Used Clothing: From Neglected Closet to Billion-Dollar Trade

This trade is linked to consumers' desire to save and reduce spending due to the high cost of living, while at the same time, reselling provides an opportunity to turn existing clothing into a source of income.

The experience of British youth Sam Locker (27 years old) embodies this transformation, as he began in 2023 by purchasing used 'Ralph Lauren' jackets through the specialized 'Depop' platform for 10 British pounds per piece.

Locker resold the pieces that did not fit his size through the same platform, discovering that the difference between the purchase price and its original price, which exceeds 150 pounds, yields a substantial profit, prompting him to expand and professionalize this trade.

Locker did not leave his marketing job immediately, but managed his business in the evening hours, and as his activity expanded to include selling famous brands such as 'Carhartt' and 'Patagonia', he noticed that the profits he made at night exceeded his daytime job salary, encouraging him to resign and fully dedicate himself to the project.

Locker now sells between 10 and 15 pieces daily, generating monthly revenues ranging between 6,000 and 10,000 British pounds, after transitioning to self-employment and organizing his inventory in numbered boxes, and enlisting his mother's help to steam the clothes.

Locker's success is linked to the overall pride of the resale market, as the 'Vinted' platform - the most prominent European platform for trading used clothing between individuals - achieved record numbers, as the value of goods displayed on it during the past year increased by 47% to reach 10.8 billion euros, and its revenues increased by 38% to record 1.1 billion euros.

Data from 'Flick', a company specializing in wholesale clothing, revealed that 60% of sellers manage their activity full-time or seek to become professional, while 76% of full-time sellers confirmed that reselling constitutes the main source of their income.