2025 In Review - A ShakeUp for Resale

It’s been a funny year for resale. One of consolidation and change - and long overdue.

For the last few years the resale market has been viewed as an easy win for “vanity startups” and a great way for investors get some “green” credentials into their portfolios - and so the market was awash with third party money. So lots of new players entered the space with beautiful retail sites and/or fancy websites and paid influencers. But it’s easy to play with other people’s money and those businesses are now closing as the economy spirals and the costs of doing business get ever bigger. So while there is a smidgeon of schadenfreude when these players are wiped out - it tarnishes the image of resale - particularly when sellers are left with no payment and/or their items go missing.

Vinted dominated the UK low to mid market (Primark tee for 50p anyone?) but tales of lost parcels, non-existent buyer/seller protection and elaborate scams abound. And even an untrained eye can spot the deluge of counterfeit items on the site (that don’t get removed when reported). There are some fabulous sellers on Vinted though - so just take care, do your due diligence and read feedback. And for selling it’s great - but if items don’t sell within a week then they probably won’t sell at all - and be prepared for very cheeky offers.

With the surge in resale (and particularly Vinted in the UK), charity shops have suffered enormously. Many charities are closing retail spaces as they just cannot get decent stock to sell - plus they are also challenges of rising costs. Many of the pieces that were going to charity are going onto Vinted - and so many charities have been relying on tie-ups with retailers to sell end-of-line and surplus stock. Those that do get decent donations often have a very inflated pricing strategy. So even charity shop shopping has become a mixed bag (“I could get cheaper on Vinted”).

So what’s the good news??

The global secondhand market for apparel is expected to reach £238 BILLION by 2027 (in a new report by McKinsey and the Business Of Fashion). As consumers continue to opt for resale, the secondhand market is expected to grow 2-3 times faster that the first-hand market between now and then. Almost 60% of global consumers say they are likely to buy secondhand next year. So it’s all good news for resale providing resellers can provide a trusted service at a fair price point with gold-standard customer service.

And what was our story for 2025?

For us it was a big year for summer weddings - and for summer clothes in general (maybe after the dismal summer last year). Our first foray into beauty products (thanks to our A-list MUA client) was a huge success - and we’re just about to close out our second. We are still waiting for a proper cold snap to the winter and so this season so far has been about layering and handbags :)

It’s been another year where high heels and party wear generally have not been a “thing”. People just don’t seem to get dressed up so much anymore - or maybe we are still not back to the pre-pandemic partying days.

And for 2026?

Well we are praying for some cold, cold weather so we can sell the gorgeous teddy coats, duvet coats and ski jackets that we have instore. But most of all we are REALLY hoping that the economy picks up, business rates go down and that our landlord works out how we can get aircon installed before the summer!

But a huge thank you to all our wonderful buyers and sellers who have kept us in business and entertained - we really look forward to seeing you all next year and beyond. And if you haven’t tried us out yet then have a browse. I am sure you will find something to tempt you!