Shein launches Exchange resale platform in Europe and the UK

Chinese fast fashion giant Shein is set to expand its Shein Exchange resale platform to Europe and the United Kingdom as it launches its product resale app in France.

The Shein Exchange is an integrated online resale platform where users can sell and purchase pre-owned Shein products. Launching first in France, the resale platform will be rolled out to users in the UK and Germany in consequent phases.

The extension of the Shein exchange platform to France, Germany, and the UK follows the launch of the resale platform in the United States in October 2022. The platform reportedly continues to gain traction, with more than 4.2 million users signing up to it in 2023 in the US, and more than 115,000 pre-owned items listed for sale by over 95,000 unique sellers.

Directly accessed via the existing Shein app, the Shein Exchange aims to streamline the product resale process. It offers a user-friendly interface that automatically lists the user's past purchases, each with a "sell" button, enabling quick and easy product listings. Additionally, users can use the platform's search and filter tools to efficiently browse and find pre-loved items for sale.

“As a member of the World Circular Textiles Day community, we know that there is a lot of work to be done to achieve a fully circular textile future by 2050,” said Caitrin Watson, Shein's Director of Sustainability, in a statement. "Shein continues to integrate circular practices into our business model by increasing the use of recycled and rescued materials while also designing platforms and programs to help extend the life cycle of our products."

"With the extension of our Shein Exchange platform into Europe and the UK, we hope to provide more of our global customer community with ways to easily participate in the circular economy and promote the environmental benefits of shopping secondhand rather than buying new. As we extend Shein Exchange to new markets, we remain committed to gathering user feedback and finding ways to improve this program and enhance the user experience on the platform."

The rollout of the Shein Exchange resale platform is backed by studies conducted by Shein. According to surveys of 3,500 customers across the US, Brazil, Mexico, the UK, France, and Germany in September 2023, Shein customers expressed a significant interest in incorporating circular practices into their daily routines. The most favored methods identified were clothing donation and online peer-to-peer resale, highlighting their top two preferences for engaging in the circular fashion ecosystem.

The survey's findings revealed that nearly half of the respondents from the UK, France, Germany, and Brazil were driven to purchase second-hand clothing online due to their collective commitment to sustainability and circular fashion.