Second Hand Items Take Centre Stage In Nigerian Markets

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The recession has really been hitting hard on the Nigerians as residents of major cities have moved to patronise second hand materials popularly known as “bend down and select”  or “tokunbo” for survival.

The shopping for second hand materials in various markets visited ranged from clothes, shoes, hand bags, lipsticks to  others items and were in high demand by customers, compared to the new ones sold at the same markets.
Apart from clothing materials, shoppers also went for items such as second hand cooking pots, spoons, cups, phones, electrical appliances usually imported from abroad and were sold to users at affordable prices.

P.M.EXPRESS findings revealed that most residents preferred to go for second hand materials rather than new ones not minding that new ones had more value, but they had to cut expenses.

Some of the patrons who spoke to our correspondent expressed their satisfaction for their choice of second hand items because they said were affordable.
Some of the patrons cut across the segments of the society; students, married and single women and men.
One of the patrons, Mrs Ify Ozor said that she has been patronising the traders dealing on second hand items for her various needs for a long period.

She explained “not only that they were affordable, but last longer than the Nigerian made because of their quality.”

She said the new items were on the high side and she could not afford to buy them because her family had other responsibilities to meet.

A student simply known as Biodun said that whenever she wanted to go back to school, she will go to the market and select clothes, hand bags, shoes and others and wash them and keep them clean before going back to school.
She explained that when she wore any of them, nobody will recognise they were second hand items whereas she will use the remaining balance to cater for her other needs.

Another patron, Mr David Okeke said that since he discovered that second hand items last longer than the new ones, he had since adopted buying them.
He said his TV, radio, fridge, clothes and other house utensils were all second hand items and insisted that they served better than new ones.

P.M.EXPRESS tried to find out the reason for the high demand for second hand items, and discovered that patrons would have loved to buy the new ones in most cases but the cost of buying them were high and so they settled for the second hand ones.

On Nigerian made items, it was discovered that the patrons preferred second hand because the Nigerian made of the same materials do not last because of their low quality compared to the foreign ones of second hand value.

Some of the market visited were the popular Lagos Island, Yaba, Oshodi, Agege, Ikotun and Onitsha in Anambra State. Also visited were some markets in Abuja- the Federal Capital city, Owerri in Imo State, Aba and Port Harcourt in Abia and Rivers States respectively.