Originally Posted by
Cheetah_SA
I just happen to know of one: I was recently in Arusha, Tanzania, and was quite taken aback by the mountains of used shoes on sale in the local market. My guide said that this was quite standard and that in the lead-up to Xmas many people would be buying shoes at these stalls.
So it seems that there is a ready market for used shoes and they would be an easy item to fence. Can't imagine there's much margin in it though.
This has become a big problem in Africa, and rather ironically started with the best of intentions. Shiploads of used clothing is going from Europe and US to Africa. Much of it is clothing donated to charities, and then discarded or wholesaled (as unsaleable in the local markets). This used clothing is very cheap (originally free!) and is competing with new clothing manufactured in Africa for local use. To the extent that the garment industry has now been devastated in some African countries, putting thousands of poor African workers out of work. So what started as charity has led to loss of work and poverty for thousands of the people it was trying to help (and the enrichment of a few dozen people running this scheme). Most of the clothing and shoes you see is not stolen (but some is).