Montreal couple redefining how parents buy and sell used toys

Montreal couple buys, sells used toys A Montreal couple is revamping how parents buy and sell their used toys online.

A couple in Griffintown is revamping how parents buy and sell their used toys online.

"We have three little kids and we really like to buy used stuff online," explains Moussa Horanieh.

He and his wife, Maria Arango, say they were tired of scouring Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace for toys because the process can be long, and there's no guarantee that the items are in good condition.

"The shopping experience is really terrible on these sites," Horanieh said. "People will post the article without the full name, a picture, without description."

That's when they came up with the idea for Rekidding, a website dedicated to circulating toys within the Greater Montreal area.

"It's ourselves just like collecting and delivering, collecting and delivering," Horanieh said, adding they work within a 20 to 25 kilometre radius. "Or people can pick up for free, or we charge a small delivery fee, which is $10."

The couple created Rekidding three years ago after they saw how quickly their kids tired of their toys.

"Sometimes, they'll use the product for a week, a month," Horanieh noted as Arango nodded in agreement.

"She was playing just for, let's say 10 days, and then she would forget about that toy. Why would we buy something new if we know that in 10 days, it's going to end up in a landfill?" Arango added. "We should just reuse the toys that are out there. They're going to love them for one month, and then after that, they're going to go on a shelf. They'll look at that maybe in a few months, and then that's it."

How does it work?

Horanieh explains for a buyer, Rekidding works like any other website: you click on an item and purchase it using a credit card.

For sellers, he says the first step is to send them an e-mail or message them on Facebook.

"Show us pictures of your toys. We'll make you an offer," Horanieh said. "If you like it, we'll send you the transfer, and we'll come pick it up within the week or so."

The couple says they take inspiration about which toys to purchase and sell based on their now-seven-year-old's interests.

"Kids are pretty fascinated by Paw Patrol," Horanieh gives as an example.

The two say they never pressured themselves to ensure the site was an immediate success.

"It was a project, like an idea that [if it] didn't work, it's fine. We'll have just too many Paw Patrol toys at home," Horanieh said. "We basically bought some used toys, we organized them properly on the website and we launched it."

The couple's hopes for the future? They say they would love to expand their reach -- and their inventory.

"People love the idea [when they] come across our website. We're not very known. We're very small," he said. "We've been busy with the kids and stuff. So, we haven't grown it to a full-size business. That's our aspiration. But the feedback, people love the idea. We've gotten really nice comments."

Juggling three kids and their new business has its challenges, Horanieh admits, but he says they're still having fun with it.

"We're passionate about it. Three, four years later, we still love it," he said. "It feels fun, honestly, when we get an order, we're preparing it, our kids get involved."

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