Higher sales of used furniture and clothes [Archives:2003/682/Business & Economy]

Proportion of sales at the markets of used goods in the capital Sana’a has risen during the first week of Ramadhan because of cheapness of prices of the goods they exhibit, especially the variety of clothes and imported used furniture that are resold in Yemeni markets. This causes a drop in sales proportion of trading centres specialized in high life fashions and expensive latest designs of furniture.
The phenomenon of importing and trading with used clothes and furniture has increased in the Yemeni markets especially recently because of people’s good demand for buying them. As dealers and importers of this merchandise are aware that the citizens do not care about these goods latest models regarding high quality furniture and household appliances because of the low level of their income the markets of used goods are full of what can be sold easily and gaining major profits.
Yemeni such markets are flooded with used clothes, curtains, beddings, kitchen and electric appliances, carpets, bags and leather shoes. The buyers find in these an opportunity to buy what they need for the youth, elderly people and children and the house mainly due to the pressure of low income and rise in living costs because of the increase of spending volume on house rents and number of family members at an average of 5-8 members in a family.
In Ramadhan many families prefer shopping at such markets their needs of clothes and furniture and this contributes to the increase in selling at these markets and causes a retreat in sales of trading centres. Owners of business shops at used goods markets say that what helps them to gain clients buying used clothes is that the Yemenis have not a unified fashion but wear a cocktail of clothes and cloth and women put on various fashions of dresses and shawls.
Even foreigners from Arab and western countries living in Sana’a prefer to buy at these markets imported clothes despite of their high levels of income because they are close to their taste and to benefit from the difference in Yemeni currency exchange price.
Some warnings against health risks of buying imported clothes have been spread but Yemeni families do not show a heed of them because they care for getting the needs of their children at low prices.
Nevertheless the trading centres and markets that sell the best and latest high quality fashions and furniture, carpets and electric equipment and appliances remain the target of shopping by well-to-do families and those of medium incomes but by a rate not comparable with good demand at the used goods markets.
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