Used Merchandise Stores Industry Profile

Companies in this industry sell used merchandise such as clothing, antiques, furniture, books, and jewelry. Major companies include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Savers, and Winmark (all based in the US), Bookoff (Japan), and Oxfam (UK).

The secondhand and resale market is forecast to reach about $351 billion by 2027, according to the annual forecast from ThredUp. About $27 billion accounts for resale and $26 billion accounts for traditional secondhand (thrift and donation), according to a CNBC report.

The used merchandise stores industry in the US includes about 20,000 stores with combined annual revenue of about $15 billion.

The industry includes resale shops, consignment shops, thrift shops, and antique stores. Excluded are stores that sell used cars, boats, trailers, and mobile homes. Pawn shops, which sell a variety of used merchandise but generate most of their revenue from interest and fees on loans, are discussed in this profile but not included in store count, revenue, or employment statistics.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Changes in consumer buying habits and an influx of new competitors and investor money are enlarging and reshaping the market for used apparel. Re-commerce companies, including the RealReal, Poshmark, and ThredUp, are forecast to account for about 20% of the clothing industry by 2031, according to RetailDive. The global secondhand apparel market will grow by nine times as compared to the broader retail clothing, according to ThredUp. Majority of Gen-Z shoppers prefer to buy ...