Fahd Al-Manaee Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – Traders in the used furniture market in Makkah said that expatriate workers control over 70 percent of the market by signing agreements with Saudi nationals to carry out the business under their names. At the end of each month, they give the Saudi national a fixed sum while they reap tens of thousands of riyals from this very profitable market. Sami Al-Saeedi, a Saudi national, said, “I wanted to sell our old bedroom set to buy a new one. I dialed a number posted on one of those flyers that are all over the city. An expatriate from South Asia answered and he offered me about SR1000. Those interested in buying used furniture and household appliances like an air-conditioner, refrigerator, gas cooker, bedroom and sofa sets try to do so at throwaway prices especially when the owner is in a hurry to sell.” “No district, street, traffic signal or lamp post in Makkah is devoid of a poster saying “Anas or Nasser for Purchasing Used Furniture.” The vast majority of these posters have been placed by expatriates, as it is rare to find Saudis in the business,” said a used furniture dealer who requested anonymity. He added that 70 percent of those who purchase used furniture are expatriates. “They purchase them at very low prices, repair some of the broken or damaged parts and sell the furniture at very high prices. They purchase items like a bedroom set, for example, for an amount not exceeding SR300. If it needs to be repaired they repair it and then sell it for prices ranging from SR1500 to SR3000.” Muhammad Al-Fautawi, Director of Environmental Health in Makkah Mayoralty said, “We have a department that is concerned with markets and carries out field inspection tours to ensure the conditions set by Makkah Mayoralty are complied with. Its role is to supervise, prepare reports and take penal measures including fines in case of violating the mayoralty's rules.”
