Used clothing recycling and export have become a hot track in recent years, with more and more practitioners pouring in. But a netizen who runs a used clothing export company shared a post on social media that brought a less conspicuous problem to the table: competition in the industry is fierce, price wars come one after another, and few peers pay attention to quality and service.

This operator often mutters to herself. Seeing companies compete at low prices to grab customers and sell inferior used clothing overseas, she finds it even harder to swallow, so she vents to peers at industry gatherings. At the time, everyone comforted her, saying competition is inevitable and that holding on to quality and integrity is what matters. What she didn't expect was that these words traveled to her own customers' ears, and got distorted—understood as her despising peers as "incompetent competitors" and losing confidence in the industry. The customer seriously talked with her once, asking whether she still planned to continue. Although she explained, a rift had already been planted.

This is not an isolated case. An entrepreneur in the used clothing recycling field criticized competitors face to face at a meeting, picking apart everything from management ability to supply stability, even asserting that if this continued the industry would suffer. Many in the industry sighed after reading it: "Same industry, same hardship." Some practitioners also admitted that in their early days they were troubled by competitive pressure, found rivals displeasing in every way, and when communicating with peers only got the answer "competition is the norm." Over time they didn't even dare attend industry gatherings, and anxiety and depression came along together.

In fact, the cost of industry resentment is not hard to understand: the side being criticized keeps internalizing in self-doubt; the side that keeps finding fault gets more and more entangled in negative emotions. Trust erodes on both sides, and room for cooperation narrows. The article cites an expert's long-term research conclusion tracking a large number of used clothing export enterprises, pointing out that harmonious businesses generally follow a 5:1 communication principle—the number of positive remarks is at least five times the negative.

Someone asked an entrepreneur who lives a relatively smooth life why she is always willing to yield in friction. Her answer is simple: first judge whether it is a matter of principle; if so, hold firm; if not, be tolerant. Giving in a step in exchange for harmony in the industry is, in her view, a sure-win deal.

For a used clothing export business that relies on cross-border supply chains and highly coordinated sourcing and payment terms, information exchange and trust among peers directly affect costs and turnover. The article ultimately points to the view that business inevitably involves competition and friction, but aiming the spear at peers for a long time will only add a layer of silent consumption to this already thin-margin track.

Source: The used clothing export business, booming · Originally published on 2026-07-04