First Ukay Ukay experience.

[JJReyes]

Merchandise sources for UKAY-UKAY:

Americans donate old clothes to charitable organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army.  The best pieces are sold in their stores.  The remainder are purchased in bulk by dealers for eventual resale in Central and South America or places like Sri Lanka and the Philippines.  We are talking containerloads.  Laws banning such items are easy to bypass.  Let's just say the cargo label is different.  We know Filipinos who regularly visit Goodwill and Salvation stores located near ritzy neighborhoods looking for branded merchandise discarded by the affluent.  Of particular interest are heavy coats and winter clothes which are shipped in balikbayan boxes and sold in the Philippines at a premium price.  Purchasers are medical personnel being deployed overseas to cold climate regions and OFWs.

Rejected newly manufactured clothes because of minor defects or quality control issues.  At one time, my wife and I were passive investors in a Cubao store called, "Broken Label."  The jeans sold were supplied by local manufacturers.  To protect the brand names, the inner label was cut in half.  There was a French term for this from their garment industry which I have forgotten.

Merchandise from bankruptcies either manufacturers, distributors or stores.  There is also lots of unlicensed brand name merchandise manufactured in Asia.  Garment manufacturing use to be places like Taiwan, Philippines and China.  Now, for cheaper labor issues, the manufacturing is in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar. 

Name of the game is buy them cheap, sell them fast, often below manufacturer's cost.  

[Shady]

12 hours ago, Heeb said:

 wife bought over 100 items all for 29 each, mostly for relatives.

This is why I found a wife with one relative

[JJReyes]

27 minutes ago, Shady said:

This is why I found a wife with one relative

Bravo.  Most unusual in the Philippines.  Are you sure about the full disclosure?  When rumors spread I was now a rich Americano, relatives whom I didn't know I had, wanted to see me to ask for money or propose a new business scheme.

[Mike J]

My wife likes to shop the ukay ukay.  My nose starts to burn from the chemical smell any time I get close to a ukay ukay stand.  Any clothing brought home is washed twice before it comes into the house.  She has found me a couple pair of nice shorts (one from Nordstrom's).

[Nickleback99]

On 4/2/2021 at 5:23 AM, Guy F. said:

Shirts for P29?! Lucky you. At ukay ukay shops in Tagbilaran Bohol tee shirts are P100. At least there is no shortage of size Large.

Their stock seems to be from the US, judging by printing on the shirts. I got a really good one last trip that any hipster would be proud to wear. "The US Border Patrol is hiring now" along with their web address.

 

Awesome!  An Anti-Woke shirt!   

[Mike J]

4 hours ago, Nickleback99 said:

Awesome!  An Anti-Woke shirt!   

You need one of these bad boys to really shake up the Wokesters.

[Guy F.]

That should be "Nuke the gay whales."