Used Merchandise

One of America's hottest exports just might be old blue jeans. Vintage jeans, especially old Levi's and Wranglers, have become a highly sought-after commodity. They fetch big yen in Japan. In America, people are belatedly catching onto the craze. Shops that buy and sell old jeans have been sprouting up in Orange County. They're peddling everything from '70s Sassoons for $20 a pair to pre-'50s Levi's that can sell for up to $2,000.

After a barrage of complaints, federal regulators shifted gears Thursday and said they would no longer require that used children's clothing, toys and other items sold at secondhand stores be tested for lead. Thrift and consignment store operators had protested that they couldn't afford to pay for the testing, and that doing so would require them to stop selling some goods or even go out of business.

There's always a place to sit, no matter how many people crowd around Rose Tourje's conference table. The huge table is in the middle of a San Pedro Street warehouse -- one that's full of chairs and other office furnishings. There are large oak-trimmed, leather-padded executive swivel chairs from law offices. Sleek cloth-covered chrome seats from bank employee break rooms. Efficient, armless task chairs from computer workstations. Castoffs all.

AST Research Inc. will no longer sell used computers labeled as new units as part of an agreement reached with regulators in 21 states, the state attorney general's office said. According to the agreement, AST will clearly mark boxes containing hardware that has been returned by consumers and reconditioned before being resold. The Irvine-based computer manufacturer also paid $90,000 to help cover costs of the investigation, but admitted no wrongdoing.

Linda Kelly earns plenty of frequent-flier mileage traveling to corporate auctions where she bids on such industrial-strength used equipment as Class 100 clean rooms and nitrogen belt furnaces. But as the $100-billion business of disposing of excess corporate assets moves online, the Microsemi Corp. executive plans to spend more time in her Santa Ana office.

Meet Vahan Chamlian, the world's largest dealer in secondhand clothes. If you have ever donated your used duds to charity for a tax deduction, there's a chance you helped pay for his million-dollar Fresno home, his wife's Rolls-Royce or the corporate jet he uses for client calls worldwide. "The American public is very generous," the 71-year-old Chamlian said with a chuckle, an imported cigar clamped in his teeth and a diamond pinky ring sparkling on his left hand.

Sheila Clancy remembers the last time she almost bought a pair of 501s. She had just handed over $5 for used Levi's at a Ventura swap meet when a guy came up behind her and offered the seller $15. "I told him, 'Wait a minute. You can't do that. I've already paid,' " says Clancy, a veteran antiques dealer. "And the seller said, 'Huh-uh, here,' and handed me back my money. "Well, I flipped out and grabbed hold of the guy and told him if he didn't stay out of my way, I'd kill him.

Picking through the clothing racks at the Designer Resale shop in Bethesda, Md., Eran Mahlaugi came upon a hidden treasure: a stretchy couture Versace shirt at the bargain price of $39. But this time she wasn't indulging herself. The shirt, which would sell at retail for more than $150, was a Christmas gift for a co-worker. "I've bought a Versace for my sister, jewelry for my girlfriends," said Mahlaugi, a medical assistant from Potomac, Md.

In a move that raises the stakes in the music industry's multimillion-dollar battle over used compact discs, Wherehouse Entertainment will dramatically step up its commitment to recycled music on Sunday by expanding its used-CD sales program to include 250 of its 315 outlets. That's 10 times the number of stores the Torrance-based firm committed to used-CD sales just six months ago, a plan aimed to help combat rising prices and increase sales volume in a dwindling market for new product.

Buying used merchandise is a topic that can prompt strong opinions. That's because buying secondhand items can turn out to be a good deal or a bad one. But being smart about buying previously owned items can be a key to getting and keeping your financial life on track. These days, traditional outlets for used items, including garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores and newspaper classified ads, are augmented by such online options as auction site EBay.com and Craigslist.com.

Sony Corp. has patented technology that would prevent its PlayStation consoles from playing used, rented or borrowed video games -- raising questions about whether the electronics and entertainment giant may attempt to redefine what it means to own something in the digital age. Sony has said little about the technology, patented in Japan in 2000, or how it might be deployed.

Ever want to borrow the latest Fendi bag for a month or drive around in a bright yellow Lamborghini for a day? Several companies are tapping into consumers' penchant for leasing luxury. They're targeting both the affluent who don't want to hold on to anything for long and less-moneyed folks who covet a taste of the lifestyles of the rich. Bag Borrow or Steal, a Seattle-based online service, allows customers to borrow designer handbags through a monthly membership fee.

When Hollywood costume supervisor Robin Roberts talks about Re-Runs, a vintage clothing warehouse in Kansas City, Mo., it's as if she's describing a magical emporium designed specifically for wardrobe mavens. "It was almost like walking into a department store that had been left alone for decades," says Roberts, whose credits include HBO's "Carnivale" and the upcoming series "Big Love."

Mary Mueller has stumbled upon a basic truth of modern life: It's not easy to give things away. When Mueller, her husband and three daughters moved to a new home in Moorpark, she seized the opportunity to get rid of furniture that wouldn't work in the new house, toys the children had outgrown and other items the family no longer used. "You want to be a good steward and pass these things on to someone who can use them.

It's the last chance for these old bikes. Bent and abandoned by their owners, they are being piled aboard boats in this western Japanese port, a tangle of spokes and handlebars rescued from the scrap heap. Their unlikely saviors are North Koreans.

Buying used merchandise is a topic that can prompt strong opinions. That's because buying secondhand items can turn out to be a good deal or a bad one. But being smart about buying previously owned items can be a key to getting and keeping your financial life on track. These days, traditional outlets for used items, including garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores and newspaper classified ads, are augmented by such online options as auction site EBay.com and Craigslist.com.

Heaven for bargain hunters can be found in the cluttered interiors of a consignment shop. For those lost souls who have yet to discover these gardens of Eden for the thrifty, imagine a garage sale that never ends, a flea market where anybody can put his unwanted possessions up for sale. Better than thrift stores because they're more selective about their merchandise, cheaper than antique stores, consignment shops have popped up all over Orange County.

A chorus line of women -- mostly young or passably young -- sit on folding chairs in a Melrose Avenue store, resigned to a long wait, looking a lot like actresses at a Hollywood cattle call. Lia Tamparong picks up a clipboard and scans the list of names. "Kristina?" she calls out. Kristina Mirazic smiles gamely and totes seven shopping bags and a suitcase to the counter. "You're going to love these shoes," Kristina says, showing off a pair of ruby patent leather Charles David pumps.

There's something so cleansing about unloading a pile of worn jeans, shrunken T-shirts and beat-up leather jackets at a Goodwill store. Once relieved of those closet-cloggers, you might feel unburdened enough to browse, and with any luck you'll find some broken-in jeans, retro shirts and distressed leather jackets.