Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global secondhand apparel market was valued at $177 billion in 2022
The secondhand apparel market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2027
Online resale is expected to grow 21% annually from 2022 through 2027
52% of consumers shopped secondhand apparel in 2022
One in three Gen Z consumers bought secondhand clothing in 2022
Secondhand shopping displaced 1.9 billion new clothing purchases in 2022
Buying secondhand clothing can reduce carbon emissions by an average of 25%
The resale market grew 5X faster than the broader retail clothing sector in 2022
63% of millennials and Gen Z prefer to buy from sustainable brands
The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing each year
85% of textiles discarded in the U.S. end up in landfills or incinerators
Extending the life of clothing by just 9 months can reduce carbon, waste, and water footprints by 20–30%
Secondhand clothing sales in the U.S. reached $39 billion in 2022
Consumer Behavior and Demographics
- 52% of consumers shopped secondhand apparel in 2022
- One in three Gen Z consumers bought secondhand clothing in 2022
- 63% of millennials and Gen Z prefer to buy from sustainable brands
- 74% of consumers prefer shopping for brands that offer secondhand options
- The average resale shopper saved $75 per secondhand purchase
- The average resale shopper buys 7 items per year secondhand
- 62% of retail executives said resale increased customer loyalty
- 88% of Gen Z prefer brands that help them reduce environmental impact
- 55% of consumers believe buying secondhand is more socially acceptable than five years ago
- 62% of Gen Z prefer brands that let them resell clothing
- 1 in 5 items in a typical Gen Z wardrobe is secondhand
- 67% of customers say price is the main motivator for buying used clothing
- 47% of shoppers want their favorite brands to offer secondhand options
- 44 million people sold secondhand clothes in 2022
- 1 in 4 consumers say they will increase secondhand shopping in 2024
- 85% of Gen Z say sustainability impacts their purchasing decisions
- Thrift shoppers saved nearly $1.8 billion in 2022 collectively
- 38% of U.S. consumers said they have increased secondhand shopping over the past year
- 62% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with a brand that offers resale
- 48% of consumers find secondhand items as stylish as new ones
- Women account for 70% of resale shoppers
Interpretation
Once a niche for vintage lovers and bargain hunters, the secondhand clothing industry has stitched itself into the mainstream, with style-savvy, sustainability-focused shoppers—especially Gen Z and millennials—proving that pre-loved fashion is no longer just trendy, it's transformative for wallets, wardrobes, and the planet.
Digital and Online Resale Trends
- 50 million people bought secondhand clothes online for the first time in 2022
- Secondhand fast fashion is surging, with a 40% year-on-year resale of brands like Shein
- Vinted grew its active users to over 50 million across Europe and North America
- H&M launched a pilot resale platform in Sweden in 2020
- Depop users number over 30 million worldwide
- Peer-to-peer resale accounts for 16% of the secondhand apparel market
- Fashion resale platforms raise over $300 million in VC funding annually
Interpretation
As consumers click ‘buy’ on secondhand Shein tops and vintage Levi’s alike, the $300 million-a-year surge in resale platforms suggests the future of fashion may be less about trends—and more about thrift, tech, and a planet in crisis.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Buying secondhand clothing can reduce carbon emissions by an average of 25%
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing each year
- 85% of textiles discarded in the U.S. end up in landfills or incinerators
- Extending the life of clothing by just 9 months can reduce carbon, waste, and water footprints by 20–30%
- 60% of retailers plan to launch resale programs by 2025
- Secondhand clothing offsets over 1 billion pounds of CO₂ emissions annually
- Resale could help save 25 billion gallons of water annually
- 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created globally each year
- Textile production contributes 1.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually
- 45% of brands cite sustainability as a key driver for resale adoption
- EU textile consumption has the 4th highest environmental impact after food, housing, and transport
- 35% of all microplastics released into the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- The EU plans to require mandatory textile collection by 2025
- Repair and resale could cut fashion's emissions by one third
- U.S. Goodwill stores diverted 4.4 billion pounds of clothing from landfills in 2021
- Only 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
- 26 billion pounds of clothing are sent to landfills globally every year
- By 2030, resale could prevent over 240 billion pounds of textile waste
Interpretation
In a world where fashion is choking the planet one fast stitch at a time, choosing secondhand isn’t just chic—it’s a climate-saving comeback with the power to shrink emissions, save water, and rescue billions of pounds of clothing from their premature landfill graves.
Market Size and Growth
- The global secondhand apparel market was valued at $177 billion in 2022
- The secondhand apparel market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2027
- Online resale is expected to grow 21% annually from 2022 through 2027
- The resale market grew 5X faster than the broader retail clothing sector in 2022
- Secondhand clothing sales in the U.S. reached $39 billion in 2022
- U.S. resale market forecast to double to $70 billion by 2027
- The secondhand luxury market reached $37 billion in 2021
- Global exports of used clothing were valued at $4.4 billion in 2020
- The secondhand market is growing 3 times faster than the global apparel market
- Secondhand resale brings in over $1 billion in revenues for Goodwill annually
- Brick-and-mortar resale makes up about 24% of the secondhand market
- Resale shopping surged 244% since 2017
- Men’s secondhand market grew 23% in 2022, faster than women’s at 20%
- Secondhand kids’ clothing market reached $9 billion in 2022
- Resale can make up 27% of a retailer’s revenue if implemented
- Secondhand textiles now account for over 40% of global clothing sales in some markets
- The secondhand women’s apparel market is projected to double over the next five years
Interpretation
Once a symbol of thrift, secondhand fashion has stitched itself into the mainstream, growing so explosively that by 2027 your “new” outfit might just come with a past — and a profit margin.
Product Lifecycle and Clothing Reuse
- Secondhand shopping displaced 1.9 billion new clothing purchases in 2022
- The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before disposal
- Africa received about 70% of the world’s used clothing imports
- Patagonia launched its resale platform Worn Wear in 2017
- Levi’s introduced secondhand jeans through Levi’s SecondHand in 2020
- Fast fashion items appear in thrift stores within 4 weeks of being sold new
- Average resale items sell at 60% discount from original retail price
- Up to 95% of clothes thrown away could be reused or recycled
- The average lifespan of a garment has decreased by 36% over the past 15 years
Interpretation
In a world where fast fashion moves faster than conscience, secondhand shopping is staging a gritty comeback—displacing billions in new buys, spotlighting a throwaway culture that sees garments worn mere times, and tracing a trail of discarded trends from Western closets to African markets, proving that what we wear—and where it ends up—is anything but a passing style.