Buying used clothes stopped being a niche habit well before 2026. What changed between 2025 and 2026 is that the numbers began to show resale taking spending that would otherwise go to new clothing. ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report, published in early April 2026, says the US secondhand market grew nearly four times faster than the broader retail clothing market in 2025.
Company results, a $1.2 billion acquisition and a change in how the government measures prices all point the same way. Here is what each one shows, where the counter-signals are, and what the shift means if you shop resale or sell from your own closet.
Trend Signal
74/100 Strong momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Resale platforms growing about 20% while new apparel stalls
The RealReal grew GMV 22% and ThredUp grew revenue 17% in the second quarter of 2026, and ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report estimates global secondhand apparel grew 13% in 2025 while new apparel sales were nearly flat.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- 13%Global secondhand apparel growth in 2025, per ThredUp’s 2026 Resale ReportYahoo Finance
- +22%The RealReal gross merchandise value, Q2 2026 vs Q2 2025, to $617 millionThe RealReal
- 1.77MThredUp active buyers in Q2 2026, up 21% year over yearThredUp
- $1.2BPrice eBay agreed to pay Etsy for Depop; the deal closed July 30, 2026eBay SEC filing
Resale is growing while new apparel stalls
ThredUp’s annual report put global secondhand apparel growth at 13% in 2025 and described new apparel sales as nearly flat. In the US, it says secondhand grew nearly four times faster than retail clothing overall. ThredUp co-founder James Reinhart summed up the finding: “Resale is no longer just growing, it’s taking direct market share.”
The report also makes a forecast: it expects the US secondhand apparel market to grow about 7.3% a year on average through the end of the decade. Treat that as ThredUp’s projection, not a measurement. The more useful finding for shoppers is its view that the supply of secondhand goods, not consumer demand, is resale’s primary constraint. We read that as the reason the best pieces sell quickly and why platforms keep courting sellers.
Discovery is moving too. According to the report, 46% of shoppers find resale items through social feeds, content creators and in-person browsing, and 48% said they use AI shopping tools at some point while shopping secondhand.
The platforms’ own numbers
Public resale companies report the trend every quarter. The RealReal, which runs a consignment marketplace, posted gross merchandise value of $617 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 22% from a year earlier and its fourth straight quarter of GMV growth above 20%. Its average order value rose 13% to $659, and trailing twelve-month active buyers rose 11% to 1,107,000. It raised its full-year GMV outlook to $2.535 billion to $2.565 billion.
ThredUp reported record quarterly revenue of $90.8 million, up 17%, with active buyers up 21% to 1.77 million and orders up 22% to 1.87 million. Its gross margin was 79.9%, and adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.8 million from $3.0 million a year earlier.
| Company | Q2 2026 metric | Change vs Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| The RealReal | GMV, $617 million | +22% |
| The RealReal | Average order value, $659 | +13% |
| The RealReal | Active buyers (trailing 12 months), 1.107 million | +11% |
| ThredUp | Revenue, $90.8 million | +17% |
| ThredUp | Active buyers, 1.77 million | +21% |
| ThredUp | Orders, 1.87 million | +22% |
The RealReal and ThredUp both grew by double digits in the same quarter.
Big platforms are consolidating
The clearest sign that resale is now a core retail business came from eBay. In February 2026 it agreed to buy Depop, a consumer-to-consumer fashion marketplace with a highly engaged Gen Z and millennial audience, from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash. The deal closed on July 30, 2026, with eBay paying $1.4 billion including preliminary purchase price adjustments. eBay says the purchase strengthens its leadership in circular fashion and recommerce.
eBay is also investing in trust, the main friction in buying used. In its second-quarter 2026 results, eBay said it had expanded its Authenticity Guarantee to more than 100 fashion brands in the US and UK and integrated Enquirus, a global database of registered luxury watches, across the US, UK and Germany. Programs like these target the counterfeit worry that keeps some buyers away from used designer goods.
eBay also reported that its recommerce generated $5.3 billion in what it calls positive economic impact in 2025, a company-calculated figure rather than a sales total. The direction is what matters for shoppers: a general marketplace the size of eBay has bought a fashion resale specialist and is adding authentication, rather than leaving used clothing to niche apps.
The government now counts secondhand
The quietest signal may be the strongest. As of early 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics began including secondhand apparel in its Consumer Price Index pricing sample, according to a May 2026 Monthly Labor Review article by Sarah A. Van Giezen. The article explains how BLS handles both donation-based thrift stores and resale stores, where the previous owner receives a portion of the proceeds; yard sales and private sales stay out of the sample.
