In reference to this threads
https://www.nairaland.com/6663448/fashion-business-world#103974093








There is a saying in pigin english "na mumu dey go boutique"

This statement is so true that most of the wears you buy in boutique at cost price can equally be found in fairly used (Okrika)market at cheap price. So , it's not wise to go to boutique and waste your money.

If you are prudent enough you can make it big with fairly used wears. Many prefers fairly used wears to new wears , they have their reasons.

10 reasons why people prefer fairly used (Okrika) cloth to new ones

1. The honest truth is people are going to pick the 2nd hand foreign valued cloth over new ones due to the fabric quality


2. Lots of foreign second hand are like brand new hence people realized that "Na Mumu dey go boutique" in second hand, you will get to select uncommon designs that you can never see someone wearing it

3. Foreign Used Nike polo will sell for like #2500 while the new one cost 150$ or more. How many average Nigerian can afford that?. Boutique sellers buy from Okrika market. They buy clean ones at low price so that customers can afford it at their shops. So, many people still believe that some boutique wears are gotten from fairly used wears market

4. Durability and a chance of seeing foreign currency in the pocket...lol. Not only is it stronger and durable. It gives you that vintage look

5. Most of the clothes you see in our local shops here are quality second handMost of the new wears in Nigerian "boutiques" (road side shops) are fake products made with useless and weak fabrics.

Some of these boutiques you see around, they sell first grade OKs. They dry clean them and put inside transparent nylon. Same way they sew shirts in bulk (from Aba), put them foreign tags and sell too

They will pick up a good and clean Okrika bag, belt, or sandals any day any time. By the time you get tired of changing belt or Jumia fake audio sandals every 2-3 months, and then you see prices like N92,000 for an authentic brand nobody will tell you to use your head.

The Honest truth is that in Nigeria, to maximize profit, some Boutiques buy grade A used foreign clothes, dryclean it and hang it in the well furnished boutique with high price tag. Buyer can never know the difference.


6. some of them are factory rejects that has never been worn by anyone. Many believe they are still new and they don't see theirselves wearing second hand but new wears

7. Not all OK(fairly used clothes) are used. Not all are cheap or of low quality.

8. The new ones are usually bought by thugs like oluomo and his thug boys because they don't know what quality is. As for those that understand quality, and ready to pay little for grade 1 akube clothes and shoes, or brand new akube that no one has worn before. We call them second hand, but not all are used clothes. For instance, those jerseys we buy. Some club management may call for a new design, & discard all their old stocks.

9. I should point out though, that most of the new clothes in Nigeria are imported from China. Often with low quality. These clothes aren't even Nigeria made but China.
Nigerians can't even dream of being able to afford new American or European clothes for now.

The cheapest you can get a hoodie for instance is like $40. Not even many well paid Nigerians can afford that.

There are Chinese clothes with higher quality but it comes at a higher price. If you see where they open bale, you will understand . Most clothes you see in Lagos roadside boutiques are gotten from those bales, washed and hang in the shop

They buy them about N500-N1000 from bales and resell even up to N4000-N5000

10. Is it the tacky China jeans in the market you want to wear? Infact, quality 'stock' jeans can't cost less than 10k brand new. How many can you afford with the small salaries in Nigeria? undecided.

This makes so much sense. We live in an environment that is extremely price sensitive.

Fairly used or new wears

In my personal opinion


I can’t say I prefer any over the other, depends on what I am buying.

I would absolutely buy Nigerian made clothes if I could get well sewn good quality products; but Nigerian artisans do not pay any attention to fine detail. They will always use poor material where they think you won't see it and may not bother about getting the seams straight. Plus they will delay your work for weeks or months; they are equally poor at keeping to promised schedules. 

As for those Nigerian artisans who can actually sew attractive, good quality clothing, they will usually put foreign labels on them instead of building their own brand. Talk about selling their potential multimillion dollar fashion house for a pot of porridge. Totally shortsighted.

All in all, both have their places. In an economy like Nigeria, a real middle class Fashionista can't do without Foreign used

The bottom line is consumers are in affordable and quality clothes. So people will go for the one that gives them these options

By the way, it is not all that are fairly-used. Those ones that have labels on them are not fairly-used, they are clearance sales (clothes that are out of season

Is that what you sell too?

