Treasure trove: A customer checking out the second-hand goods sold at Pasar Karat Renggit. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
BATU PAHAT: For more than two decades, a village in the laid-back town of Renggit here has been offering bargain hunters a smorgasbord of second-hand goods at a steal.
Kampung Bumiputera Dalam, or better known as “Pasar Karat Renggit”, is made up of dozens of shops selling a wide range of items from bicycles to clothes, shoes, electronics and furniture.
According to locals, the flea market, located some 90km from Johor Baru and about 35km from Batu Pahat town, has been around since the late 1990s and started gaining popularity about a decade ago.
Trader Nur Afida Safri, 37, said that before the Covid-19 pandemic, the market here used to receive hundreds of visitors daily, especially during the weekends and holiday seasons.
“However, after the pandemic, the crowd has grown smaller.
“There was a slight increase last year when Covid-19 restrictions were slowly lifted, but it was still a far cry from what we used to see,” she said when met at her shop in Renggit.
Nur Afida said nowadays, the traders are seeing a new group of customers – business owners who buy the goods in bulk before reselling them elsewhere.
“Wholesalers and retailers are the ones that have helped us keep our business afloat as we are no longer receiving the large number of daily visitors we once had.
“A majority of them are from Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu and Thailand,” she said, adding that traders here bought the second-hand goods from Singapore.
Another trader, Zamri Hisham, 34, said he has several regular customers who run their own businesses selling pre-loved items in Thailand.
“They will send lorries down once or twice a month to buy and collect the stuff we have. They then take it back to their home country to resell at a higher price to account for the transportation and other costs incurred along the way.
“In the past, such shoppers were only a handful while a majority of our customers were made up of ordinary folk looking for cheap goods.
“Things seem to have changed now and we can’t be choosy. The important thing is that we still have people buying our goods, allowing us to make a living,” he said.
Another trader, Mohd Nur Zairi Mohd Sham, 33, observed the shopping trend among their customers, with no particular preference for any wares.
“They will get anything as long as the items are in a good condition. They will usually buy from several shops instead of just sticking to one.
“This month alone, I have sold goods to three different business owners from Thailand, Kelantan and Terengganu. Each of them bought stuff that could fit at least two lorries,” he said.
However, Mohd Nur Zairi said he still hopes to see a return of crowds that will make the place as lively as before.
“I miss entertaining my clients. With the rising cost of living, I believe second-hand goods would be a good option for them,” he said.
