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Kijiji.com Helps Consumers Free up Space and Cash for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

Kijiji.com can help relieve some stress in both of these areas since selling unwanted items on the site allows consumers to clear out their cluttered homes and make some extra cash at the same time. Nearly three out of four consumers (74%) wait until after Thanksgiving to prepare for the holidays - men tend to be the worst procrastinators, with 38% saying they put everything off until the last minute - so it's best to get a head start as soon as you can. Kijiji's free, family-friendly online classifieds site makes it easy for people to buy, sell and connect within their local communities.

Ka-Chingle Bells

Kijiji's survey found that money is at the top of most consumers' minds during this economic downturn, with over half of consumers (56%) saying the cost of travel and gifts is their biggest cause of holiday stress.

"More than ever, people are struggling to find money for holiday gifts," says Brant Cruz, vice president of Retail and e-commerce at Chadwick Martin Bailey. "One of the big trends we've seen is people selling unused items to get additional spending money, especially via online classified sites like Kijiji."

About one third (34%) of respondents said they spend between $100 and $300 on holiday festivities, and another 28% said they spend between $300 and $600 each season. Clearing out clutter could cover holiday costs for the majority of consumers, according to a Kijiji survey that found the average household has about 35 unwanted items worth $670.

Stocking Full of Savings

In this year's particularly challenging economy, many Americans are making an effort to curb their holiday spending, especially considering nearly 85% of consumers say their personal financial situations have either stayed the same or gotten worse in the past year. Over two-thirds of women (67%) and more than half of men (54%) say they are budgeting their holiday spending this season. Nearly half of respondents (48%) said they're planning to give fewer gifts this year or hit the bargain racks for less expensive ones, while 39% said they're cutting back on luxuries like going to the movies or eating out at restaurants. Only 8% of consumers said they are planning to sell items online to make some extra holiday cash, which means more than 9 out of 10 are potentially missing out on hundreds of dollars in spending money.

10 Guests A-Visiting

The stress of holiday entertaining is another factor that sends Americans' blood pressure through the roof during the colder months. Over half of respondents (54%) entertain up to 10 guests during the holidays, and nearly a quarter (24%) gets rid of unused household items to make room for guests and gifts.

"When you're searching in the garage, basement or attic for your holiday decorations, take a look around to see if there are any items that haven't moved since the last holiday season," suggests Kijiji decluttering expert Lisa Zaslow, founder of Gotham Organizers. "This year, instead of making grandma use the old exercise bike in the guest room as a clothes rack, why not sell it on Kijiji and pay for her gift instead?"

Of those who do plan to get rid of items, about a quarter (24%) plans to sell them rather than giving or throwing them away. The most popular ways to sell these items are through garage sales (58%), which can be time-consuming, or consignment shops (23%), which can mean sharing a portion of the profits. The 55% of respondents who usually sell their decluttered items on classifieds sites like Kijiji know they can list their items for free and let the buyers come to them at their convenience, leaving more time to enjoy the holiday season.

For more information and holiday tips, visit http://www.kijiji.com.

Survey Methodology

Data was collected from 1,554 adults (aged 18 and over) via a nationally representative online survey questionnaire within the United States on behalf of Kijiji by Chadwick Martin Bailey between October 22, 2009 and October 25, 2009. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population over ages 18 and older. Complete survey results are available to members of the media and can be obtained by request.

About Kijiji

Kijiji (www.kijiji.com), which means "village" in Swahili, is eBay's free, safe, family friendly, local classifieds website that makes it easy to buy or sell everything from clothes to cars, find a job, adopt a pet, rent an apartment, and do so much more, right in your own neighborhood. Kijiji is currently available in more than 1,000 cities and countries around the world, and the site launched in 220 cities in the U.S. on June 29, 2007. In addition to the U.S., Kijiji has online communities in Canada, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and Taiwan. Kijiji is part of a broader eBay Classifieds family including Gumtree, Marktplaats, Mobile.de and Loquo, which extends the reach of eBay Classifieds to more than 20 countries.

About Chadwick Martin Bailey

Chadwick Martin Bailey (www.cmbinfo.com) is a Honomichl 50 ranked custom market research and consulting firm working with many of the most successful companies and best known brands in the world to help them acquire, maintain, and grow their customer base. Founded in 1984 by John Martin and Anne Bailey Berman, the company has corporate headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, serving clients in more than 30 countries around the globe. Chadwick Martin Bailey focuses on using leading-edge research techniques to collect and translate the data into simple, business decision-focused deliverables. (www.cmbinfo.com)

Kijiji U.S.
Kathy Domingo, 408-376-6919
kadomingo@ebay.com
or
M Booth & Associates for Kijiji U.S.
Andrea Conrad, 212-539-3212
kijiji@mbooth.com
or
Chadwick Martin Bailey
Kristen Garvey, 617-986-7478
kgarvey@cmbinfo.com