For Sellers who can pivot or add a sales channel, dedicated resale platforms might offer access to potential shoppers specifically looking for high-quality pre-owned and secondhand inventory–that Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, and eBay can’t.
“In the past year, we’ve already seen a surge of new buyers turn to secondhand shopping for the first time, many driven by financial pressures,” Murphy [of OfferUp] said. Of those surveyed, 58% cited shopping resale due to an increased cost of living, and 53% pointed to savings compared to buying new. The latest surge in OfferUp searches in categories like electronics and gadgets has been partly attributed to tariff-related price sensitivity.
*Tandon from Kidsy, meanwhile, said the spike in sales her company has seen is “a clear signal of how inflation and policy uncertainty are already shaping consumer behavior.”
“Since Trump’s tariffs were announced and markets took a nosedive this month, we started to see a huge surge in both orders and website traffic over the past two weeks,” Tandon said. She also said that sales are up 70% month-over-month, which the company is attributing more broadly to consumers trying to save money and actively shopping on discount platforms.*