror stories)? Drop me a line at mpostelnyak@globeandmail.com
Chart of the day
Today’s financial food for thought
In “Why I’m Selling My Toronto Property,“ certified financial planner Andrea Thompson breaks down the math of negative yield, liquidity vs. performance and the psychological pivot that led her to see the hidden costs of the “passive” rental dream.