This chapter provides an in-depth discussion of the disruptive nature of reselling technologies. The collaborative consumption movement, a popular emerging trend, encourages consumers to live in a more collective, sharing economy. This is where we can discuss the disruptive nature of the reselling technologies, particularly as they impact the fashion industry, prompting an explosion of vintage/second-hand retailing. Secondary market behaviors such as reselling, recycling, gifting, swapping, and reusing are becoming the most significantly growing consumer segments. The notion of a rotating wardrobe has been increasingly frequently accepted. This is especially prominent with younger consumers like Generation Z, who would consider spending more money on sustainably produced and delivered products while showing a strong preference for switching to brands with sustainable initiatives. Mobile apps and personalization have made buying used products as easy as buying new ones.
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Climate change and growing inequality accompanied the arrival of the twenty-first century, both results of a capitalism paradigm centred on rivalry among economic participants and over-exploitation of human and environmental resources (Juge, Pomiès, & Collin-Lachaud, 2021; Klein, 2019; Latour, 2015; Piketty, 2013). And over the last two decades, increasing consumer awareness of the adverse environmental impacts caused by fashion clothing consumption has given momentum to sustainability-driven initiatives that seek to minimise clothing waste (Peña-Vinces, Solakis, & Guillen, 2020). Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental effects of clothing production (Kumar, Prakash, & Kumar, 2021; Lee, 2011; Mohr, Fuxman, & Mahmoud, 2021; Paço, Leal Filho, Ávila, & Dennis, 2020). Thus, it is becoming more critical to understand how people buy clothes that are not new yet ready to wear (Clark, 2008; Cooper, Woodward, Hiller, & Goworek, 2008; Norum & Norton, 2017). Understanding consumer desire for new clothes is critical for fashion brands, educators, and government agencies; nevertheless, the relative scarcity of research about demand, consumption, distribution, and post consumption of used clothing limits the available information about the whole second-hand fashion industry (Norum & Norton, 2017). Used clothing marketplaces are not immune to causing adverse environmental effects (Sandin & Peters, 2018; Valor, Ronda, & Abril, 2022). However, they are widely recognised as a critical strategy for minimising the harmful impacts of textile waste production (Dahlbo, Aalto, Eskelinen, & Salmenperä, 2017; Valor et al., 2022). Whilst, second-hand clothes are not always cheap (Financial Times, 2021), many people purchase used apparel in an effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle (Chi, Ganak, Summers, Adesanya, McCoy, Liu, & Tai, 2021; Kumar & Yadav, 2021). Consumers often purchase used products to replenish their wardrobes with distinctive and affordable pieces (Cervellon, Carey, & Harms, 2012; Guiot & Roux, 2010; Machado, Almeida, Bollick, & Bragagnolo, 2019). They are pressuring clothing firms to increase their commitment to sustainability, which will affect sales growth projections for second-hand apparel products (Mohr et al., 2021; Roy, Silvestre, & Singh, 2020; Todeschini, Cortimiglia, Callegaro-de-Menezes, & Ghezzi, 2017). According to ThredUp’s (2021) recent research, the overall resale market for used clothing might reach $77 billion by 2025, up from $32 billion in 2020 and $11 billion in 2012. Younger shoppers — some motivated by environmental concerns, others by a desire to save money — are embracing second-hand fashion at a higher rate than any other demographic (Financial Times, 2021). Second-hand clothing or second-hand clothing marketplaces are promoted in the fashion industry as an effective solution to reduce the environmental repercussions of the business, including textile waste (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, & Lang, 2015; Farrant, Olsen, & Wangel, 2010; Fortuna & Diyamandoglu, 2017; Hole & Hole, 2020; Mohr et al., 2021; Sohn, Nielsen, Birkved, Joanes, & Gwozdz, 2021; Valor et al., 2022).