The article lays out the growth behind the change. Census data show used merchandise stores had sales of $24.3 billion in 2022, up from $14.7 billion in 2012 and $5.6 billion in 1992. Citing eBay’s 2024 Recommerce Report, it notes that more than 20% of both millennials and Gen Z were buying secondhand clothes each month in 2024. Secondhand still accounted for only 0.8% of apparel spending in BLS expenditure data from late 2016 to late 2019, though secondhand stores would have made up 1.5% of women’s apparel in the CPI sample in 2021, up from 0.0% in 2009.
When the CPI starts pricing thrift stores, resale is no longer a side channel.
Counter-signals, and how to shop the shift
Growth is not uniform. ThredUp beat its own expectations in the second quarter but still updated its guidance for the second half of 2026 to reflect what Reinhart called “ongoing economic uncertainty affecting the most price-sensitive buyers in our marketplace.” Its full-year revenue outlook of $344.4 million to $348.4 million amounts to 11% growth at the midpoint by ThredUp’s own count, slower than its 17% second quarter. The supply constraint named in the Resale Report also caps how fast the category can grow.
For shoppers, the practical effects are more choice, more authentication and more competition for the best items. Check condition grades, measurements and return windows on every listing, since a used garment’s fit depends on its history, not only its size tag. For sellers, the supply squeeze is useful: platforms that are short of good inventory have every reason to make listing easier.
What to watch next
- Whether The RealReal reaches its raised 2026 GMV outlook of $2.535 billion to $2.565 billion when it reports full-year results
- How eBay runs Depop after the July 30, 2026 close, including whether Authenticity Guarantee reaches Depop listings
- ThredUp’s third-quarter 2026 active-buyer count, the first read on whether price-sensitive shoppers pulled back as its guidance warned
Where to start
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Gear for buying and selling secondhand clothes
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Handheld garment steamer | Fits refreshing thrifted pieces | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Electric fabric shaver | Fits pilled knits | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Sneaker cleaning kit | Fits sneaker resale prep | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Handheld garment steamer
Where to look: Amazon
Steaming is a quick way to make a thrifted piece wearable, or a listing photo look presentable. Check tank size and heat-up time.
- Relaxes creases without an ironing board
- Helps listing photos look cared for
- Less crisp than an iron on cotton shirts
- Small tanks need refilling
Electric fabric shaver
Where to look: Amazon
Pilling is a common flaw on used knitwear. A shaver with an adjustable guard handles most sweaters; try it on a hidden seam first.
- Removes pills from sweaters and fleece
- Compact rechargeable models are common
- Can snag loose or delicate knits
- Blades dull over time
Sneaker cleaning kit
Where to look: Amazon
Clean shoes look better in listing photos. Match the cleaner to the upper material before you start.
- Brush and cleaner in one set
- Improves condition in listing photos
- Not every cleaner suits suede
- Deep stains may not lift
More: Fashion and Apparel trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report sees secondhand outpacing apparel — Yahoo Finance
- US resale market expected to surpass $78B — Retail Dive
- US resale market expected to surpass $78B, with ThredUp comment — Yahoo Finance
- ThredUp Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results — GlobeNewswire
- The RealReal Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results — PR Newswire
- eBay Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results, Exhibit 99.1 — SEC filing
- Turning thrifty: incorporating secondhand apparel into the CPI — Monthly Labor Review, BLS
Questions readers ask
Is the secondhand clothing market still growing in 2026?
Yes, on the evidence available as of September 2026. The RealReal’s gross merchandise value rose 22% and ThredUp’s revenue rose 17% in the second quarter of 2026, and ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report estimates global secondhand apparel grew 13% in 2025.
Does the Consumer Price Index include thrift stores?
Since early 2025, yes. A May 2026 Monthly Labor Review article says BLS began including secondhand apparel in its CPI pricing sample; it treats thrift-store sales as within the CPI’s scope and excludes yard sales and private sales.
Who owns Depop now?
eBay. It agreed in February 2026 to buy Depop from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash and closed the deal on July 30, 2026, according to its second-quarter 2026 results filed with the SEC.
What is holding resale back?
ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report says the supply of secondhand goods, not consumer demand, is the main constraint. ThredUp also adjusted its second-half 2026 outlook, citing economic uncertainty among the most price-sensitive buyers.
