Key takeaways

• With more households moving toward resale and buy-back options, the U.S. online resale market is projected to reach $40 billion by 2029
• Nearly half (47%) of consumers consider resale value when buying apparel
• Resale app downloads jumped 18% in Q1 2025
• 47% of people say they’re more likely to make a first-time purchase with a brand that offers trade-in credit, and 32% of secondhand shoppers bought directly from brands in 2025
• Younger generations are leading the recommerce mindset shift, with 59% of Gen Zers and 56% of Millennials planning to spend more on pre-loved goods this year

Amid ongoing pricing pressures, some consumers are increasingly turning to resale, trade-in, and buy-back programs to stretch their budgets and unlock value from items they already own. Online resale is growing rapidly, with shoppers across generations seeing “recommerce” as both a financial strategy and a lifestyle shift. As retailers expand circular programs to meet demand, consumers are discovering new value in the goods they buy.

Americans are stretching their budgets — and looking for ways to get more from what they already own. Although inflation has cooled slightly, more than half of people (54%) say the cost of living rose in 2025, keeping financial pressures front and center for many. As prices remain high on everything from groceries to gadgets, consumers may be focused on finding value where they can — and discovering there may be money sitting in their closets, toy bins, and storage units. And with this, the circular economy is moving into the mainstream, with resale apps and retailer buy-back programs emerging as a clever lifeline for people to reclaim value on goods they own but no longer use.

Buy now, sell later

Online resale in the U.S. is growing 13% annually and is expected to nearly double to $40 billion by 2029.¹ Increasingly people are seeing resale as a standard — and savvy— approach to shopping. In fact, 47% of consumers consider resale value to be an important factor in purchasing new apparel.²

Along with creating a new revenue stream for consumers and retailers alike, the change has some added benefits for brands — including leading to customer acquisition and building brand loyalty while potentially helping satisfy sustainability demands. Nearly half of consumers (47%) say they’re more likely to make a first-time purchase with a brand if they offer shopping credit for trading in used apparel, and in 2025, almost a third (32%) of shoppers who purchased second-hand items bought directly from the brand.³

Concerns about tariffs on imports may be driving U.S. consumers toward used-goods platforms too, with resale apps rising 18% in overall downloads in the first quarter this year.⁴ Certain retailers like Depop and Poshmark had even more substantial upticks in their app downloads, at 68% and 28%, respectively.⁵

Read more: Wealth Watch: What Americans spent and saved in 2025

Meeting consumers where they are

As shoppers look for more value, retailers are moving quickly to meet demand. Some brands have been experimenting with circular models for years — like Patagonia’s long-running Worn Wear program, which takes back usable clothing and gear from customers and pays them an in-store credit for 25% of the MSRP of the item.⁶

This growing appetite from consumers has more brands introducing rollouts of these trade-in or buy-back programs across categories from fashion and toys to furniture. LEGO’s Brick Take Back pilot — offering e-gift credit in exchange for old bricks — grabbed headlines as an example of turning clutter into value.⁷ Meanwhile, with Americans discarding more than 12 million tons of furniture annually, IKEA’s Buy Back & Resell initiative is tapping into consumers’ desires to both give used goods a second life and get a real return on what they bought years ago.⁸

Purpose-driven brands can hold unique appeal for consumers — one study reports more than three in five (62%) consumers prefer to do business with a brand that supports a social cause that is important to them.⁹

Read more: Money meets lifestyle: Americans prioritize meaningful purchases this holiday season

The “recommerce” mindset

According to Ebay’s 2025 Recommerce Report, the concept has evolved from an alternative way to shop to a conscious lifestyle choice, with Gen Zers and Millennials helping to build a culture around the mindset.¹⁰ This year, 59% of Gen Zers and 56% of Millennials intended to increase their spending on pre-loved goods, and 35% of all consumers now buy pre-loved goods monthly or more often.¹¹ E-commerce site Depop has helped evolve buying and selling pre-owned fashion into a social activity, with Gen Z and younger Millennials uploading some 400,000 items for resale daily.¹²

Luxury shoppers share the recommerce mindset. For some, the goal is to be able to buy and enjoy an item and then sell to get a sizeable portion of their money back. With certain luxury pieces, people are even making a profit in the secondhand market — sometimes a significant one. Bags, in particular, are treated almost as a financial asset. Luxury secondhand retailer Fashionphile reports that its top-shopped bag of the year, the Louis Vuitton Speedy that retails new for around $1,920 and up—is selling on their site for anywhere from $615 to $12,875, depending on the age, style, condition, size, and other factors.¹³

Read more: Are dupes the new quiet luxury?

What’s next

What started as a sustainability-led trend is gaining traction as a meaningful source of value for both consumers and retailers. As more brands build these take-back and resale programs into their business models, consumers stand to benefit from continuing to buy into the chance of an unexpected return on their investments.