Are Used Illegal Imported Clothing Illegal? What Are The Negative Effects?

Illustration of imported used clothes (Cottonbro/Pexels)

YOGYAKARTA The used-import clothing business has mushroomed in Indonesia. This business reaps the pros and cons because it is considered detrimental to the state but benefits the community because it is considered to meet market needs. The question then is whether the used use of illegal imports in Indonesia is?

As is known, used imported clothes are convection products in the form of clothes imported from abroad to Indonesia but not new. The forms of these imported clothing can vary from pants, shirts, t-shirts, vests, hats, to jackets.

It is said that it is not new because the clothes imported are the rest of the sale of the garment factory, the stock of department stores that are stored in warehouses for a long time, to suitable clothes that are collected in various ways.

These used clothes are usually imported from various countries such as America, China, Korea, England, Japan, and so on. Clothing that enters Indonesia is calculated per bale. Please note, used bale is a collection of used clothing products wrapped in the form of bale sacks. Usually it weighs about 100 kilograms (kg).

In Indonesia, imported clothing has become a popular lifestyle and is loved by young people. This trend is called Thrifting, which is the buying and selling of used goods to be reused. Thrifting is widely popular because the buyers' clothing needs are sufficient. In addition, Thrifting allows users to get branded clothes at affordable prices.

Although widely liked in Indonesia, the used-import or thrifting clothing business is illegal. Quoted from the official Customs and Excise website, the prohibition of imports of used clothing is regulated in the regulation of the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia Number 48/M-DAG/PER/2015 concerning General Provisions in the Import and Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 51/M-DAG/PER/7/2015 concerning the Prohibition of Imports of Used Clothes. Article 2 states that imported goods must be in a new state.

The reason for importing used goods is prohibited from being explained in Law Number 7 of 2014 concerning Trade. In the Trade Law Article 50 paragraph (2) it is explained that there are three reasons for prohibition, namely as follows.

One of the health problems that came with used clothes was the discovery of whenang mold which has the potential to cause health problems in the wearer such as itching, allergic reactions to the skin, irritation, and infections that can be attached to the body.

In addition, imports of used clothing also make domestic products experience a decline in sales which then has an impact on other economic problems such as turning off MSMEs, reducing workers and workers from garment, to reducing employment opportunities.

In addition, it must also be noted that not all goods can be imported to Indonesia. There are a number of provisions for goods that are prohibited from being imported from abroad, referring to the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2021. Goods prohibited from being imported from abroad are as follows.

That's an explanation regarding the question of whether used imported clothes are illegal. Visit VOI.ID to get other interesting information.