Many people entering the second-hand clothing recycling industry care most not about how to collect clothes, but about whom to sell them to after collection. In fact, the sales channels for second-hand clothes go far beyond just recycling plants.

Key Points

  • Recycling plants are the main export channel, but batches with more than 30% "black material" are usually rejected
  • Second-hand clothes in relatively good condition can go to urban-rural fringe markets and migrant worker markets; in one case, clothes bought at 0.6 yuan per jin were sold at 10 yuan for two pieces, clearing stock in three days for a profit of over 5,000 yuan
  • Disassembled parts such as copper zippers, fur collars, and sponge have dedicated buyers; for example, copper zippers fetch a market price of 15,000-30,000 yuan per ton, and fur collars 15,000-20,000 yuan per ton

Recycling Plants: Mainstream but Limited
The first choice for selling collected second-hand clothes is to recycling plants, which then bale, sort, and export them. But recycling plants do not accept all clothing; rejected categories are known in the industry as "black material." If black material makes up more than 30% of a batch, recycling plants usually will not accept it. Although there are now manufacturers that specifically buy black material, most recycling plants avoid it because of low prices and troublesome sorting. To raise the selling price of black material, it can be shredded before sale, which increases profit considerably.

Urban-Rural Fringe and Second-Hand Clothing Trading Markets
Almost every city has second-hand clothing trading markets, mainly selling clothes in relatively good condition and fashionable styles. Besides selling to such markets, you can also connect with village and township clothing stores or comprehensive markets for migrant workers. One practitioner bought relatively good second-hand clothes at 0.6 yuan per jin, negotiated a price of 10 yuan for two pieces with a local migrant worker market owner, sold out within three days, and made over 5,000 yuan. Cheap second-hand clothes circulate very quickly through these channels; among clothes sold at street stalls and from small trucks, many are bought for a few mao and resold for several yuan or even dozens of yuan each.

Dedicated Buyers: Considerable Profit in Disassembled Parts
Copper zippers on pants can fetch a market price of 15,000-30,000 yuan per ton, and clothing fur collars can sell for 15,000-20,000 yuan per ton, or by the piece at an average of 3-15 yuan each, while the recycling cost may be less than one mao per piece. Sponge in underwear is about 9,000 yuan per ton, and down jackets can be sold by the piece; one bought for a few mao can sell for at least a dozen yuan, multiplying profit dozens of times. These categories all have dedicated buyers.

Tail Goods Market: With Tags, Unopened
Tail goods refer to clothing with tags still attached and unopened, no different from new clothes, but recycling plants generally do not accept them due to issues with style and sales channels. The most profitable tail goods are mainly online hit items, such as underwear, children's clothing, and home wear. Some practitioners have already moved tail goods through livestream selling, and many provinces and cities also have tail goods markets that buy by the piece.

Boutique: 70-80% New Autumn and Winter Clothing
Boutique usually refers to second-hand clothes around 70-80% new, mainly autumn and winter clothing, including sweaters, suits, denim jackets, woolen coats, leather jackets, dresses, and more, with dedicated buyers purchasing by the piece.

For second-hand clothing recycling practitioners, the key is to match different types of second-hand clothes to the most suitable sales channels, rather than focusing only on recycling plants.

Source: Where is the most profitable place to sell second-hand clothes? What profitable channels are there for second-hand clothing recycling? · Originally published on 2023-02-04