Flea markets jump in popularity

By Hernawan W

SEMARANG (JP): Amidst the ongoing economic crisis, vendors of secondhand items, selling their wares at Klithik markets, the Javanese term for flea markets, in several areas of the Semarang municipality have survived and their numbers have increased. These flea markets are usually crowded on holidays and Sundays.

"Our only purpose is to survive," said one of the vendors at Jl. Kokrosono, Tukinem 49. In Semarang, the flea markets are located on Jl. Kokrosono, Jl. Pattimura, Jl. Barito and Jl. Petorangan.

While before there were fewer than 20 secondhand vendors, now there are scores of them.

"Previously there were only 15 vendors but in the past year the number has grown bigger. Some of them have even put up semipermanent stalls which provide shelter against the sun and the rain," said Tukinem, a secondhand clothes seller who has been doing this job for 26 years.

The "new" secondhand vendors sell mostly motorized vehicles, television sets, electric irons, radio sets, tape recorders, clothes, footwear and so forth, while the "old" ones stick to such items as secondhand clothes, used glasses, plates, pots and other household appliances.

"I have been laid off and have not been able to find a new job yet. So I have used my severance pay to buy used goods and then sell them here," said Edi Suparno, 45, who added that he was formerly a security guard at a company in Tanah Mas, Semarang.

The presence of these "new" vendors, usually laid-off workers, does not arouse envy from the old vendors because they share a common lot. They have to earn a living and therefore they do not consider other vendors their competitors. Instead, a common fate has united them.

How do they find the secondhand items? They do not have to go to many places in search of them as these items usually come by themselves. There are always people who want to sell goods that they no longer use. The vendors are not concerned whether the goods offered to them are legal or not. What is most important to them is that they acquire them legally.

"I do not know whether these goods are stolen or not. What is important to me is that someone has brought them here and I have paid for them. I have not committed a sin because I have paid for them and this is not forbidden according to commercial law," said Edy, who has been selling used goods for a year.

Usually these vendors buy used items at a low price. An electric iron, for example, costs them between Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000. After they clean or repair it, in case there are some broken parts, it can be sold for Rp. 17,500.

And a 14-inch black and white television set purchased at Rp 100,000 can be sold at Rp 225,000. As for used clothes, such as shirts and trousers, they are usually sold at Rp 3,000 apiece while plates, pots and other household appliances are sold at Rp 1,5000 each. Glasses are sold at Rp 5,000, shoes at Rp 10,000 to Rp 15,000, used paintbrushes at Rp 1,000 and used helmets at Rp 2,000.

These prices are not fixed because you can bargain until you get the lowest price possible. A plate or pot offered at Rp 1,500 can be had for Rp 750, for example. The key is you must be good at haggling.

"We must be smart when haggling for lower prices as otherwise we would pay more than we should because the vendors like to sell their items at higher prices," said Nurhadi, 30, a resident of Semarang who has just bought an electric iron for Rp 10,000.

Selling just secondhand goods, these vendors can survive and even send their children to secondary schools.

"Let the parents do this kind of job as long as the children can go to school. I cannot bequeath money to them; I can give them education," said Edy, who sells his used goods on Jl. Kokrosono.

He admitted that during busy days he can take home about Rp 100,000 a day but sluggish days leave him with only Rp 50,000 a day.

"I do not have to work extra hard to earn a living. I only have to earn money for my child who is still a second grader in an elementary school. My two other children have graduated from secondary school and are now looking for jobs," he said.

If a vendor has a large variety of used goods to sell, he can make a net income of Rp 200,000 a day. Someone selling clothes and household appliances such as plates, pots or spoons makes about Rp 40,000 a day. Pariyem, 40, who sells used clothes on Jl. Pattimura, can now send her child to an elementary school in Semarang.

"Considering my present job, I don't think I can afford to send my child to a higher level. What is important to me is that the child is not illiterate," she said.

Used goods are now gaining greater popularity and potential buyers are greater in number because of the ongoing monetary crisis. Many people prefer to go to flea markets than to shops because if they happen to be lucky they can get excellent quality goods at very low prices.

"The goods sold here are not all bad. We must be smart enough to choose the good ones. In this time of crisis, I prefer to buy goods at this flea market," said Sutanto, 35, who was looking for the right spare parts for his vehicle.