ErexCorp: Leading Exporter of Japanese Secondhand Goods for Wholesale

Company overview, and a correction

Start with the correction, because this directory entry has carried the wrong country. ErexCorp is American, not Japanese. The company is at Wynnewood, Pennsylvania 19096-4035, on +1 610-642-4410, and its own site describes it as an exporter of bulk used clothes, reclaimed wipers and recycled textiles worldwide, with over thirty years in the trade. The goods are North American, not Japanese, and any buyer who came here looking for Japanese stock should know that before writing.

The site is small and plain, and for once that is not a warning sign. It is written for people who already import for a living, and the FAQ page in particular contains more usable detail than most of the glossy sites in this catalogue.

Staff speak French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese as well as English, the company says it travels to the markets it sells into in order to understand what those markets need, and visitors are welcome in person.

The clearest definitions in this directory, and a disagreement worth knowing about

ErexCorp defines its two unsorted lines in one sentence each.

• Credential clothing is untouched, unsorted original collection used clothing, in exactly the same form as it was donated.
• Institutional clothing is unsorted clothing collected by a charitable institution: a mix of unsold clothing from that institution's shop and fresh donations.

Now compare that second definition with the one given by a Canadian exporter elsewhere in this catalogue, where institutional mixed rags are described as goods that hung in a retail shop and did not sell. ErexCorp says the same category also contains donations that never reached the shop floor.

Both houses are being honest, and neither is wrong. They simply pack the word differently. That is the actual lesson, and it is worth more to a buyer than either definition on its own: in this trade the grade name is not the specification. Two suppliers can quote you institutional at different prices and be selling materially different things, and the difference is invisible until the bale is open. Ask every supplier to define the term in their own words before comparing any price. Anyone shortlisting second-hand clothing suppliers across countries should be collecting those definitions in writing, not assuming a shared vocabulary.

Bale sizes tied to the line

Packing is quoted precisely, and follows the material rather than a house standard.

• Graded and sorted clothing: small bales of 100 lb (45 kg) up to 180 lb (82 kg), and big bales of about 1,000 lb (450 kg), depending on the market.
• Institutional mixed: 900 lb to 1,200 lb (400 to 550 kg).
• Credential: the same sizes as institutional, but packed in the original collection bags, and also available unbaled.

That detail about original collection bags is the physical proof behind the word credential. Goods that were repacked cannot honestly be called untouched, so a house that ships them still in the collection sacks is showing you the claim rather than making it. If you buy credential elsewhere, ask what it is packed in.

The range runs to more than 100 grades, plus accessories such as purses, handbags and belts, household textiles including bedsheets, comforters, blankets and towels, cut and uncut reclaimed wipers, mill ends and textile remnants, used shoes, hard and soft toys, and bric-a-brac. The standard grade vocabulary is what you will need to navigate a list that long.

The paperwork section is what makes this entry unusual

Three things appear here that appear nowhere else in this directory, and each one is worth money to an importer.

First, cargo tracking notes. The company arranges bills of lading, certificates of origin and CTN or BSC documents. If that acronym means nothing to you and you are importing into West or Central Africa, learn it today: many destinations require a cargo tracking note issued before the vessel sails, and a container that arrives without one is fined or held. It is the single most common piece of paperwork a first-time African importer does not know exists until it is too late to obtain.

Second, preshipment inspection. ErexCorp arranges inspections with SGS, Bureau Veritas and Cotecna. Several importing countries mandate one, and the inspection has to happen before loading, not on arrival, so a supplier who already works with these agencies saves you an expensive scramble.

Third, payment terms stated plainly, which almost nobody publishes. No credit cards. Letters of credit accepted, on two conditions: all banking costs are borne by the party opening the L/C, and the L/C is confirmed by a major American bank. That second condition is not a formality. A confirmed letter of credit means an American bank adds its own guarantee to your bank's, so the seller is paid even if your bank fails to perform, and confirmation costs money that this seller expects you to carry. It is a professional term, and knowing what it means is the difference between negotiating and nodding.

The company also arranges trucking or rail to the port of export and the ocean freight itself, and will ship freight collect where the shipping line allows it for your destination. That last option matters for cash flow, since it moves the freight cost from the point of order to the point of arrival.

Minimums and what is not published

Shipments are full container loads only. A 40-foot high cube is described as the most economical, with 20-foot containers available for smaller orders, so this is not a house for a buyer testing the market with a pallet. Prices, tonnage and staff numbers are not published, and no company history beyond thirty-plus years is given. The account of how sorting houses handle incoming material explains what sits behind those hundred grades, and a wholesale buyer should get the grade definitions in writing before the first order, exactly as this company's own FAQ implicitly recommends.

Frequently asked questions

Is ErexCorp a Japanese supplier?

No. Despite the older listing, the company is based in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, in the United States, and supplies North American goods.

What is credential clothing?

Untouched, unsorted original collection clothing in exactly the same form as it was donated, shipped in the original collection bags or unbaled.

How does the company define institutional clothing?

As unsorted clothing collected by a charitable institution, mixing unsold stock from that institution's shop with fresh donations, which is a wider definition than some other exporters use.

What bale sizes are available?

Graded clothing in 100 lb to 180 lb small bales or about 1,000 lb big bales, institutional in 900 to 1,200 lb bales, and credential in the same sizes packed in original collection bags.

What are the payment and shipping terms?

Full container loads only, no credit cards, letters of credit accepted if confirmed by a major American bank with banking costs on the opener, and freight collect where the line permits it.