Thrifted fashion for all
Among things to buy second-hand, along with electronics, fashion is the most lucrative used goods category for online shoppers. By revenue, the popular category generated over 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and continues to consistently attract the majority of second-hand e-commerce users throughout Europe. By 2027, the online market for second-hand clothing is forecast to generate a total of over 33 billion U.S. dollars from an expected 85.5 million users.Taking a closer look into the online thrifting scene throughout the continent — for clothing, the Lithuania headquartered company Vinted is a notable player in all of the 12 European countries it operates in. From 2017 to 2022, the online second-hand store’s revenue has increased from 10 to over 370 million U.S. dollars and boasts millions of downloads globally on a monthly basis. Additionally, the fact that popular European clothing e-tailers such as Zalando and About You offer options for shoppers to buy and sell pre-owned goods also serves as a testament to the success of recommerce and the importance of sustainable consumption.
Leading players in online second-hand
Alongside Vinted, there are other industry leaders who have set up shop in second-hand e-commerce throughout Europe. In Germany, where about one in five consumers cite sustainability as an important reason for shopping second-hand online, buying pre-owned goods is most commonly done on Kleinanzeigen, a C2C, consumer-oriented marketplace run by the eBay-owned Dutch advertising group Marktplaats.In the United Kingdom, where limiting the environmental impact of shopping is also important to consumers, eBay, Etsy, Vinted, and ASOS Marketplace ranked as the top online stores to buy used apparel from. Among online shoppers in France, pre-owned goods site leboncoin.fr was the most visited marketplace for buying and selling second-hand items.
Depop, Vestiaire Collective, and Momox are also popular options for buying preloved apparel, books, and other media articles for European consumers.
