Reselling Ukay-Ukay (Pre Loved/Second Hand Clothes)?

Yes, the feasibility and potential is promising. It’s like selling brand new clothes. If you find it as a niche, then set aflame to turn your passion and hobby to monetize it.

Dry cleaning your accumulated finds from Ukay-Ukay must be your first step when desiring to sell them. Dirty ones don’t attract, minus the smell. If you want to price your items a bit higher to gain some profit then what you sell should be at least, presentable. I’m also an Ukay-Ukay reseller. The way I price my items would be *the price I paid for a piece+*a part of the amount I spent for washing and cleaning+*profit of 30-50% of the price I paid for the item=*my selling price. For vintage pieces you may make them a bit pricier but still be open for some bidders and hagglers.

During my selection, I only get pieces that fit me and look good on me; I can’t afford to buy clothes that I won’t fit into. I only select clothes which do not require too much handling after buying them, making sure all buttons are complete, holes and nips could be patched and stitched up easily, those which has small defects and need small alterations. My first venture in reselling Ukay-Ukay was fun. My capital was only 11.36 USD. My gross sale was 34.10 USD so my profit was three times my capital. ^^,

Confessions of an Ukayholic

Wag-wag in Ilocano or Ukay-Ukay as what Filipinos call it is one of the madness the whole Philippines is fond of nowadays. When you’re a foreigner in the country and happen to see heaps of clothes usually piled on the streets and under tents, flocked by people selecting through somewhat like rummages – is and are the Ukay-Ukay or second hand and pre loved clothes.

I myself is an avid Ukay-Ukay shopper. These clothes are grouped or tagged by their sellers as class A, B, C and others. They say these are relief goods for countries that were affected by typhoons, floods and nature’s disasters. Others say, these are left behind clothes of dead people which their families can’t stand to wear turned out to be given away. These may be true but the outstanding fact is that – you can find fabulous finds in Ukay-ukay for a few bucks. A ‘fashionista’ (a person who finds vanity in dressing up) can find all sorts of clothes that are not in usual styles. I remember my mother saying, “If a dress or shirt is designed in an another way compared to the standard cut, apparently it came out from Ukay-Ukay’. And I know she’s right. If you’re a thrifty shopper but still wants to have branded and signature clothes, Ukay-Ukay is the best spot for you. Name it from Armani, Mango, Converse, Nike, M(phosis, Bossini, LV, Xoxo and so on.. It’s boundless and endless. You may even find some still with price tags. I believe some of the clothes in Ukay-ukay were from factories and manufacturers of clothes abroad and those which has defects were being thrown away were collected by people who have ‘business’ in mind.

When I was single, I’ve visited so many Ukay-Ukay spots but still I had bought clothes from malls and boutiques. And when I became a mother and a wife I now can’t shell too much cash from my wallet for it. It would be possible but my family and household needs are now on the top of my list to be dispensed with our income. For my husband and kids I see to it they get the newest, decent and good quality clothes for their outdoor wears even if it’ll cost me some hundred bucks. As of now I’m stashing an amount from our weekly money so I could purchase Kultura’s Filipino Barong Tagalogs ( 32 USD is the cheapest as I’ve known so far by canvassing prices at SM Department Stores) for my husband. But ladies like me (blessed with a slim figure, I’d say. Thank You, Lord) can get mostly from Ukay-Ukay what I want when it comes to dressing up. The most expensive item I had from Ukay-Ukay cost me 1.2 USD. The cheapest? 0.11 cents.

Ukay-ukay has so many selections to choose from: shirts, skirts, mini dress, long dress, pants, denims, shorts, hats, caps, shoes, pumps, heels, wedges, sandals, boots, polos, tuxedos, belts, kitchen towels, bath towels, curtains, pillowcases, blankets, comforters, mattresses, tablecloths, bags, stuffed toys, sneakers and even underwear can be found in these heaps and piles of what I call ‘rummage’. In some Ukay-Ukays usually the large ones, it’s terribly stuffy and the smell isn’t exactly aroma therapeutic. One just needs to be patient. This trait I see is very essential if you want to get down and dirty with Ukay-ukay. It’s a matter of surviving the stinky smell, bargaining with the salesladies and salesmen and checking in and out the pieces you had collected before paying.

Going through piles and piles of clothes can be a chore but the payoff is rewarding with the chances of finding treasured pieces to add to your wardrobe. Besides, it’s the thrill of the hunt that makes it exciting. Reminder, be sure to wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, and to dry clean all the items you’ve bought before wearing it – even if you’re excited to don your ‘new’ clothes. Remember the heresies?

Tip: Baguio City (the Philippines’ Summer Capital) is renowned as the place that holds the largest group of Ukay-UKay stores. After munching on fresh veggies produced by the city and having eaten some bread with Baguio’s strawberry jam and jellies, why not try to venture out with the locals of the place and do some Ukay-Ukay?

