India's second-hand clothing market is seeing a search boom. According to data disclosed in an official press release, over the past year, Google searches by Indian users for "thrifting" have climbed to an all-time high. Among them, searches for "how to thrift" rose 850%, "thrift store near me" rose 600%, and searches for "what is thrift store" surged even more, by 1,000%, while interest in "thrift meaning in Hindi" also increased, indicating that a large number of new users are encountering the concept of second-hand consumption for the first time.

Key Points

  • Over the past year, India's Google searches for "thrifting" hit a record high, with "how to thrift" up 850% and "thrift store near me" up 600%
  • Users in cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, and Dehradun concentrated their searches on second-hand stores, while interest spiked in Guwahati and Jaipur
  • Over the past month, searches for vintage jerseys, saris, T-shirts, jackets, and bags rose sharply, and over the past year, searches for "circular fashion" increased 2,500%

Source: Thrifting takes off in India as Google searches for second-hand fashion surge - The Times of India · Originally published on 2026-10-01