Used Clothing in South Africa | The Observatory of Economic Complexity (2024)

FAQs

Does South Africa import second-hand clothes? ›

Imports In 2022, South Africa imported $11.2M in Used Clothing, becoming the 84th largest importer of Used Clothing in the world. At the same year, Used Clothing was the 629th most imported product in South Africa.

Exporters and Importers

In 2022, the top importers of Used clothes & textile articles were United States ($20B), Germany ($6.16B), Japan ($4.7B), France ($3.62B), and United Kingdom ($3.14B).

About. Exports In 2022, United States exported $1.01B in Used Clothing, making it the 1st largest exporter of Used Clothing in the world. At the same year, Used Clothing was the 254th most exported product in United States.

China. To obtain good and stable raw materials, China is the best as far as several large countries are concerned. Many secondhand clothing bale manufacturers & supplier consist the market there. China's textile industry is the largest in the world in terms of overall production and exports.

These items notoriously end up in landfills or worse – in the sea. “Most people abroad go to bed thinking they have done something good for Africans by discarding their unwanted clothing but the truth is it is actually harming our economy.

Most of these clothing are manufactured in Asia and then sold to Western countries, where they are worn a few times and then discarded. The textile collection services pick them up; they are sorted into bales (or otherwise known as bundles) ready to be shipped to the developing African countries as donations.

Measured in value, about 73.5% of US apparel imports came from Asia in 2022, up from 72.8% in 2021. Likewise, the CR5 index, measuring the total market shares of the top five suppliers—all Asia-based, i.e., China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and India, went up from 60.6% in 2021 to 61.1% in 2022.

China is particularly dominant – the quantity of garments sold there is more than the other nine countries in the list combined. On average a US consumer purchases one mid-priced item of clothing per week.

What are second-hand clothes called? ›

hand-me-down. handed-down. not new. old. pre-owned.

China leads as the largest textile exporter, followed by the European Union, India, and Bangladesh.

In 2015, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda pushed for a ban on secondhand clothes through the East African Community, a trade bloc.

Clothing and footwear are most expensive in Iceland, Switzerland and Sweden while being cheapest in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.

The buying and selling of secondhand clothing to lower income consumers is one of the most profitable small businesses with low startup costs and high margins with quick turnaround providing you can get a steady supply of quality but cheap used clothing and can find an appropriate place to sell it.

In 2015, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda pushed for a ban on secondhand clothes through the East African Community, a trade bloc.

The global trade in used clothing is primarily sourced from charitable organizations in wealthy countries, like Oxfam, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill. Although some donations are distributed directly to populations in crisis, most are sold, with the proceeds used to support other charitable operations.

Here are some commonly imported items and their duty rates:

Apparel: 40% Jewelry: 45% Yarns: 15%