Gen Z driving second-hand fashion sales, according to eBay

Online marketplace eBay has released its first ‘Recommerce Report’ including data from the UK, US, Canada, Germany and France, which reveals that Gen Z consumers are driving the global rise in secondhand selling.

The report reveals that almost seven in 10 (67 percent) of eBay UK sellers said that they started selling pre-owned goods in the last year to make extra cash, while a third of sellers claimed it was for sustainability and environmental benefits.

Gen Z are driving the pre-loved trend, added eBay with 81 percent of 16-24-year-olds stating that buying pre-owned has become “more common” in the last year.

Emma Grant, head of pre-loved at eBay UK, said in a statement: “There is a big appetite for pre-loved which has accelerated considerably during the pandemic. It’s a win-win for shoppers as it not only helps to lighten the load on the wallet but comes with an added benefit of contributing to a healthier planet.

“It’s brilliant to see Gen Z leading the way to make secondhand shopping more common than ever. Together with our partnership with Bay, we are hoping to encourage everyone to choose to buy or sell pre-loved where they can.”

eBay releases its first ‘Recommerce Report’

In the UK, eBay states that three secondhand purchases were made every second in 2020, with over seven million used items sold during January alone, and that the selling of pre-loved apparel and electronics conserved an additional 720,000 metric tons of carbon emissions last year.

eBay adds that its customers know that sustainability is an important aspect of buying and selling pre-owned, with 39 percent of German sellers saying that they sell pre-owned items because of its positive environmental impact. A portion of sellers worldwide shared this sentiment - 34 perfect in France, 32 percent in the UK, 16 percent in the US and 14 percent in Canada.

The report also added that if those surveyed didn’t sell on eBay, the majority of sellers said they would donate their items, with their next option in the US, UK and Germany being to dispose of them.

“Recommerce plays an integral and often under-utilised role in the transition to a sustainable and circular economy,” explained Lauren Phipps, senior analyst at GreenBiz in eBay’s Recommerce Report. “Extending the useful life of products significantly decreases the carbon footprint of consumption — plus, buyers save money and get to feel good about making more environmentally-conscious purchases.”

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