The global second-hand market transaction value has surpassed $500 billion, with Italy's second-hand economy reaching €27.2 billion, accounting for 1.2% of the country's GDP. Of this, 71% of buying and selling is completed online, with clothing and accessories being the main category.

Key Points

  • Estimates for 2026 from consulting and research firm The Business Research Company show that the global second-hand market is worth over $500 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.6% compared to 2025, and revenue is expected to reach $854 billion by 2030.
  • Data from ThredUp's "2026 Resale Report" shows that the clothing segment alone is worth approximately $289 billion this year and is expected to grow by another $100 billion by 2030; since 2021, the value of the second-hand clothing market has doubled.
  • The "2025 Second-Hand Economy" survey conducted by Ipsos Doxa for Subito shows that Italy's second-hand market is worth €27.2 billion, accounting for 1.2% of GDP, with 71% of transactions taking place online; more than half of respondents use the second-hand market as a starting point for shopping, and about half of luxury consumers check the second-hand market before buying new items.

Online Resale Becomes the Main Driver

The success of apps such as Lithuania's Vinted and France's Vestiaire Collective, along with foot traffic at local second-hand markets, shows that second-hand trading has firmly established itself both economically and in terms of image. The "low quality" label and social prejudice that once surrounded second-hand goods are gradually being broken down.

ThredUp's report reflects a significant change over the past six years: since 2021, the value of the second-hand clothing market has doubled. This growth stems from rational motivations—saving money and sustainability—while online sales are the main driving force.

Vintage and Luxury Form Their Own Segments

The second-hand market is not equivalent to "used"; it also includes overlapping subcategories such as vintage and luxury. The two concepts are different: "vintage" refers to items that are at least 20 years old and can be traced to a specific period based on aesthetic or historical-cultural value, while "second-hand" simply means an item has already had a previous owner. Usually, buying vintage clothing also means buying a second-hand item, because due to its age, it has likely already belonged to someone else.

Vintage fashion holds an important place in the second-hand market. Generation Z in particular has brought back the aesthetics of the 1990s and early 2000s, a sentiment that can be called collective nostalgia: people seek style inspiration from Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and Brad Pitt as they were in their twenties, pursue furniture that evokes the atmosphere of the Friends living room, and have rediscovered an interest in Polaroid photos. According to data provided by Ipsos Doxa for Subito, vintage fashion in Italy saw an explosion in 2025, ranking first in both seller and buyer preferences for second-hand clothing.

However, separate data for vintage second-hand goods is difficult to isolate, because global reports and national surveys usually combine it with overall second-hand market data; in addition, a considerable portion of vintage transactions still takes place through physical stores and local markets, making it more complicated to compile a separate figure.

For the used clothing trade, this set of data confirms the fundamental trend of continued expansion in the resale market: online platforms are the main growth channel; although the luxury and vintage segments are not yet statistically independent, they have become important entry points driving overall second-hand consumption, especially among Generation Z.

Source: Second-hand: the second-hand market worth over 500 billion dollars · Originally published on 2026-10-08