The second-hand market has seen a booming business lately due to the Israeli siege placed on the people in Hebron which caused many of them to seek alternative sources of income, coupled with a sharp increase of prices, forcing many to fulfill their families needs from less expensive markets, such as the second-hand market in Hebron. The market opens late Thursday through Friday every week.

Merchants and brokers in the second-hand business speak of the sources of these products. They report that most of these products come from pre-1948 Palestine where rich people who need to renovate their homes sell their furniture and other electric appliances. This eventually finds its way to West Bank markets like the one in the villages of Halhoul or Beit Awa west of Hebron.

Abdulrahman Qafeesheh, a customer says that most of the market customers are the poor or employees who cannot afford to buy new furniture or appliances. He expects that the market will see an increasing demand due to the generally increasing prices of goods and the continuing decline in the income of the average Palestinian family.
Asad Qalawleh, another customer of the second-hand market, is a student from Jenin. He says that he and his friends frequently visit this market due to the cheap prices.

Most of the second-hand merchants are people who formerly worked inside pre-1948 Palestine who are unable to go back to work due to the constant closures and ongoing siege. This will secure some income for their families and save them from looking for aid from local charities. Raed Masalmeh, a second-hand-goods merchant spoke of his reasons for working at the market. He said that he used to work in pre-1948 Palestine and because of the new security measures, he was forced to buy second-hand goods and sell them at local markets here in Hebron or Bethlehem.

Most items found on the second-markets are clothing, shoes, furniture and electric appliances. Such items are usually 10-30% off their original prices and they are usually brand names.

Muhammad Salameh, a customer who is getting ready to get married, reports that with 3000 Shekels ($800) he was able to buy all the furniture and electric appliances needed for his new home. A shopping that would normally cost 30,000 Shekels for new furniture.