It would be a good guess that the reason why it is such a challenge to locate used yurts for sale is that just about everybody who owns a yurt likes it so well they do not want to part with it. Of course that is really a bit of an exaggeration. You can some times go online to a popular internet auction web site and see that there is someone selling a second hand yurt, but such an opportunity is becoming more and more rare. What this means is that when you apply the basic principle of economics, supply and demand, you realize that the demand is a lot higher than the supply and therefore it stands to reason that the price of a used yurt is not a lot different from buying a new one.
Probably the best advice for someone who has his or her heart set on the purchase of a used yurt would be to check out the most widely used internet web sites that offer free classified advertising, such as Kijiji and Craigs list, along with local trading pages that may be unique to your local area, as well as eBay and other auction services. After that, I would suggest tracking down companies that manufacture yurts near by to where you are living. These in general would tend to be friendly entrepreneur type of people as opposed to more conventional construction contractors. When you talk to your local yurt maker, ask them if they happen to know of any used yurts for sale, or if they have recently sold a larger yurt to a previous customer, as it is possible that person may be wanting to get rid of their smaller used yurt.
If you do have to buckle down and buy a new one then you are going to have a pretty wide choice, as the number of people who are making yurts for sale is a cottage industry that is on the increase. Formerly a trade that was, in North America anyway, exclusive to the Pacific Northwest, there are now companies building yurt components in every region if not yet in every state in the US or every province in Canada. This speaks well of what a good idea the yurt really is that its popularity is continuing to spread. But is it any wonder? They are environmentally friendly, very portable, easy to set up and take down, cool in summer and warm in winter. When you think about it, the question is more like how come it took so long for this great idea to spread from the steppes of Central Asia to the rest of the world?