Pls ma, how can one buy the bale?

Things to consider before going into fairly used wears business

1. Where to buy
2. How to buy
3. How to sell

1 . Where to buy

You can buy in
A. Nigeria
B. Outside Nigeria
C. Online

Where to buy in Nigeria
Aba
Porthacourt
Lagos

I know where to buy in Lagos because I stay in Lagos

7 markets to buy fairly used wears in Lagos

(1) KATANGUA MARKET : Popularly known as, Katangua market is where you can get authentic second hand(used) wears and household items for jaw dropping prices. The place is a hub of activities and your head will be in a swirl when you see collections of good-looking things to buy. Katangua have their market days which you need to be aware of inorder to get the best products, be it clothes, kitchen utensils and general house hold materials. These new consignments come every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, if you can target those days of the week, then you are good to go. The heaps of clothes have different grades and the prices reflect them.


Location: It is located around Super bus stop in Abule Egba, you can’t miss it, just ask any shop owner around and you will be directed.



(2) YABA MARKET: Yaba market offers items that are less priced than the one you’ll find in Tejousho market. You can get very authentic Okrika (first grade used) clothes for as low as 1000 at yaba, you will be amazed at the authenticity of the clothes. Unilag students can greatly attest to this.


Location: As long as you can find your way to Yaba busstop then you are there, you would be approached by sellers trying to persuade you to buy from them.



(3) TEJUOSHO ULTRA MODERN MARKET: This Market has undergone a great transformation into a modern market after it was reported gutted but fire. The Lagos state government wasted no time in brining it to one of the best markets in lagos, contrary to general belief regarding the cost of getting or securing a shop there, it is regardless one of the cheapest places you can buy clothes in Lagos. It depends on the shop being visited.


Location: It is off Yaba bus stop, shares same boundary with Yaba market.



(4) OSHODI MARKET : Oshodi undergone a fabulous transformation under the administration of ex-governor Babatunde Fashola. Once a very disorganized market, is now easy to navigate in and out. The display of Ankara and materials for making clothes is awesome. For your ‘aso ebi’ materials, which is usually in bales of clothes of the same design, and material, Oshodi market will cater for that. 


You can easily get a bus from any part of the city that will convey you to Oshodi.


(5) BALI MARKET : Are you a corporate man or job seeker intending to look like a classy job seeker with style? Then Bali is the place to be… you can get very authentic first class used designers there at very affordable prices.


LOCATION : It is located off broad street, the road directly in front of former AfriBank, Lagos Island.



(6) BALOGUN MARKET: This is the chub of textile and fabric in Lagos. You surely can’t get enough of what the market offers. You need to be very smart to shop here, as there are lots of people doing the same. Your favorite lace and wrapper will be on display there. There are also ready-made dresses on display. All you just need to do is to confirm if it is the right size! Its located in the heart of Lagos fondly referred to as Eko.


LOCATION: Balogun, Lagos Island.



(7) ASWANI MARKET : Located in Isolo, Aswani market is quite popular and brings a euphoric feeling when the name is mentioned. It is known for its long years of attending to consumers’ needs in terms of clothing, fabric and accessories. Tuesdays are special days and you have you tighten your belt when you go there. There are bends down select as well as high-grade clothes. You can get your favourite at fair prices.

Where to buy fairly used wears outside Nigeria

1. Cotonu ( Badagry express road Lagos )
2. Togo

The problem with buying from outside Nigeria like ,Cotonou and Togo is the custom, but if you can risk it , its the cheapest .

How to buy


A lot of people believe buying Okrika bales is like a blind business because you don't see the content before paying . 


Oh yes! U don't see the content , but my Golden advice is

Buy from a trusted seller that import or sell good and quality bales.

How Do I know Quality Bale when I see one?

You might not know as a beginner .


REASONS


A Bale that look clean and flashy outwardly might carry lot of torn and rags when its been open.

And some bale might not look good outwardly but d content is hot and fine!


Reasons

We all know  how people behave when it comes to business 

So my Golden rules still stand 

" Buy from a trusted seller"


I would advise you to stay away from buying bales if you just going into to the business..

