The global resale apparel market is projected to almost double between 2022 and 2026, displaying a growing consumer interest in luxury fashion recommerce. Younger generations, including Gen Z and Millennials, comprise around one-third of luxury shoppers, and they are the main drivers of secondhand luxury purchases and sales.
Top reasons for resale vary greatly by country and region
Recent surveys reveal that globally, a high share of luxury shoppers purchase secondhand fashion due to access to hard-to-find or discontinued pieces and cost savings. In Europe, the number one reason for recommerce is the reduction of waste, packaging, or plastic, emphasizing sustainability. Between 2020 and 2025, China's luxury resale market is forecasted to experience a CAGR of nearly 33%, with the most used channel being secondhand luxury goods trading platforms.
Luxury brands are jumping onto the resale trend
From 2019 to February 2023, the number of U.S. fashion brands participating in online resale programs increased from single to triple digits. Popular luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Dior, and Prada saw significantly growing sales on multiple luxury fashion online recommerce platforms.
Ultra-luxury resale platform Fashionphile experienced major growth in sale prices and sale increases
U.S.-based ultra-luxury resale site Fashionphile experienced significant increases in sale prices and volume for various products and brands worldwide. For instance, Chanel's ""Small"" and ""Medium Classic Flap"" bag sale prices on Fashionphile nearly doubled between 2018 and November 2021 alone. In 2022, luxury accessory sales also soared, with the Tiffany HardWear Link Bracelet experiencing an annual growth of almost 300%, followed by jewelry like the Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra bracelet and the Cartier LOVE bracelet.
1. Management Summary
2. Global
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, January 2023 (1 of 2)
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, January 2023 (2 of 2)
Secondhand Market Size, in USD billion, 2022 & 2027f
Breakdown of Secondhand and Firsthand Luxury Watch Market, in %, 2022e & 2026f
Share of Watch Resale Market Making Up Total Watch Market, incl. “Luxury Watches”, in %, 2025f
Share of Online Channels Making Up Total Luxury Watch Resale, in %, 2026f
3. USA
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, February 2023
Resale Apparel Market Size, in USD billion, and Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2021-2027f
Fashion Online Resale Marketplace Sales, in USD billion, and Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2021e-2025f
Average Fashion Digital Resale Marketplace Sales per Buyer, in USD, and Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2022f-2025f
Share of Resale Making Up Total Luxury Market, in %, 2021
Share of Secondhand Sales Originating From Online Resale, in %, 2024f
Share of Luxury Shoppers Buying Pre-Owned Luxury Goods, in %, August 2021
Share of Luxury Shoppers Who Purchase Pre-Owned Luxury at Least Once a Month, by Gender, in %, August 2021
Share of Luxury Shoppers Who Purchase Pre-Owned Luxury Online, by Gender, in %, August 2021
Share of Respondents Who Have Bought Secondhand Apparel, in %, December 2022
Share of Respondents Buying Same or More Secondhand Apparel Items, in %, April 2022
Share of Adults Who Spent a Higher Proportion of Their Apparel Budget on Secondhand, in %, 2022
Share of Adults Who Have Bought or Are Open to Buying Secondhand in the Future, in % of Adults, 2020 & 2021
Share of Adults Who Have Bought or Are Open to Buying Secondhand Apparel in the Future, All Adults vs Gen Z, in %, December 2022
Breakdown of Experience With Purchasing Clothing From Online Secondhand Stores, by Age, in % of Adults, October 2022
Share of Gen Z Who Would Pay More for Apparel They Know They Can Resell, in %, January 2022
Share of Gen Z Who Consider the Resale Value of Apparel Before Purchasing, in %, 2021 & 2022
Share of Respondents Who Are Less Likely to Buy an Apparel Item if It Does Not Have a Good Resale Value, All Adults vs Gen Z, in %, December 2022
Share of Secondhand Apparel Making Up an Average Adult’s Closet, in %, 2022 & 2032f
Share of Respondents Who Will Consider Buying More Secondhand Apparel if Prices Keep Rising, in %, April 2022
Reasons to Buy Pre-Owned Luxury, in % of Luxury Shoppers, August 2021
