To get local side hustle clients on Kijiji in Canada, post one well-built ad in the right Services category and pay its posting fee. Then answer replies quickly with a written quote. Kijiji isn’t a booking app like TaskRabbit. You find, quote, schedule and collect from clients yourself, so the ad and your reply do the selling. This guide is for anyone offering cleaning, lawn care, snow clearing, handyman or moving help locally.
Kijiji sits next to TaskRabbit and Facebook as a lead source. Pair it with a Google Business Profile once you have a few reviews.
| Item | What Kijiji says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free Services listings for private sellers | 0, so posting fees apply | Pricing overview |
| Fee period | Charged per listing for each 31-day period | Pricing overview |
| Listing length | Fee-based listings stay active 31 days; reposting may need a new fee | Listing length |
| Duplicates | Not allowed; combine related services into one listing | Duplicate ads |
| Bundling trades | Related services in one ad; distinct ones (carpentry vs plumbing) can be separate | Services Code of Conduct |
How much does it cost to advertise a side hustle on Kijiji in Canada?
Kijiji’s category pricing overview lists a free listing limit of 0 for private sellers in all Services categories. Posting fees apply per listing and are charged for each 31-day listing period. Kijiji’s listing length page says fee-based listings stay active for 31 days, and reposting may require a new insertion fee. Bump Up is a separate paid feature that moves an active ad closer to the top. The fee is shown when you post, so check it then and count it as a monthly marketing cost. Log it as a business expense, as covered in side hustle expense deductions.
How do you write a Kijiji ad that gets replies in Canada?
Step 1: Pick one category and one ad
Kijiji’s duplicate ads policy says not to post the same ad in more than one category or location. In Services, combine related offerings into one comprehensive listing. The Services Code of Conduct allows separate ads only for clearly different services, such as carpentry and plumbing. So “house cleaning and move-out cleaning” is one ad, while “lawn care” and “house cleaning” can be two.
Step 2: Write a headline a client would search
Name the service and the area: “Weekly lawn mowing, east end, small yards.” Skip vague words like “best” or “cheap.” Clients scan headlines, so the service and the place should come first.
Step 3: Fill the body with what clients ask anyway
- What’s included and what isn’t.
- Your service area, by neighbourhood or postal code prefix.
- Your availability, such as weekday evenings and Saturdays.
- A price starting point or how you quote, such as “free quote after a 10-minute visit.”
- Whether you bring supplies and equipment.
- Insurance if you carry it; see side hustle insurance.
Step 4: Add real photos
Use photos of your own work: a finished lawn edge, a cleaned stove, a cleared driveway. Skip stock images. Before-and-after pairs show the result faster than any sentence.
Step 5: Reply fast and move to a written quote
Answer within a few hours, ask two or three scoping questions, and send a written quote. In Ontario, the province says the final price can’t be more than 10% above a written estimate that’s part of the contract unless the client agrees to a new price. That’s a good reason to quote carefully everywhere. The house cleaning quote walkthrough and lawn care estimate guide show how.
Illustrative example
This is a teaching sketch, not a real ad. Suppose you offer snow clearing and lawn care. You’d post one Services ad for “Driveway snow clearing, seasonal or per visit, north end” in winter, with photos of cleared driveways. In spring you’d let it expire and post a lawn care ad instead, rather than running both at once. Each reply would get the same three questions: address, driveway or yard size, and how often. A written quote would follow the same day.
How do you avoid scams and bad clients on Kijiji in Canada?
- Overpayment offers. A “client” who sends too much and asks for the difference back is a classic scam. Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- Requests to pay through odd links or gift cards. Take payment by methods you control, after the work or on a deposit you set.
- Vague jobs. Get the address and scope before you drive anywhere.
- No written terms. A short agreement prevents most disputes; see freelance contracts.
What mistakes do Kijiji side hustlers make in Canada?
- Posting the same ad in several categories. Kijiji removes duplicates.
- Letting the ad lapse in peak season. Fee-based listings last 31 days, so diarize the repost.
- No price signal at all. A starting point or quote method filters out mismatched clients.
- Slow replies. The first reasonable reply often wins the job.
How are Kijiji clients taxed in Canada?
Money from Kijiji clients is business income reported on Form T2125, the same as any other client. You register for GST/HST once you pass $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters. See how to report side hustle income, how to invoice clients, and the free side hustle tax checklist. Invoicing software such as FreshBooks keeps quotes and invoices in one place. This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to getting clients on Kijiji?
First-client guides by hustle: handyman, house cleaning, lawn care and snow removal. For app-based leads, read your first TaskRabbit jobs. Selling items rather than services? See Facebook Marketplace listing tips. Fit Kijiji into a broader pipeline with a client acquisition system.
What are the common questions?
Is it free to post a service ad on Kijiji?
No, not in Services for private sellers. Kijiji's pricing overview lists a free listing limit of 0 in all Services categories, so a posting fee applies for each 31-day listing period.
Can I post my service in several Kijiji categories?
No. Kijiji's duplicate ads policy says not to post the same ad in more than one category or location. Combine related services into one listing.
How long does a paid Kijiji services ad last?
Kijiji says listings posted with an insertion fee stay active for 31 days, and reposting may require a new fee.
Can I post separate Kijiji ads for different services?
Yes, if the services are clearly different. Kijiji's Services Code of Conduct gives carpentry versus plumbing as an example of services that can have separate ads.
Where do I report a Kijiji scam?
Report it to Kijiji and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Category Pricing Overview | Listing Fees — Kijiji
- How Long Kijiji Listings Stay Active — Kijiji
- Posting Duplicate Ads Policy — Kijiji
- Services Code of Conduct — Kijiji
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — Government of Canada
- Your rights when signing or cancelling a contract — Government of Ontario