The secondhand apparel market is still booming, and a report released Wednesday by ThredUp projects the industry will be worth $367 billion worldwide by 2029.
The 2025 Resale Report, conducted by retail analytics firm GlobalData, revealed that secondhand shopping in the United States grew more in 2024 than it had since 2021. The 14% increase was five times that of the broader retail clothing market.
Meanwhile, tariffs and other Trump administration policies could push the sector higher, as 59% of consumers said they would seek cheaper alternatives if apparel becomes more expensive. Among millennials, that figure was 69%.
The data was based on a survey of 3,034 Americans over age 18, a survey of 50 top fashion companies, and market size and growth estimates.
"As consumers are increasingly thinking secondhand first, the retail industry is adopting powerful new pathways for resale," ThredUp CEO James Reinhart said. "From the integration of social commerce and innovative AI applications to the establishment of trade organizations and interfacing with government — it's clear why resale is seeing accelerated growth and has such a promising growth trajectory."
The Oakland, California-based resale giant also noted the growth of the online secondhand apparel market, which climbed 23% in 2024, its second straight year of expansion and highest figure since 2021. It expects this market to almost double by 2029 and reach $40 billion.
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Furthermore, millennials and Generation Zers plan to spend 46% of their apparel budgets on secondhand items over the next year. Overall, that figure is 34%.
The industry may be propelled by this eco-conscious base. These younger generations are more active than older age cohorts when it comes to issues related to the changing climate, according to the Pew Research Center, and secondhand shopping backs environmental conservation.
The circular economy — in which development occurs without waste and pollution, materials and products are reused, and nature is restored — benefits the planet, wildlife, and humans. It can even put money back in our pockets, lowering costs by cutting the need for new manufacturing as well as the resources, energy, and transportation required to make those products and then ship them around the globe.
Selling or trading in your clothes when they've reached the end of their usefulness to you can net you $100 annually — just as much as you can save by replacing half of your new purchases each year with thrifted gems.
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