The fashion industry has been hit since the pandemic started. Retailers have filed for bankruptcy, independent retailers have been closed, even if they don't shutter their doors, brick-and - mortar stores have benefited financially from the months they've been forced to keep locked. However, the resale industry is one of the few areas that flourished during this period.
In the past few years, online distribution sites and secondhand stores have had promising signs. Resales were up 25 times higher than retail in 2019, with 62 million people purchasing second hand goods in 2019 than 56 million in 2018 and 44 million in 2017, according to the 2020 Resale Study by thredUP. This rise was not slowed down by the pandemic.
Some of this is due to the pandemic of shopping in actual life with most retailers and physical stores close their doors and, thus, push consumers to shop online. "Although all fashion is affected by the pandemic, consumers still shop second-hand, especially at online retailers; although businesses have reopened, most clients still feel safe to shop from their own homes," said Charles Gorra, Chief Executive Officer and Rebag 's founder.
The quarantine, which led many people to visit shopping sites in their spare time, was another factor. "Online resale has provided an exciting way for people to buy from home as they continuously arrive" says thredUP vice president of digital marketing Erin Wallace.