Ikea dreams come true

We don't have an Ikea here in the maritimes and I know I'm not alone in my sadness on that subject. It's especially disappointing when you have a new house to furnish and your budget is limited. I knew that I wanted a certain Ikea piece for my living room and was contemplating biting the bullet and ordering it online. Then I found out they didn't sell it on-line nor many of the other things I was eying. Someone told me about an posting they saw on Kijiji for people who would buy your items and bring them to you.

Mike and Nicole at MyBoxBuyer.com came up with a brilliant business idea where they take Ikea orders from the public and then drive to Ottawa and do your shopping. Then they make stops in Halifax, Truro, Sydney, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, PEI and St. John's Newfoundland to make the deliveries.  All you have to do is email them with the order, you pay a part of the cost up front and then the rest is paid in cash or cheque at the time of pick up. I was told to meet them in the Sears parking lot at the Regent mall on a Saturday morning. They loaded the stuff in to the van and off I went. They explained that if there was any damage and I needed to make an exchange they would buy me a new one on their next trip and we'd make the trade on the next pick up day. They of course have to make money so they charge a commission based on the amount you're spending. Check out their fees here. If you prefer, they will also do home delivery for an extra cost.

I have to admit I was a little nervous emailing money to a stranger and hoping they come through on the other end. There was a few moments that I thought I'd made a mistake as they were late getting me an email confirming the drop off but over all I thought it was a great experience and would do it again. And I'm happy because I have the shelving unit I wanted. Much to Nick's dismay I cashed in the Veto I got for Christmas.

Anyway, check them out if you are a sad maritimer with dreams of Ikea furniture. Their next ordering deadline is April 5th!