Until you have a practical experience of the fairly used cloth business and you trust who you are buying from

It's better you buy from those that have opened their bales, it might seem a little bit more expensive, but at least you are sure of what you buying, till you get the necessary experience needed for the business.

Even though it's more profitable to buy bale my advice to you as a beginner is to select from open bale to avoid stories that touches the heart.

3. HOW TO SELL


1. Get a good business location –This is a very important aspect to consider before starting your business. If you get this aspect wrong, the business is very likely to fail. Locating your business where there is good pedestrian traffic is good.

2. The class and type :Also when deciding the class and type of wears to sell, you should consider the type of people living or plying the area where your shop would be located or the category of people you will sell your product to. Poor neighbourhood would most likely buy second or third grade clothing unlike richer neighbourhood that would rather go for first class and quality fairly used clothing

packaging : Learn to package the goods in a presentable and attractive way –After getting your wears, the next thing is how to package it. Packaging always brings in extra cash. You can wash, iron and neatly fold, starch and apply good scent to your wears. You can even place them on mannequins to look more presentable. Take your packaging seriously so the customers don’t underprice your products.

Use verbal marketing: some people are too reluctant to tell people close to them about their business, its bad, you are only limiting yourself . You can tell your neighbours, friends about your business and products and invite them over to your shop to make their purchase.

Using social media :
Social media has become one of the most effective method to make a huge sales. Its marketing benefit has no limit because you can sell to anybody any where . You can use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp etc to sell the wares and invite your friends to like your page. You can also use paid boosting of your page to reach more people. You may also choose to create your own e-commerce website for your business.

Try using online forums to advertise your wears: You can create a thread on Nairaland or any other forum for your business. You may also advertise your products in such websites as jiji.com, and ady.ng.


hawking : hawking your products will help especially if you are just going into the business .it will you to start small especially if you don't have money for shop yet .

How to sell from bale

HOW TO SELL IN PIECES IN ORDER TO MAKE PROFIT

1. When u open a bale , count d total number of clothes in the bale.

2. Grade the clothes into their different quality

3. Sell according to their grades

i.e , when you open men shirt bale , the bale contain 200 pcs , when you open it , the 1st thing I do is select the very hot ones , tag them boutique wears because they come with tags or labels most time, and sell 1,000 - 1,500 per one , select like 50 pcs aside for your boutique shirt and sell 1500 for 1.

Note - how much you sell is determine by your location and the calibre of people you are selling to

A customer bought a bale of tshirt , and was seeking advice on how much she can sell 1,

I told her she can sell for 1k or 1500

She later sold some 2500 nd 1500, 1k

NOW LET DO SOME CALCULATION ON SELLING

If a bale of 1st grade London Office Men shirt cost #90,000 for 200pcs ,

And you have 50pcs extra clean with or without tags you can sell for 1500.

1500x 50 =75,000

Ok , you decided to sell the next grade 700 for 100pcs , let's go

700x100 =70,OOO

and you sell the last grades 400
400x150 = 60,000

Let's calculate the profit

75,000+ 70,000+ 60000= 205,000
205,000 - 90,000
=115000- logistic ( expenses) 12000
Profit = 103000

You will only arrive at this profit when you buy a very good bale and you sell it the right way

How to remove smell from clothes

STEAMER

Stores use a hand steamer to remove the smell of someone else body.

Vinegar : is cheaper than steamer hard a few cups of vinegar with your detergent (it could be baking soda) to the clothes to wash the clothes in hot water without shrinking them depending on fabric


baking soda : baking soda method truly works buts its shouldnt be a preferably option
Spraying : options of spraying or disinfecting will make the clothes have a strong and unusual smell which will still attract suspicion that the seller wants to avoid. New imported clothes don't smell of perfume

Note: steamer still remain the best smell remover but its expensive but affordable you can go for vinegar.

Types of fairly used wears bale:


1. Creme bale: creme bale is grade AA ,is the best grade they are purely new stuffs, Boutique ltems.
2.Wilcox: Wilcox is also grade AA but not as clean as creme bale
3.La mark: la mark is also good but its grade AB
It means first grade and second grade mixed together

Note: other grades like
4.Crown
5.Gold
6.Favor
7.scot: are all the grades mixed together .
It means when you open the bales you will find first grade ,second grade , third grade and even fourth grade inside to the last grade inside it.