If it feels like everyone you know is suddenly more careful with their spending, it’s because they are. Shoppers are feeling the ripple effects of global trade shifts, and it’s showing up in their buying habits.
People are comparing prices more carefully and cutting back in certain places. For a lot of them, that means shifting to secondhand shopping.
In fact, Salsify’s upcoming “2026 Consumer Research” report found that one in five shoppers now buy secondhand or shop resale platforms more often, specifically because of the recent economic conditions.
This is a big, flashing, neon sign that when budgets tighten, consumers don’t give up buying completely — they get resourceful. And everyone from Generation Z trend-hunters to practical Gen Xers is jumping into the mix.
According to Salsify’s latest research:
Buying secondhand is one of the easiest ways for shoppers to stretch their budget, and it’s no surprise that this shift is most prevalent with clothes and accessories.
The report cites data from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Vestiaire Collective, sharing, “the secondhand fashion and luxury market is growing three times faster than the firsthand market. It’s already massive (valued at $210–$220 billion today) and is expected to reach up to $360 billion by 2030, increasing around 10% every year.”
Affordability is fueling the explosion, with 80% of shoppers saying they choose secondhand fashion primarily because it’s easier on their wallet, according to BCG. Obviously, it feels like a massive win when you can snag a high-quality, barely-worn jacket or a luxury bag for a fraction of the price.
Gen Zers and millennials are steering the secondhand ship, with help from somewhat recent additions to the shopping scene in Depop, Vinted, and thrifty TikToks. These generations are already the most frequent online shoppers (more than 60% of millennials shop online at least once a week), so it’s not a huge shock.
These are also the groups most likely to tighten their budgets creatively and are the most brand-agnostic, choosing the best deal rather than the same brands every time. Younger shoppers won’t just shrug and pay more. Instead, they compare, research, and scroll until they spot a smarter deal — usually on the secondhand market.
Most importantly, they shop differently. Social media is their top discovery channel, with 73% of Gen Zers and 67% of millennials finding new brands and products there. They also lean heavily on online marketplaces and, increasingly, AI-assisted search tools.
Put all this together, and secondhand shopping is a no-brainer for younger shoppers. They:
Secondhand shopping isn’t limited to quirky vintage shops or one-off TikTok steals. It’s actually showing up across almost every major shopping category. And when you look at how people are spending (and researching) today, it’s easy to see why these specific verticals are leading the charge.
No surprise here: Fashion is still the heavyweight champion of online shopping, with 65% of consumers having bought fashion and apparel online in the past year.
It’s the category where shoppers are already comfortable browsing, comparing, and trying new brands, which makes secondhand feel like a natural extension of what they’re doing anyway.
It’s also the vertical where resale has gone totally mainstream. Between thrift flipping, curated resale platforms, and brand-backed buyback programs, secondhand fashion is growing way faster than firsthand.
Electronics might not feel like an obvious secondhand category, but it’s becoming one of the fastest-growing, and it’s easy to see why. Tech is expensive, and shoppers are doing their homework. Salsify’s research shows that 56% of U.S. shoppers review four or more channels before buying big-ticket items like electronics.
That level of research naturally pushes shoppers toward refurbished and pre-owned options. When you’re comparing features, specs, and prices across multiple tabs, it’s pretty hard to ignore the version that’s hundreds of dollars cheaper and still works well.
Home goods and furniture are also popular in the secondhand shopping market, mostly because of two things: cost and durability.
These items tend to be big investments, and people want them to last. According to the upcoming report, shoppers rank durability and longevity as the number one marker of product quality (54%).
So, whether it’s solid-wood furniture that’s built to outlive us all, or home décor pieces that still have years of life left, secondhand offers the quality people want without the premium price tag.
If you want to see secondhand done really well, look at the brands that have fully embraced circular shopping:
Patagonia was one of the first big names to prove resale could be both profitable and planet-friendly with its Worn Wear program, which repairs and resells broken or worn-out garments.
Levi’s took a similar approach with Levi’s SecondHand, giving denim a longer life and making vintage styles easier (and cheaper) to score.
Image Source: Levi’s Secondhand
Nike Refurbished brings lightly worn sneakers back to “almost new” condition and puts them back on shelves.
Image Source: Nike
IKEA’s Buyback & Resell program lets shoppers return used furniture so it can be cleaned up and rehomed.
Image Source: IKEA
Modern shoppers don’t follow a neat, linear buying journey anymore. Brands that want to win in the secondhand market (or “circular commerce,” as it’s sometimes known) need to show up in all the places shoppers actually look.
Social media is basically the new mall for younger shoppers. Gen Zers and millennials regularly turn to social media to find new products, which is good insight if you’re selling secondhand or running a resale program.
Secondhand items go viral all the time when they’re spotlighted in things like thrift flips, “dupe” finds, and vintage hauls. Tap into that energy by showcasing your resale inventory, user-generated content, or behind-the-scenes refurb processes.
But while online is hot for the younger crowd, the physical world is still important. Physical retail is still the number one discovery channel for all shoppers (60%), which is why so many brands are integrating resale directly into their stores via trade-in bins, pre-loved racks, and repair stations.
Shoppers don’t just click buy after a quick scroll. They’re meticulously comparing prices, reading multiple reviews, bouncing between marketplaces, and increasingly using AI to make decisions.
This trend toward using AI for product research is a huge advantage for resale programs. AI is great for helping shoppers evaluate product condition, authenticity, and price, which are three things that matter deeply in secondhand.
Lean into this by offering:
Basically, the easier you make it for people to validate the purchase, the faster they convert.
Trust really is the backbone of secondhand. Nearly 70% of shoppers paid more this year for a brand they trust, showing that reliability still wins even in a price-sensitive market.
Here’s what drives that trust, according to the upcoming report:
Secondhand buyers have the same expectations — sometimes higher — and they want to know what they’re getting and why they should believe you. Meet or exceed them by nailing the fundamentals. That is, ensure your product descriptions are accurate, you have reliable customer support in place, and your product content is well laid out.
Nothing tanks a purchase faster than sketchy or incomplete product information. In fact, 42% of shoppers abandon their cart when ratings are low or missing, and 38% walk away when product information is inconsistent, according to Salsify research.
For secondhand, this matters even more. Shoppers need reassurance that the product is real, described properly, and definitely worth the price.
You can build that confidence through:
Secondhand is more than a passing craze. It’s driven by tighter budgets, a hunger for better value, growing sustainability mindsets, and shoppers who are doing more research than ever before.
As consumer needs shift this quickly, companies have to adapt their tech and product experiences to meet new expectations. Successful brands double down on transparency, nail their product descriptions and content, and build real trust. Secondhand shouldn’t feel like a secondary way to shop. It should feel easy, exciting, and totally normal.