Secondhand shoppingcan be pretty hit or miss.
In the miss situation, you sift endlessly through items, only to come up empty-handed.
Luckily, an increasing number of resale transactions are landing in the “hit” column.
Companies are working to improve the secondhand shopping experience, especially online.
Brands are embracing the resale trend.
More consumers are willing to try it, too.
Now, in the face of escalatingeconomic uncertainty, secondhand shopping may have even more appeal.
There are notariffson vintage items.
“And those economics have never been stronger than today.”
Consumers like deals and discovery.
Secondhand shopping is an increasingly popular way to scratch both of those itches.
Resale has been around forever.
People have even taken things into their own hands by creating “Buy Nothing” groups.
Consumers' love affair withcheap stuffseems limitless, and secondhand is an avenue for it to flourish.
More recently, there’s been a growing acceptance of secondhand among consumers and younger generations in particular.
Secondhand has a broad appeal.
High-end shoppers participate, too, and often prize one-of-a-kind used and vintage items.
1stDibs' fastest-growing category is jewelry.
The secondhand ecosystem is vast in terms of price points, business models, and appeal.
There are online and offline, peer-to-peer and consignment marketplaces.
REI, for example, launchedRe/Supplyin 2018 for customers totrade in their gear and buy used merchandise.
Despite the growing popularity, secondhand selling is not a slam-dunk business.
Resale can be challenging logistically and hard to make a profit on.
Merchandise has to be sorted, stored, and, in some cases, verified.
“Most of it’s going to be relatively useless, and then you have to price it.”
Jendrzejewski acknowledged that operating REI’s resale business is “challenging.”
Every item that comes through is one-of-a-kind and requires individual inspection.
Unlike with new product lines, they can’t forecast and order specific quantities.
People are buying things directly from what they see on Instagram or TikTok.
Constantly improving algorithms serve them items they might want, even on secondhand websites and apps themselves.
“That shows you it really is value is No.
On the seller side of the equation, offloading stuff including for a potential profit is getting easier.
ThredUp sends clean-out kits for people to box their stuff up, send it back, and get paid.
Platforms are also leveraging technology including AI to make life easier for both sides of the buyer-seller equation.
Chandra pointed to Poshmark’s “smart list” tool, which generates listing details for sellers.
On the buyer end,the RealReal is trying to use AI to identify counterfeits.
Based on my conversations with insiders, it’s sort of a mixed bag.
On the one hand,a recession is bad, full stop.
It meansconsumers pull back on spending, especially discretionary, focusing more on wants instead of needs.
A lot of what people get on the secondhand market falls into the wants category.
The result: Demand may fall just as supply goes up.
Even the luxury market could run into a problem.
The stock market is down, which makes wealthy people a little more antsy about their money.
On the other hand,tariffsaren’t a terrible deal for America’s secondhand market.
With limited exceptions, what people buy secondhand is already here.
Shopping for used items may be a way to avoid tariffs and the inflationary pressures they may cause.
A more aggressive US trade policy may also give secondhand sellers a win in their war against fast-fashion competitors.
The economy gets bad enough, and people close their wallets on every front they can.
I should confess that I’m not a secondhand shopper.
I’ve tried some of the online platforms, but the experience is just too hard.
I get overwhelmed by all the options, and eventually, I get bored.
I can’t imagine much of what I own is nice enough to sell.
And even if it is, I’m not sure it’s worth the energy.
The resale industry is betting that people like me will become converts, just like millions of consumers before.
And then we’ll buy again and again.
And then, eventually, we’ll start selling.
And then we all join the circular economy or become part of the giant American yard sale.
Maybe it’s because we care about the environment.
Maybe it’s because that new-old chair really is a great find.
Emily Stewartis a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
