While most members of Kijiji have good experiences, it’s important to stay alert and educated about how to stay safe.

Know the Market

It’s important to know what the average cost of the vehicle you’re looking for is in comparison to the ad you’re viewing. If it’s hundreds or even thousands less than similar vehicles, be careful. Fraudsters often post a once-in-a-lifetime deal to pull in as many people as possible. The common saying stands: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!

Don’t Give Out Personal Information

When speaking to individuals online, it’s important to be cautious when giving out information. Never give out your identification or banking details unless you are 100% sure that you’re speaking with the real company. Note: Kijiji’s customer service team will never ask for your identification, passwords, or banking details.

Meet in Person Before Paying

A Fraudster’s greatest tool is that online translations are anonymous. Don’t provide any money until after you’ve met them in person and had a chance to inspect the vehicle. We recommend that you meet in a busy, public location like the parking lot of a coffee shop.

 

Do Your Research

When buying any vehicle, it’s important to know as much about it as possible. A CARFAX Canada report can confirm the vehicle's current condition, as well as reveal information about what has happened to it in the past. You will also want to ensure that it has recently passed Air Care, Drive Clean, or your province’s equivalent. Alternatively, taking the vehicle to a mechanic together to have it inspected can settle any concerns.

Make sure that you know what is required of both you and the seller to make the transfer of ownership legal in your province. Don’t pay for the vehicle until you’re able to officially take ownership.

 

Choose Safe Payment Methods

Many forms of money transfer can be faked or hard to reverse should anything go wrong. If you can’t use cash, please consider choosing your preferred third party, secure cashless payment method.

 

Trust Your Gut

Sometimes a sale just seems off. If anything isn’t sitting right with you, don’t be afraid to walk away. You are not obligated to follow through with a transaction even if you’ve already agreed to a price.

Note:

• Kijiji Autos is a local classifieds web site and not all ads are reviewed before going live to site.
• Kijiji does not offer any sort of protection programs for Kijiji items. Any emails or web sites that talk about such systems are scams, even if they may have the Kijiji logo. If you receive any emails promoting these services, please forward the message to us.

This article is intended to serve as a quick overview of online safety. For more in-depth information, please browse our full Safety section.

Trading during COVID-19
 
In order to help ensure the health and safety of our Kijiji Community, it is important to observe and apply protocols outlined by Health Canada when trading with other users of Kijiji. Your well-being remains our top priority. Please seriously consider whether in-person meetings are necessary.
 
If the transaction you’re making is necessary, please consider the following options:
 

• Cashless Payment: Please consider choosing your preferred third party, secure cashless payment method.
• Shipping: If considering sending/receiving the item via Canada Post or other shipping agents, ensure that the agent you’re using is reputable; it’s recommended that if using a shipping agent, that a tracking number is used and additional precautions are taken when sending/receiving items; particularly items of a high value. Increased care should be taken with high value items to ensure both sides are comfortable sending or receiving the item through a postal or shipping service. Please note, Kijiji itself does not offer postal or shipping services; it is organized between buyer and seller (agreement should be mutual, and we recommend confirming all details such as service provider, cost, packaging, pick up location and delivery address). Kijiji will not be held responsible for items not received or for any items that do not meet the buyer’s expectations (including where they are not as described).
• Curbside pickup / Drop-off / Delivery: This can be a great alternative to shipping and allows both buyer and seller to inspect the item and make an exchange, all while observing social-distancing protocols.

Other things to consider:
 

• Remote Inspections / Video Chat(s) / Virtual Tour(s) (Long Terms Rentals): Remote inspections via your preferred video conferencing call service, enables Community Members to discuss the transaction, while observing social-distancing protocols; Community Members can also send additional images, to show features/condition.
• Online Applications in Long Term Rentals: Online applications for rental agreements enable the landlord and applicant to interact while observing social-distancing protocols. Be careful of applications that request information such as Age, Occupation, Income, Gender and more sensitive information such as bank or SIN card numbers. These can often be attempts to steal information. Please note that Kijiji does not facilitate online applications and we are not involved in any agreements made between the landlord and applicant.
• Clean / Disinfect Items: We recommend cleaning items before and after a transaction as per the Health Canada page on Coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention. Please visit Health Canada to learn more about precautions to take at this time.