IKEA continues to hold the crown in the west as the most searched item in Victoria on Used.ca for 2016.
The free online classified site recently released its annual top 10 searches of the year, and for the third year in a row, IKEA has claimed the title.
It’s a title Lacey Sheardown, director of marketing with Used.ca (also known as usedvictoria.ca), wasn’t surprised by. She said Victoria residents are clamouring for anything from the Swedish giant year-round.
“Victoria is really consistent over the years,” she said, noting there were 150,000 searches for all forms of IKEA in Victoria in 2016.
“It speaks volumes that people would really like an IKEA here . . . The style goes with many homes and the price point is attractive to everyone.”
IKEA items tend to have a higher re-sell value in Victoria compared to Vancouver as well. For example, a used couch in Vancouver from IKEA would sell for roughly 50 per cent or lower of the original retail cost, while in Victoria, the re-sell value would be about 75 per cent of the original cost, said Sheardown, noting people on the Island save money on the ferry ride and gas, and don’t have to assemble the item.
Also topping the list are Jeep, lego, chair, Mustang, teak, BMW, couch, Nikon and Civic (Honda).
Across the country, the top searches included dresser, BMW, Jeep and firewood.
Sheardown believes the annual list paints a picture of the people who live on Vancouver Island versus the rest of the country.
“We look at some of the other searches from Regina, Ottawa, and PEI, they are much more affected by weather than we are. In those cities, you’ll see snowblowers again and again and that’s something we don’t see in Victoria,” she said, adding the local list shows residents love the outdoors.
There were 20 million searches through Used.ca on Vancouver Island this year.