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Once your wedding day is over, what will you do with the pile of special goods you can never use again? Will you throw them away or keep them as momentoes? Or take a more profitable approach and follow in the footsteps of so many other Beijing newly-weds: auction them online! China Drive reporter Zhou Jing is here to explain how it's done.
(Audio available for download)
Beijing girl Lu Lu has just become a happy bride. But she had just one small problem: what to do with the tailor-made wedding gown that cost her over three thousand yuan.
To wear it only once and stow it away for posterity seemed like an unforgivable waste.
So Lu Lu has decided to pass it onto to another deserving bride through the internet. "Through the sale, I want to make more friends, let them share my happiness and receive my best wishes."
But Lu Lu isn't selling her dress just to make money. She says she doesn't mind selling it very cheaply to someone who really loves the dress.
And she's not the only business-minded new bride around.
When you surf the online auction sites, you'll see plenty of second hand wedding stuff up for grabs.
As well as gowns, everything from shoes and jewelry, to the candleholders, wine and photo coupons are for sale.
And the prices are attractive, with most of second hand items going for half their original price.
No wonder they're luring so many would-be couples.
But second-hand wedding goods aren't everyone's cup of tea.
"Of course I'll buy brand new things as a wedding is a once in a life-time experience."
"In China, the Brides and Grooms have the character "xin", which means new. So it would be too bad if the new-weds uses old things."
But the market for second-hand wedding goods is taking off as young people become more pragmatic about their weddings.
Li Xingyue is an insider in the wedding industry. "A lot of items used in wedding ceremonies can be reused. I think there'll soon be a more organized second-hand market for these products."
Zhang Ying is wedding item supplier in Beijing. "I believe some companies will start renting wedding products, as well as selling them. So, the overall prices of wedding supplies will get lower and weddings will be cheaper for couples."
China Drive is one of CRI's radio programs aired from Monday to Friday. We pick the most interesting life reports from China Drive. Stay tuned.
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