Egyptians are the kings of hoarding items under their beds, in dusty cupboards, behind television sets, in their cars and other mysterious and dark places. In fact, according to dubizzle.com, a free classifieds website that launched in Egypt in 2013, there are as many as 2 billion unused items worth EGP 522 billion, which instead of being unused, can be sold. These items often range from old laptops and mobile phones, which are left to rot away in one’s bedside drawers, to vintage photographs, jewellery, and toys. One of the weirder items Egyptian Streets has seen for sale on dubizzle has been a used, helium-filled ‘Happy Birthday’ balloon which was sold for EGP 60 (~US$ 8). Another listing was, curiously, for a friend to play hide-and-seek with. On craigslist, one vendor was selling an empty Jameson Irish Whiskey bottle for EGP 300, while another was selling used, rechargeable batteries for EGP 100. For Mohammad Abdelwahab, websites such as dubizzle and craigslist have made selling items a lot easier than before. “It was very easy to use with helpful tips along your selling process,” admitted Abdelwahab who sold his 1980s Volvo and…
