Recently, the imported used clothing business or thrifting as it is cool is being highlighted. The government considers the thrifting business to be very detrimental to local businesses in the textile industry. The Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs said the thrifting business had many negative impacts in the country. Apart from causing harm to MSME players who make local products, the presence of imported used textile products also has a negative impact on the environment and up to national income. "The thrifting of imported used clothes poses a serious environmental problem because many of the imported used clothes end up in landfills (TPA)," said Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Hanung Harimba, Monday (13/3/2023) .

These used clothes are contraband, aka illegal goods. These used clothes do not pay duties and excise to the detriment of the state.

The government has actually banned the import of used clothes for a long time. This prohibition is contained in the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 51 of 2015 concerning the Prohibition of the Import of Used Clothing and the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 40 of 2022 concerning Amendments to the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 18 of 2021 concerning Export Prohibited Goods and Import Prohibited Goods.

However, the business of imported used clothes is still thriving. One of the reasons thrift clothes are still rampant is because one can get branded clothes in good condition and at low prices. For some people, thrifting is not just buying used clothes. Many of these clothes are clothes that have memories and history. For example, vintage clothing or limited-made items whose existence in the world can be counted on the fingers.

However, the rampant sales of thrifting clothes are now more often defined as 'cheap stuff'. Although, actually for certain brands, the price is not very cheap.

The high demand for used clothes has made many naughty importers desperate to bring clothes from abroad. Used clothes are tucked in among the official goods imported into Indonesia. Unable to enter the official channel, these bales enter through the rat route, be it through ports or land routes.

Customs has so far confiscated more than 7,000 bales of imported used clothes since 2022 to date. That's what was found out. What passes the inspection can be more than that.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) records that imports of used clothing with code HS 63090000 will reach 26 tons in 2022. However, BPS confirms that these goods are legally imported because they are not included as used goods to be traded in Indonesia. This item is claimed to belong to an individual sent via a delivery service.

The imported used clothing business is indeed in a dilemma. On the one hand, the seller is damaging the textile industry market, which is mostly the MSME group. On the other hand, these imported used clothing businesses can also be said to be MSMEs, especially those in direct contact with buyers.

The government must trace where the tangled threads of the thrifting industry are. First, the government must find out who the importers are. Then, it must also be found out who allowed this rogue importer to take the bales home. As long as importers can still import used clothing, during that time the thrifting industry will develop in Indonesia.

On the other hand, thrifting is not the only threat to the textile industry in Indonesia. Imports of clothing from China are equally frightening. The difference in production prices between local products and Chinese products makes the textile industry die slowly.

At least, there are around one billion US dollars worth of unrecorded imports of used clothing from China, said Chairman of the Indonesian Filament Fiber and Yarn Association Redma Gita Wirawasta. This also needs to be watched out for because it is detrimental to local businesses.

The government needs to do something for the textile industry. Don't just ban the import of used clothes that are not worth much. The government must also be firm with imports of textiles from China whose prices are destroying the market. If left unchecked, Tasikmalaya mukena or Pekalongan batik might just be a name.