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Trends · M01 · Big shift · 2027 to 2028

Second Hand, First

Buying used is becoming the normal first step, not the backup plan.

By The Editor · 16 October 2026

01 · The gap

Used grows faster than new.

Growth in 2025, United States
  1. Secondhand clothing 13%
  2. All clothing retail 3.6%

Growth on the year before · Source: ThredUp 2026 Resale Report

02 · Who buys

The young lead it.

71%
of secondhand growth to 2030 will come from Gen Z and Millennials.Source: ThredUp, 14th Resale Report

03 · Brands buy back

The label sells it twice.

Worn Levi's jeans up close: faded blue denim, a cracked leather patch, a worn patch over the back pocket and a metal back buckle.
Worn jeans on the Levi's SecondHand site. In some US stores, Levi's takes back its own jeans, shorts and Trucker Jackets for a gift card of $5 to $30.Photo: Levi Strauss & Co., Levi's SecondHand

04 · The road

From backup to first stop.

  1. 2025 US secondhand clothing grows 13%.
  2. 2027 Resale still growing 2 to 3 times faster than new.
  3. 2028 Our read · Resale price read as a quality score.
  4. 2030 $393bn worldwide, about 10% of clothing spend.

Source: ThredUp 2026 Resale Report; McKinsey

05 · What brands do now

Three moves.

01 Sell it againRun your own take back or resale, or work with a platform that does.
02 Build for owner twoStrong seams, spare parts, care labels that last.
03 Watch who finds youResale buyers are future full price customers.
Sources (4)
  1. ThredUp, 2026 Resale Report (conducted by GlobalData), 2 April 2026
  2. ThredUp newsroom, "ThredUp's 14th Annual Resale Report", 2 April 2026
  3. McKinsey & Company, "The State of Fashion 2026: When the rules change"
  4. Levi's SecondHand, "Trade-In: how it works"