Demand for buying pre-owned fashion is strong and rising, according to eBay’s just-released fourth annual ‘Recommerce Report’.

Published to promote the resale giant’s inaugural ‘Recommerce Day’ “to help drive awareness and interest in re-commerce”, eBay said pre-owned and refurbished now makes up 40% of its gross merchandise volume (GMV) globally. What’s more, its UK market leads the way.

The global report has found that while 59% of international consumers bought pre-owned goods in the last year, more than 70% of consumers surveyed plan to buy them this year. 

Additionally, consumers aged 18-24 are most likely to have bought pre-owned goods in the last 12 months (65%).

It added that nearly half of consumers surveyed agree that shopping for pre-owned is ‘in’ for 2024. Meanwhile the number of sold clothing, shoes and accessories with “thrifted” in the description increased by over 400% in March 2024 vs March 2023.

More than two-thirds (64%) of respondents said buying pre-owned goods had become more important to them in recent years and 81% of respondents agreed that buying pre-owned products had become more common in recent years.

For its UK-specific market, 47% of its pre-owned items purchased were apparel (clothes, shoes, accessories). Some 85% of UK respondents said they have purchased pre-owned goods in the past 12 months, outpacing the global trend.

Nearly half (45%) choose to buy pre-owned goods to save money “so they can prioritise other areas to splurge in and/or if they are looking for a specific item they cannot find in a new condition”.

Over half (51%) said sustainability is very important to them when it comes to buying pre-owned with 94% overall saying it was “very important or somewhat important”.

And 76% of respondents agree that sustainability is becoming more crucial to buyers every year while 52% agree that they have increased how much they buy online because of the pandemic.