Complete Guide: How to Start Okrika Business in Nigeria

Okrika’s business, which includes trading “used clothes” or “Tokumbo Cloth,” is a business anybody can do with a reasonable amount of certainty for profit and a low risk of business failure. You can start with a small capital of as low as ₦50,000 and grow your business over time. Any town and city can be used, including rural areas, to trade in okriika business.

The population of the town is relatively large. Nigerians, including the rich and not-so-wealthy, wear used clothes to varying degrees. Some low-income earners wear it as a matter of course; others wear it because they have spotted designer and fashionable wares. Okrika clothes, bags, and shoes are trendy among Nigerians, making the Okrika business very lucrative.

Steps to start Okrika business

Anyone can follow these steps to start Okrika Business

Learn the trade

Since nobody can be successful in any business venture without first mastering the tricks of the trade, the first thing to do is learn the used clothes unwritten laws. You can do that by;

1. Partner with someone who is in the Okrika business already. It is not enough to ask a few questions about the trade and dabble in it only to begin to lose money from the outset.
2. You will learn about the significant markets for used clothes, i.e., where you buy all grades of Okrika since not all markets will favor you. The popular markets include:

I. Okrika market – this is located in River state

II. Okrika market – this is located in River state

III. Tejeosho market – this is located in Yaba, Logos state

IV. Aswani market is a weekly market(Tuesday only) located at Isolo, Lagos.

• Grading of used clothes: To sell Okrika clothes, you must understand how used clothes are graded, i.e., what you consider when grading. For example, the country from where the Okrika was imported, how fashionable the clothes are, and the clothe’s newness and quality, i.e., the condition of the clothes.
• How to market your wares; You must learn how to price your Okrika clothes, and the price you attach to each of the wares will depend on the grade of the clothing. So you price your clothes on how new they are, how fashionable they are, and the general condition of the fabric at the time of sale.
• Know what is contained in a bale of Okrika and the type of potential market for the clothes. The bale of Okrika from the United Kingdom is the most popular and expensive, followed by bales of Okrika from the USA, and ends up with bales from China, which is the cheapest. There are also cheap okrika bales in Cotonou. The content of a bale includes the following:

I. Chiffon – this usually gowns and tops for women

II. Leggings for women

III. Jeans and chinos trousers for men

IV. Up and down mixed for children

V. Suits for men and women

VI. Complete wares for babies

Capital

The capital with which you want to trade determines the level at which you will start.

• At the basic level, you need about ten thousand (₦10,000.00) or below. You can begin by going for clearance sales. Clearance sales mean that you buy leftovers – these are low grade materials and cheap, so you sell at low prices and make a profit.
• At the intermediate level, you can select and pay, i.e. you choose from available materials and settle the seller. This now becomes the clothes you can sell in your location.
• At the advanced level, you can buy bales (sealed sacks of used clothes) and sell them either in bales or open the bales and retail the contents.

Find a location

With location, you have three main options:

• Roadside – here, you pay the “Area Boys” and use the space allocated to you
• Open market – here, you pay the daily market fee collectors and use the space allocated.
• Lock up shops can be in a market, shopping mall, or street. The rent for lock-up shops is relatively high, so unless you have so much money, you will find out that after paying the rent for a lock-up shop. You will need more funds to start your business. This is what you can call Okrika Boutique. Most of the prominent boutiques in cities across Nigeria trade Okrika products.

Marketing and Sales

• To be successful in the Okrika business, you must make your wares attractive to passersby and others who care to buy the clothes. So, you wash the clothes (with toilet soaps such as Lux, Joy, premier, imperial leather, etc.) to remove the stinking odor associated with Okrika. Please put them in first class grades, particularly reasonably new ones. It also aims to make clothes clean and attract potential buyers when displayed in a shop. However, those who sell in open markets or roadside do not have to wash their wares because they do not show the clothes either by hanging or using dummies.
• Sort out the clothes by grading them. Grades of used clothes are as follows:

I. Grade A: This is a reasonably new material; either it has been worn before or not has been worn before and has yet to have any defect.

II. Grade B: This has a small or minor dent-like stain.

III. Grade C: This has a significant dent, either torn in a vital part, relatively old or has been amended.

IV. Mixed grade: This has little phases A, B, and C

• How to promote the used clothes: You can promote your Okrika business in the following way:

I. Word of mouth – you can tell your friends and invite them to your place of business to select and pay.

II. Social media You can use FaceBook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to sell the wares and invite your friends to like your page. You can also advertise the clothes on social media. You can form a group and advertise your products to them.

III. You can create a forum and advertise your products on websites like Nairaland, jiji.com, olx.com.ng, and ady. ng.

IV. You can hawk your products by carrying them about and to offices, schools, and places where there is a large gathering of people.

V. You can take pictures of the finest clothes and shoes and send them to your friends on your constant list.

Where to Start Okrika Business

Some people select for personal use, others for reselling in their shops, schools, or any place of interest. Many display their wares online using stores such as Jumia, Olx, Jiji, etc.

Akube business can be carried about, meaning it is a mobile or movable market. That is why so many people in the industry carry them from one village market to another or from one market day to another. They also have them in offices, schools, churches, etc.

Why you should start Okrika Business

Today the Okrika business is booming, not only because of the continued recession in the country but because of the popularity of being durable and retaining its original condition for a long time. The reasons why Okrika business is one of the easiest and most profitable business people do today are as follows:

• The population of Nigeria is still growing, and many people – young and old, rich and not so wealthy wear used clothes, so the demand remains high.
• It is relatively cheap – most of the Nigerian population is low-income and prefers to buy more affordable okrika wares.
• Ready market – the availability of a call in every part of the country for cheaper and affordable used clothes makes trading in it profitable. Even though the market appears complete, the demand for this body and footwear continues to surge.
• Affordability – the majority of people can afford the clothes because the clothes are graded according to newness, quality, fashion, and style
• Everything must go syndrome – there is no unsold stock in okrika business as everything must go. It means that all supplies must be sold. The market for all grades of Okrika is the Aswani market, where there is always an opportunity for any unsold stock to be sold through “clearance sales.”
• The popularity of Okrika clothes – people believe, me too, that used clothes are more durable and retains their original texture and color for a long time, unlike their counterpart, new fabrics.
• Location – you do not need to rent an expensive shop to succeed; you can rent space on the roadside, open market, and move about to schools, offices, and places where many people gather – churches, conference centers, etc.
• Choices – there are always a variety of grades people can choose from, such as A grade, B grade, and C grade.
• There is a relatively high return on capital. A business of this nature is lucrative if you learn and play by the rules of the trade. This means buying suitable quality materials and selling at reasonable prices, making a profit by “turning over.”
• Capital is relatively low – The money required to start an Okrika business is low since you do not need to pay for a shop; you can even hawk the products.

Conclusion

Okrika business is a relatively easy business to start by anyone since it does not require a large amount of capital. Usually, no registration of a business name or incorporation is strictly required. No compliance with any regulatory body so far. You buy your products in Nigeria.

That is because the importation of second-hand clothes is disallowed into Nigeria. If you have a lock-up shop, you most likely pay tax and other levies imposed by the state and local government authorities. This is one of the best business ideas in Nigeria for small-scale capital.