March 7th, 2024, Lesley Simeon
The market for second-hand products may have taken an upwards turn as inflation has grown over the past two years and apps enabling the sale of these goods have also proliferated. So now that’s it’s easier than ever to find a buyer for your old clothes, decoration or sports gear, how do people today prefer to buy used goods?
In a survey of 17 international markets, we asked consumers how they are more likely to buy second-hand items - online or offline?
According to our poll, over four in 10 consumers who would buy second-hand products (43%) say they’re more likely to do so offline. But there is a split, with nearly two in five (39%) saying they’d be more likely to shop online. A further one in five (19%) aren’t sure.
Among consumers who say they are likely to buy second-hand products online, Germans lead (61%), followed by Hong Kongers (57%) and the French (48%).
Americans are the least likely across markets (26%) to say they are likely to buy second-hand products online. Indians (29%) are in a three percentage-point lead over bottom placed Americans.
As for shopping for second-hand items offline, Indians lead (62%), followed by Mexicans (57%) and Indonesians (56%). In Europe, Italians (39%) are the most likely to say they would buy second-hand products offline.
In the US, consumers are more likely to buy second-hand products offline (50%) than online. In Great Britain, it is the opposite - Brits say they’re more likely to buy second-hand items online (45%) than offline (37%) and they are helped in this by vibrant digital marketplaces like Depop, Vestiaire, Vinted and eBay. As for consumers in the UAE, offline channels are preferred over online channels (47% vs. 39%) when it comes to buying second-hand products.
In Poland, consumers lean heavily towards online (40%) than offline (29%). In Sweden, shoppers are slightly more likely to prefer offline over online (42% vs 37%).
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