Secondhand gifts to get you through the holidays

Although Quebec's economy is theoretically in recession, more and more consumers are turning to second-hand goods to complement their holiday purchases.

Miriam Ertz, director of the Research Laboratory on New Forms of Consumption at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), attributes this phenomenon to the rise in popularity of websites such as Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji, in particular. and LesPAC.

In 2015, researchers, including Professor Ertz, created the Kijiji Second-hand Economy Index, a large study measuring the purchasing practices of Canadians for used goods and their impact on the economy. Since then, this trend has increased, points out Miriam Ertz, who sees a direct correlation with the current economic situation.

Rate rise with inflation, [les acheteurs] Moving further towards more economical options.

And prizes are not excluded: [C’est] Buying second-hand products to give to other people is a practice that has become normalized over timeThe most popular purchases, Professor Ertz cites, are toys, board games, fashion accessories (such as handbags), books and electronic products, which are often refurbished.

A trend more noticeable in children

On rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, Arthur et Juno, owner of Audrey Avinette, sells toys and used children's clothing. She notices that her client base triples in the weeks leading up to the holidays: There is a trend […] Mostly used for Christmas gifts. More and more people are also telling their families: “I want a second-hand one for Christmas.”