JEDDAH — Some 900 million unused household items across Saudi Arabia have a total value of SR370 billion, a first of its kind research conducted by dubizzle – the leading classifieds website in the Middle East and North Africa, revealed on Tuesday. The findings, supported by a study conducted by global market research firm YouGov, noted that there are an estimated 60 million unused mobile phones in the Kingdom, which is five times higher than in the UAE, with a total value of SR56 billion, “double the cost of Saudi Arabia's Railway project,” the report said. The research also showed that there are over 288 million unwanted books, “that's also enough to educate all the illiterate individuals in India.” Fashion also had its share in the research - Saudis have around 222 million unused fashion items in their household, which are capable of clothing all the poor people globally. The value was arrived at by combining the survey figures from YouGov with data collected from dubizzle directly about the average price of hundreds of thousands of items. These items could be sold from consumer to consumer to create an injection of cash into the local economy. “Saudi Arabia's hidden treasures are not buried beneath the desert sand; they are inside everyone's home. Internet users in the Kingdom are sitting on heaps of cash, which they are not aware of”, said Abdullah Al Ghadouni – GM for Saudi Arabia at dubizzle “A basic realignment of consumer goods can build a secondhand economy. The research revealed that every Saudi household has around 18 unwanted books, 13 unused cloths and 4 unloved toys. If these items were reshuffled in the community and move to other homes, they can make a real impact in their local community,” Al Ghadouni noted. “We carried out this research because we wanted to show fellow Saudis that almost anyone with an internet connection can make extra cash through selling something they own and no longer want. That item can be anything because online classified platforms allow you to connect with so many more people that you may never have met with in the past – meaning the likelihood of finding a buyer is very high,” he pointed out. A summary of the research is publicly available in an info-graphic done by dubizzle, and can be useful to the consumer in realizing what is available in the market, which items best hold their value, which items are in high demand, and how best to make an additional income. dubizzle.com has four main sections: Property (for sale and rent), Motors, Jobs and Items For Sale. It is headquartered in the UAE, and is also available in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. — SG