Pay Pal on the Use

When selling and shopping/buying online, one needs an account with Pay Pal. It's 'really' not that necessary but I see it as the easiest and fastest way to do money transactions worlwide thru' internet without having to give out bank account numbers, credit/debit card numbers, home addresses & such confidential info to merchants & sellers. All you need is just an account with Pay Pal. Whenever somebody sends you money, all you need to give out is your email address (which is your username in Pay Pal). And when you make payments, you just have to type the recipient's email address also. And that's it. Simple as that.

Signing up with Pay Pal is very easy. It's like making an email account with yahoo and Gmail. Enter the asked information and it will make you select between three option-account types: Personal, Premier and Business. As for me I chose Premier. Personal Account is recommended for beginners and to those who just want to use Pay Pal as an online way to pay. For those who are on the verge of receiving money (most frequently 6-10 times a month) it's better to get a Premier. Though it requires thorough verification of the user, it's just worth it because of the reliable security you'll get.

After completing the process, you are now ready to receive digits. For a Premier Account, user must 'first' link a card to send payments. I believe it is a part of Pay Pal's security measurements. Card I say could be a credit card, debit card or an EON account which I acquired by applying for one at Unionbank. I photocopied two of my valid ID cards and presented them to the bank. They let me fill up their EON Account online form and adviced me to return in a week to get my card. They then instructed me to bring 350 Philippine Peso upon my return that will serve as my first annual fee for said account. There is no need to immediately deposit an ammount to activate the card said the Manager who assisted me thru it, though its being recommended so you can use the card for other purposes. I also aked if I then can link my card to my Pay Pal right after I receive my card to which the Manager answered yes. (So it's just a matter of one week to completely use my Pay Pal. Just allow 3-5 days before you can withdraw from your Pay Pal after linking a card.)

1-2-3 steps to follow, simple instructions that are not hard to understand to make life in a light mode.

Mashfa's Dotcom Store

It took me almost four months to put up my store on the web not because I don’t have a capital to start off, not because I don’t have anything to sell but because I’m afraid I will be hooked. Actually I did make a ‘prep’ store to make an announcement that ‘I’ will have an online shop. But the truth was, that time I was hesitant to build one.

World Wide Web offers so many ways to market goods, services & even ideas. From personal blogging, business sites, group networks & social networking sites. Speaking of these social networking sites we all know that one of the most visited or may be the most visited is Facebook. Multiply and Friendster as well is frequent but when it comes to traffic (these times) internet fellas feast on Facebook. If these three were compared to cellphones, Multiply & Friendster would be Sony Ericson & Cherry Mobile while FB or Facebook would be Nokia because it’s user-friendly, easy to navigate all around and you get to find your friends just seconds after signing up. Small ventures for an aspiring starting entrepreneur could be made possible with these sites.

As for me I’d say I found my place in Facebook. First of all, almost all of my friends are indulged into it, others are on a 20-hour a day online. So I fed up my courage with a great push to finally make a second account (I had my first which is really named after me) and build my own enterprise – selling clothing, accessories, bags, shoes and even bamboo sala sets. I had a page which is linked to my personal account but that didn’t work too well cause it has limits when it comes to spreading out the photo captures of my on sale items.

Good thing one of my cousins was already in the market so I have somebody to assist me from getting in touch with her trusted suppliers, on how to price my items, info of ordering & shipping goods to the usage of Pay Pal. I’ve asked all questions down to every detail. And until now, I still kept on asking my cousin & anybody who’s in this kind of business like mine.

My first week of starting was fumed with picture downloads, uploads, calculator, going to couriers’ offices for their shipping rates, drafting & typing FAQ, terms & conditions, how to pay instructions, where to pay details & the likes for my potential customers. I had also seen the need to expand my reach so I added people even if I don’t know them, friends of my friends’ friends. After setting up, I then got ready to tag in my photos my collected friends & ‘friends’. That’s the only way online sellers in social networking sites can market their goods. Fortunately, on my first seven days of establishing a name I did make a sale, my first two customers: my husband’s niece (destined in UK) and a Mexican lady and both made bulky orders. My patience & hard work (as I believe) is being paid off. It’s my Buena mano.

Though I knew (first hand) that selling of dry goods such as clothes & shoes is not in multilevel compared to food, I know I could push through with it. I find myself more updated with this line. I’m also fond of food but I don’t explore that much. I eat when I’m hungry. Selling needs to be your passion and even what you sell should also be your passion. It needs to be that way when you really wanted to get into it.

First week may be a good one, the next would be blunt, and the next two weeks could be loaded, some days would be without notifications but at least when people will see my hard worked-uploaded photos, they might see something they’ll like and probably send me a message.  An account must always be updated for new photos, events, promos to ignite people to see your goods.

Right now I’m still on the working process to hoard photos, stocks, people and sales!