Rubiah Unih, affectionately called Iera, is one of the many bundle traders in Kota Marudu, Sabah.

(Source: Berita DIMENSi / Florina Deris)

Rubiah Unih, 27, a bundle trader in Kota Marudu, said the bundle clothes they sell are from Taiwan and Korea. When asked about the mindsets of some people who look down on bundle clothes, she mentioned that they do not mind any criticism or comments as bundle traders.

This is because those who are really interested in buying clothes from bundles are already aware of the quality and privilege that is only available on bundle clothing and not on branded clothing.

Bundle clothes of good quality are graded according to A and B by Iera to allow customers to make choices when purchasing.

(Source: Berita DIMENSi / Florina Deris)

"If there are ten customers, five of them are already aware of the quality of the bundle. Therefore, they will not continue to give negative comments or reckless criticism like others. I suggest people look at the quality of the items first before criticising.

“If they already know the quality, I can guarantee that they would love to dive into bundled clothing more often than the clothes in-store,” said Iera.

Although bundle clothes consist of secondhand items, most of them are of good quality compared to the ones in the store.

Meanwhile, Rachel Farley, 31, who is also selling preloved items, has used social media like Instagram and Facebook live to promote items to the customers since she does not own a store.

Before this, she started to sell her old clothes or just give them away to those who wanted to have them without charging any penny.

She got the idea to sell preloved items because she knew items like fabrics and leathers need a very long term to face the degradation process.

“I would mix and match the clothes then capture it before posting on my story. With this, it helps me to sell the preloved items sooner than expected.

“This is what we call market strategy. We attract buyers and give ideas on how they can style it according to the latest fashion trend, even if the items might not be branded,” she said during an interview with Berita DIMENSi.

On the other hand, Mohd Syamim Izzat bin Dzul Ismie, 23, the owner of Maxmym Bundle started off his bundle business right after Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with only RM1000 in the capital at his own house and claims the bundle industry is now worth millions of ringgit.

Syamim Izzat poses with his shipment of bundle clothes outside his thrift store.

(Source: Berita DIMENSi / Puteri Hazlyn)

“I used what money I had on Internet prepaid so I could surf on social media to study how some bundle businesses operated and advertised themselves.

“I used the rest of my money to buy used clothing from other bundle shops and sell a few pieces on Instagram,” said Syamim.

He said the business has grown to the point where he was able to launch his own bundle shop named Maxmym Bundle in Kajang approximately four years ago.

Customers who dropped by to support Maxmym Bundle Shop.

(Source: Instagram / Syamim Izzat)

“Actually, I didn't foresee them selling out in under a week. It actually helped me boost my confidence and spirit to grow higher in this industry,” Syamim added.

Although the bundle items are rejected or second-hand clothes, Syamim claims they are priced differently based on the brands and quality.

He also mentioned that he used to make RM5,000 a month selling bundle clothes on the Internet, and it's a gratifying achievement for him because he didn't spend a lot of money when he first started this business.

Every month, Maxmym Bundle imports more than 300 bundles of clothing and other items from abroad, including Korea, Japan and the United States which are then distributed to various places and agents for sale.

More than 300 bundles of clothing were imported every month due to high demand.

(Source: Instagram / maxmym_thrift)

While digging through preloved clothing and accessories to discover that one coveted piece may be a dirty business, you never know how lucrative it might be.

Running a company has proved to be more profitable than we could have imagined for Syamim, who is just 22 years old this year.

Despite the fact that the nation is currently dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, his passion for this industry has never dimmed. In fact, whereas many others in the industry have given up, he is more eager to succeed.

Zaidatul able to form different types of outfits from a few pieces of thrifted clothing.

(Source: Instagram / Zaidatul Aizan )

A thrifting connoisseur, Zaidatul Aizan Mohd Hafiz, 21, admitted that as a student, she prefers thrifting because when compared to other retail competitors, most thrift stores offer extremely inexpensive pricing.

“There is no better feeling than finding a fantastic secondhand gem for a fraction of its original price. You might be surprised how secondhand items are frequently of higher quality than new ones despite their lower cost.

“It can be seen that many sellers have opted out for online e-commerce, same goes to thrifting. I found most of my beloved thrifted items from one of Shopee’s features, which is through live streaming alone,” said Zaidatul.

The same thing was also done by a fan of used clothes, namely Nasrul Afzal Jamil, 23. He admits that most of his clothes are bought from thrift stores.

He who likes fashion only spends less than RM100, but the clothes he gets look new as if they were bought from a boutique.

Nasrul Afzal with varying styles of clothing which he purchased at a thrift store proving to the public that looking fashionable should not cost an arm and leg.

(Source: Instagram / aff1yy)

Nasrul also said that fashion is not about the expensiveness of a garment. Still, it is more about how the individual styles a garment and the selection of suitable clothes and accessories even if they use used clothes.

“To me, no matter new clothes or used clothes, the most important thing is our confidence and ingenuity in styling an outfit. I am a fan of used clothes because the price is lower, but the outfit will look expensive and fresh when styled.

“Sometimes used clothes are more to my taste because most of the clothes come from various countries and when I mix and match, the result of the outfit will be more stunning and the vibes are totally different,” said Nasrul.

Picture of Nasrul Afzal choosing clothes he wants to buy at a thrift store.

(Source: Berita DIMENSi / Haikal Ramli )

The young stylo man also stated that not all used items are good quality, and not all are in bad condition. We need to choose wisely and be willing to spend time diving to get quality and beautiful clothes.

“Thrift stores are not like boutiques where everything is available hung and ironed, some are piled up, and some are still in sacks. So, we have to diligently find and endure mentally and physically because there is some dust and some dirty clothes.

“Imagine if I got a leather jacket for only RM10, why do I have to buy a new jacket that is more or less the same that costs almost hundreds of ringgit? In this thrift world, quantity and quality must go hand in hand,” said Nasrul.

We should be wise to spend with the current economic situation, especially when buying clothes. If there is a place that sells quality clothes at a low price, why should we buy in an expensive place? To be sure, it’s all up to you.

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