Second-hand shopping has come a long way from the Saturday charity shop rummage. According to eBay's newly published 2026 Recommerce Report, buying pre-loved is fast becoming part of people's normal routine, with nearly half of shoppers now picking up second-hand items at least once a month. 

The findings line up with what plenty of independent shop owners are already noticing in conversations with customers, and they raise useful questions about what people now expect from new products too. 

What did eBay's 2026 Recommerce Report find? 

The headline figure is frequency. In eBay's survey, 47% of consumers said they buy second-hand goods at least once a month, up from 35% the year before. Around three quarters (76%) had bought something second-hand in the past 12 months, and 89% expect to spend the same or more on pre-loved goods next year. 

Budgets are a big part of the picture. 70% of respondents said second-hand shopping is important for managing their household finances, and 28% described it as very important. eBay's chief executive Jamie Iannone said the report shows recommerce's role in people's lives "is only growing", pointing to more than two billion live listings on the platform. 

Why are more shoppers choosing second-hand? 

Saving money is the obvious driver, but it isn't the whole story. The report also points to choice and discovery, the thrill of finding something nobody else has, alongside sustainability. 83% of those surveyed agreed that recommerce has real environmental benefits, and 54% said they value the community side of buying and selling second-hand. 

The UK has been at the front of this shift for a while. Last year's edition of the eBay report found British shoppers were the most active globally when it came to second-hand, with clothing the most popular category and refurbished tech growing quickly behind it. Big retailers have clearly noticed, with IKEA preparing its own UK resale marketplace for IKEA Family members. 

Is Gen Z driving the shift to second-hand? 

Younger shoppers are leading the way. In eBay's research, 53% of 18 to 29 year olds said they expect to buy more second-hand products over the next 12 months, compared with 36% of consumers overall. 

For anyone tracking Gen Z consumer retail trends in 2026, this fits a wider pattern. Gen Z grew up with Vinted and Depop on their phones, and pre-loved fashion, retro homeware and nostalgic collectables feel like a style choice to them rather than a compromise.  

We've looked at how Gen Z's nostalgia is rewriting retail's future, and the same appetite for character and uniqueness shows up here. 

Does second-hand growth threaten independent retailers? 

Every pound spent on a pre-loved jacket or a vintage lamp is a pound not spent on new stock, and fashion and homeware are the categories where that competition is most direct. 

But look at why people say they're buying second-hand. Value, quality, uniqueness, a sense of community and a lighter environmental footprint are all things independent retailers can offer on new products as well. Shoppers aren't really turning their backs on new, they're turning their backs on disposable, and that's a space where independents tend to do far better than fast fashion or big-box homeware.  

Our conversations with home and interiors retailers suggest sustainability is still selling, just with more emphasis on quality and value than eco claims on their own. 

How can independent retailers respond to the recommerce boom? 

The most straightforward move is to buy for longevity. Products that are well made, repairable and likely to hold their value are easier to sell to a customer who's used to thinking about resale, and the story behind how something is made gives you a reason to charge for it. That goes for fashion as much as interiors, and it's one reason craftsmanship and natural materials keep coming through in the SS27 trends from London Fashion Week. 

Some shops are going further and bringing second-hand in-house, whether that's a small curated vintage rail, a consignment corner for local makers' pre-loved pieces or a take-back scheme on their own products. Garden retailers are well placed here too, as reclaimed planters, vintage-style tools and upcycled outdoor pieces sit naturally alongside new stock, especially now garden and terrace ranges sell year-round. 

The 54% who value community are worth thinking about as well. Clothes swaps, repair workshops or a "bring back your old one" event give people a reason to visit the shop that a resale app can't match. And gift retailers, leaning into longer-lasting, eco-friendly gifting gives conscious shoppers a new alternative to second-hand when they're buying for  

Second-hand isn't going away, and eBay's figures suggest it's only becoming more routine for shoppers of every age. For independent retailers, the opportunity is less about competing with resale and more about stocking the kind of products people would actually want to keep, or pass on. 

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