“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society” – Mark Twain
A store featuring clothing items
The booming business of Okrika popularly also known as “tokunbo” (over the seas),”bend down select” or fairly used wears (shoes, cloths, and other personal items) has grown in leaps and bounds with high yield in profit. Though not all the wears are previously, though most are as they are cast offs or donations to charity organizations, but others are fairly new as they can be sold at high discounts by shopping malls to get in new merchandise or traded off.

Note: Throughout this post, the term ‘clothing’ or “wear” refers to clothes and fashion accessories such as underwears, bras,belts, ties, scarves, gowns, tops, blouses, shoes, socks, shirts, dresses, trousers and… anything you can also think of!

In this present time, even with the government’s prohibiting used clothing as contraband, (there are arguments for and against this, but that’s s later discussion), the multi-billion dollar clothing market in Africa continues to grow and there are lucrative opportunities that lie within it. We also look at factors such as affordability, brands, quality and taste for local and foreign fashions that determine the choices Africans make about their clothing. For those of you who are considering doing the business, I want to take time to discuss with you the beauty, business and challenges involved for you to decide if the sake of used wears is the best for you . Like, I said in a previous post, Okrika is one of the few businesses you do not need an advert for and requires little capital.

10 Reasons why selling second hand clothes is a profitable business

1. Its cheaper, many can practically get a designer item for a fraction of its price if they don’t care if it has been worn before or not and many are not bothered.
2. Its popular among the upwardly mobile youths and middle-age population who are living with tight budgets ( especially with constant increase in rent and transport fare in big cities) but have to look good or the fashion conscious who are willing to spend money in acquiring more clothing items. Moreso the population keeps increasing and70% of Nigeria’s Population are youths( students, self –employed, young parents, housewives,teens e.t.c) which also means the need for clothes is increasing
3. Fairly Used wears are more durable than fake new ones ( as suggested by many)
4. Power of choice, you have different selections to choose from and according to your pocket as there are different grades and prices.
5. Requires little capital and less /no advert. They are easily recognizable and attracts attention anywhere they are displayed.
6. Its has added advantage of a mobile market, that is one can move the goods from area to another(churches, schools, offices,roadsides, cars) to sell them faster.
7. Ready market, you can resell to individuals either online or physical contact. it has been proven that there is high demand for clothing items. Lots of Boutiques and individuals also buy these products to resell, just visit the shops in Ikeja, Yaba, Oshodi, Dugbe , Aleshinloye, Surulere and many others , many have a mix of the real and not so real deal.
8. High turnover especially during festive seasons, second to food, clothing is the next profitable business and necessity in a human’s life.
9. Requires little or no education but will to succeed, extra efforts and perseverance. Infact it can be an alternative source of income while still keeping your main job. Taking time to study fashion trends and customer’s buying patterns also helps in determining future market’s needs.
10. The sale of clothing items is already a money spinning business for many, and has great future prospects, you can evolve to invest heavily in the clothing and textile industry in the country as you progress, and when that happens, you would have had adequate experience and information about the industry.


How to sell to have high yields

1. You can get a shop to display your goods , do a mobile market or sell from home for the main time, the most important thing is to consider your location, prospective client base and how much time or resources you are willing to spend in marketing your business.
2. Okrika products are sourced online at eBay or Alibaba or bought from major distributors who in turn obtained them from charity organizations, auction houses, clothing merchandise willing to clear their racks to make space for new products or individuals who continually buy all year round when sales are cheap or heavily discounted. The clothes are then carefully selected, packaged and baled to be exported. Have a reliable source of supply to always meet up with demands and avoid disappointing your clients . Typearls supplies wholesalers and retailers at moderate prices.
3. Put in place a laundry and mending service to wash, iron and restitch any dirty, stained or torn clothing for it to be in a good shape and have a clean smell.

4. To have high turnover at the start of the business, dont compete with high end markets, except you are sure of your clients base and patronage. For example, if you buy a bale of chiffon tops at N90,000, there is possibility you will get 300 extra quality out of 500 or more, say you sell at N500 each thats a sum of N150,000, excluding transportation, delivery and rent costs, yyou can make a tidy profit of N30,000 on each bale, which is enough gain , imagine you get to sell 5 bales in a month.You can plough back this gain to reinvest in the business and get more goods unlike keeping and holding on to stock just because you want to obtain higher prices for them and you manage to sell 2 or 3 bales, the market wont move and your turnover will be low. So be wise.
5. Have good customer relations, to make your clients keep coming back and increase your referrals, talk to colleagues, friends and family members, they are your first marketers. Put posters, fliers in conspicuous places and other shop outlets if you have them to increase your business’s visibility. Give discounts to customers who make repeated purchases. Satisfied customers means repeated businesses.
6. As you improve on the business or right from the start, differentiate your own products by adding uniqueness and class to the packaging of the fashion items. Store them in airy,well lit,ventilated spaces to prevent bad smells caused by stuffiness or mildew. Get hangers, racks, packaging boxes to prevent water spills, insects , place price tags and labels to give good presentation , reduce haggling and attracts client easily.
7. Keep a record of all sales, items in stock profits and loss, be accountable for your business, pay your taxes, start a savings plan. Hire professional staff to help with the running and daily activities of the business as it grows.Separate friendship from business,discourage selling on credit and people owing you especially if your goods are reasonably priced. Have time for the business, especially in the first year of starting it to enable you have a good idea of what the business involves as this period is still a learning process. The first year will determine if you can continue and succeed in the business, but with adequate determination, it should be an easy journey.

Tip: Bras, chiffon gowns and baby wears are the fastest selling items.[i][/i]

Specification and packaging of used wears
Okrika is sorted and graded based on the following features: Quality,size,gender, neatness, grades (A,AAA,B,C, higher grades are costlier), Designs, weight, Intended user(adult, women, men, children). Bales(large bundles) are packaged containing tops, blouses, shirts, gowns, trousers, sweaters, bump shorts, socks, scarves, ties, belts, bras, shoes, bags, mix(combination of different wears), baby wears, with each bale containing over 500 to 1000 pieces in it depending on the weight (55kg- 120kg).

The other things required will be clothing racks, hangers, labels and price tags. You will be needing storage boxes for small items like baby socks, scarves, ties and belts. You can easily earn a profit of $10 on each clothing you sell.

Average prices of used wears in Nigeria

N30,000-60,000

Socks, Sweaters, Skirts, Bedsheets, Men’s Jeans, Men Shorts(Three Quarter), Night Gowns

N70,000- N90,000

Children Mixed (0-10years), Children Jeans, Children Gowns, Men Chinos Trousers, Ladies Jeans (200pieces), Duvet, Track And Joggers, Dinner Gowns, Men’s Jeans, Night Gowns

N100,000-N200,000

Chiffon Gowns (1000 pieces), Ladies Leggings(1000 pieces, Chiffon Tops, Cotton Blouses, Men’s Jeans, Children Complete wears

If you want to be a supplier or a retailer of quality clothing items, call 2348038454123 or send an email to typearls@gmail.com. Place your orders as soon as possible, clients are served on first pay first served basis as there are limited quantities and a waiting list. Delivery services available across the country.

www.typearls.org. Please drop your comments on the blog too.

Go and be ye successful!

P:s: I have to add this rejoinder. Bend down select clothes are smuggled goods and the government has introduced policies to minimise the importation of these goods.
Also due to the recent devaluation of Naira , the gains have been consistently decreasing, you can check out our website to see more profitable businesses you can venture into now.

@typearls thank you for this wonderful piece of information.

---

see how to get more customers here http://blog.sureguys.com/get-clients

Thanks