—A tracker field test reconstructs the full chain from recycling bin to livestream room; some sorting plants in Changchun sell dozens of tons a day

Key points

  • Reporters used GPS trackers in a field test: clothes from two old-clothing recycling bins in Tieling were transported days later to a corn storage warehouse more than 60 km away; the warehouse was in fact an old-clothing sorting plant
  • The head of Changchun Kunteng Old Clothing Recycling Co. said that his company alone can sell dozens of tons of recycled clothing a day; a local old-clothing livestream room sold nearly 70 items in half an hour, with single-session revenue exceeding 10,000 yuan
  • At a surplus-goods wholesale market in South China, refurbished cashmere coats gave off a pungent chemical odor; refurbished sweaters were packaged with brand-new hangtags, bundled 100 pieces to a bale and 1,000 pieces to a bag; a leading livestream base in Shangqiu, Henan, has more than 20 livestream rooms

Reporter bought a "sample garment" for 6 yuan—it was actually secondhand clothing someone had worn

Consumers reported that some livestream rooms advertising "new sample garments" and "big-brand surplus goods" were in fact selling large quantities of secondhand old clothes at low prices, from a few yuan to a few dozen yuan. In the livestream room "Xixi Women's Wear Matching," a reporter spent 6 yuan on three so-called sample surplus items with free shipping: a white top had yellow stains and foundation marks at the collar and underarms, a black short skirt had oil stains on the hem, and a white top had loose stitching at the hem and underarms. The merchant explained this away as "slightly dirty" and "minor flaws," calling the items only sample garments or surplus goods and never mentioning that the goods delivered were secondhand.

Tracker points to a corn warehouse; manager: this is a sorting plant

ITRANS reporters placed GPS trackers in clothing and shoes and put them into two old-clothing recycling bins in different areas of Tieling. A few days later, the trackers showed that the items had been sent to a corn storage warehouse more than 60 km away. Inside the warehouse, items were casually wrapped in rags, and what lay scattered and exposed was all waste clothing, with obvious stains and signs of use. The manager admitted that this was actually an old-clothing sorting plant specializing in recycling secondhand clothes from various places, and that goods from recycling bins were referred to simply as "bin goods."

Reporters also conducted similar investigations at old-clothing sorting warehouses in Jiamusi, Jinan and other places. The operators of these warehouses all said that old-clothing recycling bins in residential communities were one of their important sources of goods. To trick residents into giving away old clothes, the people who place recycling bins at the front end print words such as "public welfare donation" and "charity collection" on the bins to increase collection volume.

Changchun: recycling plant sells dozens of tons a day, with goods coming from recycling bins

A person familiar with the matter said Changchun is one of the largest distribution centers for old-clothing sorting and recycling in Northeast China. The head of Daling Old Clothing Recycling Plant confirmed that most old clothes are sold to e-commerce livestream rooms, that business had been good recently, and that old clothes were in short supply. The head of Changchun Kunteng Old Clothing Recycling Co. revealed that his company alone could sell dozens of tons of recycled clothing a day. Through the company's introduction, reporters entered a local livestream room specializing in old clothes; in just half an hour after going live, it had sold nearly 70 items.

No cleaning, no disinfection: the livestream logic of putting cost first

After the livestream ended, the person in charge said that nearly half a ton of clothing had been sold in that session, with revenue exceeding 10,000 yuan, and that almost all stock had been sold out; only insufficient supply had kept it from meeting expectations. He said the clothes sold that day had all been purchased by the ton from old-clothing recycling plants, and stressed that one must never mention that the clothes are secondhand—the livestream room has beauty filters and lighting, so viewers cannot tell the actual condition. Asked about some clothes having become moldy, he called it normal; almost all old clothes brought in from sorting plants are not cleaned or disinfected, but hung directly on racks as soon as they are brought back, because that is the only way to control costs to the greatest extent. Such livestream rooms also commonly use phrases such as "high cost-performance," "slightly dirty" and "minor flaws." The sources of the clothing are complicated; besides goods from sorting plants, they even include items from garbage stations, and secondhand children's clothing is among them.

Refurbished and tagged: the best-condition goods are picked out first

Old clothes with the best condition and appearance are usually picked out first for refurbishment, given hangtags and sold as new items for higher profit. During an investigation at a surplus-goods wholesale market in South China, reporters saw that many shops had signs at their doors reading "We do not sell secondhand clothing." The wholesale early market before dawn was crowded with buyers, and some streamers were doing live sales on the spot.

Led by streamer Adong, reporters entered Wanbang Huijie Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd. The shop owner said that because refurbished denim sells well, a new batch had just been refurbished the day before and had not yet been put on display. He said the refurbished secondhand goods in the shop were in good condition, and that newly arrived windbreakers did not need cleaning to be sold as "surplus goods"; while inspecting refurbished cashmere coats in another warehouse, a pungent odor could be smelled at the door, and the shop owner said it was residue from refurbishing chemicals. He said the refurbishing process was "hard for non-experts to distinguish," that goods from all over the country were gathered there for refurbishment, that finished products sold well, and that almost everyone buying goods refurbished old clothes and sold them as new—described externally as factory surplus or sample garments—with some going to livestream rooms and physical stores.

At Tianhe Clothing, which focuses on refurbished sweaters, reporters saw goods packaged 100 pieces to a bale and 1,000 pieces to a bag, with almost no visible traces of refurbishment, all fitted with brand-new hangtags and neatly packaged; when the boss gave away extra hangtags, he admitted that such hangtags can be bought anywhere. Tianhe Clothing's biggest customer is a livestream base in Shangqiu, Henan. At that base, reporters saw that an entire floor was a large secondhand clothing warehouse, with racks full of secondhand garments and sacks full of clothes piled in the corners. The person in charge said his operation was a leader in the industry, running more than 20 livestream rooms, with each livestream room earning tens of thousands of yuan a day on average, and said: telling consumers that these are secondhand old clothes would definitely make them unsellable; only by refurbishing them and selling them as new can profits be maximized.

(Reposted from CCTV Finance)

Source: Old clothing recycling insider story exposed! Secondhand clothes sold as new without washing · Originally published 2025-12-22