by Tahir Ali

Chinese shoes are displayed at Weekly Bazaar Islamabad. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Dec.23 (Gwadar Pro) - The not-so-poor have become poor and the poor are barely at subsistence level. For the laborers and other disadvantaged segments of society, Chinese products are quickly dominating 'Landa' (second-hand) bazaars in Pakistan.

For decades ‘Landa Bazaars’, also known as ‘Kabari Bazaars’, have attracted low-income persons because of the affordable prices in these markets. Landa bazaars usually sell second-hand shoes, sweaters, jackets, socks, hoodies, warm gloves, pajamas, caps, socks, blankets and even used undergarments.

Islamabad's Weekly Bazaar is home to hundreds of stalls selling 'Kabari' second-hand products including clothes, shoes and bags. Hasan Khan, a vendor, started the business of used shoes in 2010 in the Weekly Bazaar Islamabad. According to him, around 210 stalls are selling new and second-hand shoes. "Initially, the majority of the shopkeepers were selling second-hand shoes, however, with the passage of time, the shopkeepers switched to Chinese shoes instead," he told Gwadar Pro. He said that as compared with the second-hand products, the prices of Chinese items are low and affordable for the poor. "Who will buy higher-priced second-hand shoes when Chinese new footwear are available at cheaper prices in the bazaar?" Hasan Khan said.

Hasan Khan selling shoes at Islamabad’s Weekly Bazaar for the past 10 years. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

"You cannot buy a pair of clean and undamaged used shoes for less than Rs 2,000 while the price of new Chinese shoes for adults starts from Rs 500," according to him. As used shoes are losing their customers, Hasan Khan said that the vendors are compelled to sell both second-hand and new Chinese shoes. "I earn more money selling a pair of Chinese shoes than by selling three pairs of second-hand shoes," Hasan Khan told Gwadar Pro.

Mudabbir Hussain is a regular visitor of the second-hand market in Bazaar. "For the past two to three years, I am buying Chinese shoes instead of second-hand because here I find new shoes of different shapes, sizes and styles," he told Gwadar Pro.

A stall of Chinese sports shoes in Islamabad’s Weekly Bazaar. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

Samina Sultan, a customer at Weekly Bazaar, said that her children would unwillingly wear second-hand shoes and clothes. According to her, even if she would find a neat and clean piece in Landa Bazaar, it would be a tough task for her to convince her children to wear it. Talking to Gwadar Pro, she said, "After wearing second-hand garments, the children feel a sense of deprivation when they see their class fellows in new clothes. Thanks to Chinese products, now, I can buy new shoes and clothes for my children and they are happy," she said.

School-bags are also one of the items most in demand in the Sunday Bazaar. With the start of the new school semester, parents from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi visit second-hand markets to purchase school-bags for their children. Second-hand shops sell imported bags. However, these days one cannot find a second-hand in usable condition for less than Rs.1000, so the parents opt for China-made bags. "For parents, the first choice is China-manufactured bags, they are not only affordable but also beautiful and stylish," Saeed Khan, who bought a bag for his daughter in Sunday Bazaar, told Gwadar Pro.