Singapore: Big throw-out of high-priced, nearly new consumer items

Karung guni men get 'almost new', pricey goods
Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 3 Feb 08;

Boom time for second-hand dealers as people 'upgrade'

A SEVEN-MONTH-OLD flatscreen TV, price - $550. Louis Vuitton monogram handbag, price - $400.

These are just some of the deals available at second-hand shops, all because Singaporeans are furiously 'upgrading'.

With bigger bonuses and a booming economy, people are tossing out belongings - many expensive or just months old - to get better ones. And karung guni dealers have been quick to spot this trend and cash in on it.

It was how second-hand dealer Kok Khen Wei landed a seven-month-old 32-inch Sony Bravia LCD television set for just $300 two months ago. Its owner had paid $1,900 for it. Mr Kok re-sold it for $550.

That set was just one of 70 LCD and plasma TVs he picked up for his store, Barangguru, in December. 'In the past, people would change their TV sets after four or five years. Now, we are getting television sets that are less than a year old,' he said.

Since December, Barangguru's collection has gone up by about 40 per cent. Its 8,000 sq ft Eunos warehouse is so crammed with refrigerators, hi-fi systems and washing machines that Mr Kok had to rent a 2,000 sq ft warehouse in Toa Payoh to store the spillover.

Others in the trade have also noticed these quality cast-offs.

Karung guni man Michael Satha visited 20 homes in December - double his usual workload - to pick up TV sets, hi-fi systems and desktop computers.

Most sellers of household items want to 'upgrade'.

So, too, owners of designer bags who are clearing out the old to make way for more current fashions.

Mr Henry Poh, owner of Cavallino, a second-hand luxury bag shop in Tanglin Shopping Centre, said about 250 designer bags were sold to him in December, triple what he usually gets.

'We used to get bags that were a few years old but now, people are selling their new bags to make space in their wardrobe,' he said.

Ms May Fong, the owner of Madam Milan, another second-hand luxury bag shop in Raffles Place MRT station, said people here are able to 'pamper themselves' because of the big bonuses they have received.

Describing most of the sofa sets he helps to remove from flats, Mr Abdul Rahman, a conservancy supervisor at East Coast Town Council, said: 'Some have only small tears or their colours have faded.'

He added: 'When we carry them down, passers-by even approach us to ask if they can have them.'

At Cavallino, Mr Poh said at least 20 Louis Vuitton bags in auspicious colours like red and yellow have been sold since Christmas. They cost about $1,900 each but second-hand buyers can get them for about $1,200.

Low- to middle-income families are also snapping up used television sets and home theatre systems at Barangguru. More than 10 were sold last month.

Said Mr Kok: 'They don't mind it because nobody can tell it's second-hand.'

Charity puts cast-offs to good use
Straits Times 3 Feb 08;

THE Salvation Army is also benefiting from the massive throw-out.

Since December, the charity has been getting 10 tonnes of donations daily - a 30 per cent jump from its average collection.

Its seven collection bins islandwide have been so overwhelmed that they have to be cleared three to five times a day.

Among the most commonly donated items are clothes, toys and electrical appliances. The donations will be distributed to the charity's thrift stores, needy families and also stored up for emergencies.

Mr James Tian, general manager of Red Shield Industries, which runs the Salvation Army's thrift stores, said they have hired more relief staff and added extra work shifts to sort and process the donations.

While about 20 per cent of the donated items were new, another

10 per cent had to be thrown away because they were unusable.

They included broken furniture and electrical appliances. In the past, the charity had received broken vases and television sets, and even tattered couches stained with pet faeces.

Said Mr Tian: 'For those who inadvertently dispose their waste, thinking they are doing us a favour, we hope that they will visit our thrift store to see what useful things Singaporeans would still buy and use.'