Buy graded bales of second-hand clothes from wholesalers, sort, wash and price them, and sell from home, a stall, a WhatsApp group or Facebook.
- Who it suits
People with some savings to risk, space to sort clothes and a good sense of what sells in their area.
- Who pays
Families and young people looking for good clothes at low prices.
- What they get
Affordable clothing close to home.
- Is there demand?
Wholesalers sell 45 kg bales; we found listings from about R1,250 for a grade A bale in Johannesburg to R3,500 to R6,000 from other suppliers. Bale quality varies a lot, and we found no reliable data on how many items in a bale are sellable.
- Real examples
- Selling from home on weekends
- A stall at a market or rank
- WhatsApp status and groups
- Facebook Marketplace
- Yaga for better items
A good sign: you earn back the cost of the bale within a month.