“Selling bales of used clothing in good condition,” reads a classified ad on Facebook. To evade oversight, some garage sales have moved online. ![]() These are particularly hefty sums considering how widely this type of activity was tolerated until very recently. Witnesses report that infractions are subject to fines ranging from 3,000 to more than 10,000 pesos. Garage sales are now only allowed to operate on weekends and may only carry second-hand goods and one or two duplicates of new items vendors might have at home. Residents in Luyanó alert vendors when they see “a red and white minivan approaching.” It ferries inspectors to the neighborhood to conduct checks on garage sales and private vendors. It is difficult to distinguish between them because the merchandise they are selling increasingly corresponds to items in short supply at state-owned stores, forcing consumers to turn to the informal market for all manner of everyday items. He points out, however, that longtime street vendors on Galiano and Monte streets, people “who have been doing this their whole lives,” are receiving the same fines as those who operate garage sales. “No one told us what we could or couldn’t sell but recently I’ve met several neighbors who were fined for displaying food and coffee.” (14ymedio) On a small table he displays several types of sunglasses, USB sticks and a couple of universal remote controls, all new and in their original packaging. “Nobody has told me that I can’t sell these things,” says a vendor who operates on Tulipán street in the Cerro neighborhood. “No one told us what we could or couldn’t sell but recently I’ve met several neighbors who were fined for displaying food and coffee.” A few weeks later the regulation was “updated” and the permit requirement was eliminated. ![]() Though the new rules did not require a garage sale operator to have a business license or to register as a self-employed worker, he or she still had to get a permit from the Municipal Administration Council, at a cost of 50 pesos. Legalizing garage sales was one such measure. But last year’s protests forced the government to quickly adopt a set of measures intended to quell popular discontent. She recalls that, in late 2013, the government banned the sale of imported goods in private stores, which were being supplied by “mules” returning from trips to countries such as Mexico, Panama and Russia. “I guess we’ll only be selling used goods or things we happen to have at home,” laments Tahimí. These makeshift stores might sell anything from clothing and wallets to light bulbs, fast-acting glue and cigarettes. The announcement caught the attention of anyone who had ever set up shop in a stairway, at a building entrance or in a parking garage. At a recent meeting of senior officials in Havana, there were calls for greater oversight of garage sales, the sites at which they take place and the types of items being sold there. This has not only put coleros - professional line-sitters - resellers and hoarders under greater scrutiny but also threatens others involved in the retail trade. “Some of what I sell are second-hand clothes and shoes but my biggest sellers are housewares and other imported goods,” she says.Ĭuban officials have begun cracking down on illegal commercial activities. ![]() “I can’t risk getting fined so I didn’t open this weekend,” says Tahimí, a 38-year-old Havana resident who got on the garage sale bandwagon as soon as it was legalized in 2021. The truth is the sale was cancelled out of caution after officials announced that they would be keeping a closer eye on this type of retail activity, making sure only “authorized items” were being sold. HAVANA TIMES – A sign that, only a few days ago, was advertising a garage sale on 26th Street in Havana had suddenly disappeared, leaving customers to wonder if the owner had either skipped town or had nothing to sell. If the building’s residents complain, the chances of getting a visit from an inspector or the police increase astronomically.
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