Share of Gen Z Who Choose Secondhand to Afford Higher-End Brands, in %, December 2022
Share of Gen Z Who Refuse to Buy From Non-Sustainable Brands and Retailers, in %, 2021 & 2022
Main Features That Are Considered Important During Secondhand Luxury Purchase, in % of Luxury Shoppers, October 2022
Share of Luxury Shoppers Whose Main Concern When Purchasing Pre-Owned Luxury Goods is Authenticity, in %, August 2021
Share of Respondents Preferring Brand-Operated Resale Over Third-Party Platforms, in %, July 2021
Share of Adults Finding Secondhand Shopping Easier Than Five Years Ago Due to the Emergence of Technology and Online Marketplaces, in %, January 2022
Share of Adults Who Find That Secondhand Has Become More Accessible, in %, December 2022
Share of Adults Who Look for Secondhand Apparel in the First Place When Shopping for Apparel in General, in %, January 2022
Share of Gen Z Who Look for an Item Secondhand Before Purchasing It New, in %, 2021 & 2022
Share of First-Time Secondhand Shoppers Who Plan to Spend the Same Amount or More on Secondhand in the Next 5 years, in %, January 2022
Share of Shoppers Who Plan to Spend More or Less Money in the Next 5 Years, by Category, in % of Shoppers, 2020 & 2021
Share of Secondhand Shoppers Who Plan to Buy, Shop or Sell More or Less Secondhand in the Next Year, in %, October 2022
Share of Luxury Shoppers Who State That They Will Shop More for Pre-Owned Luxury as COVID-19 Subsides, in %, August 2021
Resale Product Categories Adults Planned to Purchase as Holiday Gifts, in % of Adults, September 2022
Top 3 Pre-Owned Luxury Categories Purchased Online, in % of Luxury Shoppers, August 2021
Pre-Owned Luxury/Premium Fashion Categories Likely to Be Purchased in the Next 2 Years, in % of Luxury/Premium Shoppers, 2021
Share of Luxury Shoppers Who Sell Pre-Owned Luxury Online, by Gender, in %, August 2021
Share of Luxury Shoppers Selling on Resale Sites Who Resold at Least One Luxury Accessory for More Than They Originally Bought, in %, October 2022
Breakdown of Luxury Shoppers Who Bought and Sold a Secondhand Luxury Accessory Online, in %, October 2022
Share of eBay Sellers Who Sold Secondhand Goods to Earn Extra Income, in %, November 2022
Share of eBay Sellers Who Sold Secondhand Goods Due to Lost Household Income, in %, November 2022
Breakdown of Actions that Luxury Shoppers Will Take if Authentication Details of Secondhand Luxury Accessories Are Available, in % of Luxury Shoppers, October 2022
Share of Luxury Shoppers Who Showed Willingness to Exchange Luxury Accessories for Other Luxury Accessories, in %, October 2022
Locations Used to Buy Luxury Goods, in % of Luxury Shoppers, 2022e
Digital Platforms Used for Secondhand Shopping, in % of Adults, October 2022
Share of Fashion Retail Customers Who Participate in Resale, in %, 2021 & 2022
Number of Fashion Brands Participating in Online Resale Programs, 2019-2022 & February 2023
Share of Fashion Retailers for Whom Offering Resale Options is Becoming Table Stakes, in %, 2021 & 2022
Top 10 Online Fashion Resale Brands, by Number of Resale Shop Listings, January 2023
Share of Retail Executives Who Understand the Resale Landscape Better Than 3 Years Ago, in %, January 2022
Share of “Fashionable Professional”* Consumers Who Have Bought a Secondhand Luxury Watch in the Past 24 Months, in %, October 2022
4. Europe
4.1. Regional
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, January 2023
Recommerce Market Size, in EUR billion, 2021 & 2025f
Fashion Recommerce Market Size, in EUR billion, 2021 & 2025f
Share of Recommerce Market Making Up Total B2C E-Commerce Market, in %, 2022e & 2027f
Share of Fashion Recommerce Market Making Up Total Fashion B2C E-Commerce Market, in %, 2021 & 2025f
First-Time Resellers, in millions, 2020 & 2021
Top 7 Online Recommerce Cross-Border Fashion Marketplaces, by Parent Company, Company, Country of Origin, and Sector, 2022e
Top 6 Online Recommerce Cross-Border “Classified” Mass Merchants Marketplaces, excluding cars, by Parent Company, Company, Country of Origin, and Sector, 2022e
Share of eBay Sellers in Select Countries Who Cited “Cleaning out Closets” as the Main Reason to Sell Pre-Owned Items, in %, November 2022
Share of Respondents Who Have Purchased or Sold Items Secondhand, in %, October 2022
Share of Respondents Who Would Participate in Recommerce More if They Could Earn Money for Their Participation, in %, October 2022
