Cyprus-based second-hand fashion marketplace AION officially launched in late May 2026. It was founded by Aaya, a woman who moved to Cyprus from France, with the goal of giving local users a community for buying and selling second-hand clothing and accessories similar to Vinted but focused on the Cypriot market. The platform is currently entirely self-funded and has already built up registered users, active sellers, and listed items, with womenswear dominating the category mix.

Key points

  • AION was founded with Aaya's personal funding, launched in late May, is fully self-funded, and positions itself as a local second-hand fashion market for Cyprus.
  • The platform charges an 8% buyer protection fee, reviews product listings, and verifies seller identity before withdrawals.
  • Over the next year, the focus will be on expanding the user base, increasing the number of listed items, optimizing the app based on feedback, and planning to launch AI tools and more partnerships.

After moving from France to Cyprus, Aaya found that many people around her complained there was no platform like Vinted on the island. She saw a large number of similar discussions on social media, and combined with her own desire to build an independent project, the idea for AION was born. She had also sold goods at flea markets and vintage fairs, and that experience made her realize that while the human interaction of offline bargain hunting is fun, running a stall requires paying stall fees, spending hours loading, unloading, and setting up, and investing a whole day. That led her to think: why not move that experience onto a phone so people can buy and sell anytime, anywhere?

In Cyprus, general marketplaces such as Bazaraki and Facebook Marketplace are widely used, but Aaya believes they have never truly considered the needs of the fashion category. She also tried international resale platforms but found shipping costs to be a major pain point. Unlike Vinted, which connects millions of users across Europe, AION serves a much smaller local community and emphasizes local delivery, easily reachable customer service, and close ties with users. Aaya said that as a local platform, the team can more easily respond to user questions, collect feedback, and provide personalized help.

On trust mechanisms, AION has set an 8% buyer protection fee, reviews product information, and requires sellers to complete identity verification before withdrawing funds. Aaya explained that they do not want to set fees too high; the goal is to keep the platform accessible and attractive to users while covering transaction costs and, when necessary, compensation costs. Looking ahead, she hopes to introduce verified user badges and offer authentication services for luxury goods.

Aaya believes that attitudes toward second-hand fashion in Cyprus are gradually changing, with growing attention to environmental issues and sustainable consumption. She also mentioned that more international residents who already have a strong second-hand culture are moving in and influencing the island, helping change perceptions of second-hand fashion. Sustainability is one of AION's core values — the fashion industry has a significant environmental impact, and extending the life of clothing is one of the simplest ways to promote more responsible consumption. Every item resold means one less item discarded and one more opportunity to reduce unnecessary waste.

Building a company from scratch, understanding a new market in an unfamiliar country, and creating a platform are, in Aaya's eyes, the biggest challenges and also her proudest achievements. Over the next 12 months, AION's main goals are to continue growing the community, increase the number of items listed on the platform, build closer relationships with users, and continuously improve the app based on feedback, launch new features and AI tools, and expand more partnerships. In the longer term, she hopes AION will become Cyprus's leading second-hand fashion marketplace, with an active and strong community of buyers and sellers, and be recognized as a local success story that is "built in Cyprus, for Cyprus." The AION app is currently available on the Play Store.

Source: Cyprus start up AION aims to become island’s home for second-hand fashion · Originally published on 2026-10-13