By Tyson Leonard
Yard sale season has begun, but not all the sales are being held in actual yards anymore.
There is a growing trend in the area, and the rest of the country, to sell unwanted items online through classified sites like Kjiji, and Craigslist instead of having a traditional yard sale.
According to Kijiji the site is used by one in three Canadians on a monthly basis. It receives over nine million unique monthly visitors, and has a new ad posted in the Buy and Sell section every 1.2 seconds.
The trend is not limited just to classified sites though. The popular social media site Facebook is home to many yard sale groups. In Belleville there is a Facebook group titled Bellville 24/7 Yard Sale that has over 2,500 members and receives posts regularly. The Prince Edward County group also has over 2,500 members and Quinte West has over 5,500.
“You don’t have to worry about setting anything up outside,” said Tammy Gray, a resident of Belleville who sells items online through the Facebook group Belleville 24/7 Yard Sale.
Members of the group post a picture and description of the item they want to sell and any members who subscribe to the group receive an automatic update with all the information.
“People come to your house or you can go to their house,” said Gray.
Even those who still have traditional yard sales commonly advertise their sale online. Advertising online in Belleville has a distinct advantage over the traditional method. According to city bylaws, any signs advertising a yard sale can only be placed at the site of the sale.
Belleville has a couple uncommon bylaws pertaining to traditional yard sales. To host one you have to purchase a license that’s valid for two consecutive days and only two license permits are allowed per household per year. Online yard sales are not subject to any bylaws.
Yard sales aren’t always just about making a quick buck though.
Gray said that she enjoys using the Facebook group because she gets to meet more people than when she has held traditional yard sales.
A sale can also be a community event.
At the upcoming Garage Sale for Shelter, held by the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, it’s an all-day event with all proceeds going to women’s violence prevention and shelter programs.
The traditional yard sale is far from dead but if you’re a diehard ‘yardsaler’ you might have to start searching online to make sure you find all those great deals.