Top 3 Reasons for Recommerce, in % of Respondents, October 2022
4.2. France
Share of eBay Buyers Purchasing vs Sellers Selling Secondhand or Refurbished Items, in %, November 2022
Share of eBay Sellers Stating “Cleaning Out Closets” as Top Reason for Selling Pre-Loved Clothes, in %, November 2022
4.3. UK
Share of Resale Apparel Making Up Average Citizen’s Wardrobe, in %, 2027f & 2031f
Frequency of Secondhand Shopping, in % of Sign of the Times Shoppers, 2022
Secondhand Purchase Preferences, in % of Sign of the Times Shoppers, 2022
Share of Sign of the Times Shoppers Who Have Sold Their Items via Secondhand Resellers, in %, 2022
Share of Respondents Admitting to Taking Better Care of Products They Purchase Thanks to the Resale Market, in %, 2022
Share of eBay Sellers Stating “Cleaning Out Closets” as Top Reason for Selling Pre-Loved Clothes, in %, November 2022
4.4. Germany
Preferred Categories When Buying Secondhand, in % of Respondents, 2022
Top Things Respondents Do Once They Discard Their Clothes, incl. “Selling via Secondhand Channels”, in % of Internet Users, 2022
Preferred Channels Used for Buying Secondhand Items, in % of Respondents, 2022
Factors That Are Important When Buying Secondhand Items, in % of Respondents, 2022
5. Asia-Pacific
5.1. Regional
Share of Shoppers Purchasing Secondhand Items, by Category, in % of Shoppers, May 2021
Share of Shoppers Who Will Continue to Purchase Secondhand Items in the Next 12 Months, by Category, in %, May 2021
Share of Shoppers Purchasing Secondhand Items More Often Than Usual, by Category, in %, May 2021
5.2. China
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, January 2023 (1 of 2)
Overview of Luxury Fashion Online Recommerce Market, January 2023 (2 of 2)
Luxury Resale Market Size, in USD billion, 2020 & 2025f
Top Secondhand Luxury Goods Purchase Channels, in % of Consumers, March 2021
Share of Resale Making up Total Luxury Market, in %, 2021
5.3. Japan
Share of Respondents Who Had Already Purchased Reused Products, in %, December 2022
Share of Resale Making up Total Luxury Market, in %, 2021
Share of eBay Sellers Who Reported Their Sales to Have Increases Due to the Economy, in % of eBay Sellers, November 2022
6. Company Profiles
6.1. The RealReal
Facts about TheRealReal.com, June 2023 (1 of 2)
Facts about TheRealReal.com, June 2023 (2 of 2)
Share of The RealReal Shoppers Buying the Louis Vuitton “Monogram Multipli-Cité Tote” in Fair Condition Being New The RealReal Shoppers, in %, 2022
Year-on-Year Sales Growth of Selected Pre-owned Luxury Handbags on the RealReal, in %, Q4 2022
Share of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès and Prada Making Up the Fair Condition Market, on the RealReal, in %, 2022
6.2. Fashionphile
Facts about Fashionphile.com, June 2023
Breakdown of Fashionphile’s First-Time Shoppers, by Generation , in %, 2022
Chanel’s “Small Classic Flap” Bag Sale Price on Fashionphile, in USD thousand, 2018, 2019, 2020, January 2021, July 2021, November 2021
Chanel’s “Medium Classic Flap” Bag Sale Price on Fashionphile, in USD thousand, 2018, 2019, 2020, January 2021, July 2021, November 2021
Chanel’s “Jumbo Classic Flap” Bag Sale Price on Fashionphile, in USD thousand, 2018, 2019, 2020, January 2021, July 2021, November 2021
Year-on-Year Sales Growth of Louis Vuitton “Speedy 25 Bags” on Fashionphile, in %, 2021
Year-on-Year Sales Volume Growth of Top 3 Luxury Brands on Fashionphile, in %, 2022
Hermes “Birkin” & “Kelly” Bag Value Growth on Fashionphile, Year-on-Year, in %, 2020 & 2021
Year-on-Year Sales Volume Growth of Top 4 Luxury Jewelry Items on Fashionphile, in %, 2022
Year-on-Year Sales Volume Growth of Top 2 Jewelry Trends on Fashionphile, in %, 2022
Year-on-Year Sale Price Growth of Top 3 Luxury Watch Brands on Fashionphile, in %, 2022
Year-on-Year Sale Price Growth of Cartier White Gold & Yellow Gold “LOVE Bracelet” on Fashionphile, in %, 2021
Year-on-Year Sale Price Growth of Tiffany Necklaces “Oval Tag Choker” & “Heart Tag Toggle” on Fashionphile, in %, 2021
Bag-Materials Used for Chanel Bags Sold on Fashionphile, in % of Total Chanel Sales, 2021
Share of Hermes Items Sold on Fashionphile That Were Made of Taurillon Clemence, in % of Total Hermes Sales, 2021
Share of Louis Vuitton Bags Sold on Fashionphile That Were Made of Coated Canvas, in % of Total Hermes Sales, 2021