Gen Z’s pre-loved fashion drive: Sustaining momentum

By Kirsty Keoghan, GM of Global Fashion at eBay

Pre-loved fashion is officially ‘in’, with an estimated millions of Gen Z shopping for pre-loved fashion every month.^[1] These cost-savvy and eco-conscious younger generations are spearheading a seismic shift towards pre-loved fashion.

But what drives Gen Z to turn to pre-loved fashion? Sustainability and saving money are major factors. Gen Z faces a higher cost of living than previous generations and as a result, are budget savvy: 50 percent say they save money to splurge later^[2]. We’re also aware that this can drive shoppers to gravitate towards ‘ultra’ fast fashion, which offers cost savings and rapid access to new fashion.

Knowing that pre-loved fashion can be good value and better for the environment, we made it our mission to shift perceptions and attract younger generations to the power of pre-loved. Our partnership with Love Island, a Gen Z favourite, in 2022 gave us a platform for putting pre-loved fashion into the mainstream.

Since then, we’ve seen a genuine impact: 65 percent of Gen Z actively seek out pre-loved fashion, an 18 percent increase from 2022 when the partnership began. The key is challenging the perception that you must turn to brand-new fashion to keep up with trends. We’ve seen popular Love Islanders like Tasha Ghouri and Tom Clare rock super stylish vintage and pre-loved pieces. Sometimes people don’t realise just how cyclical fashion is – look at how trends like double denim and flared jeans made a comeback!

Younger generations are not just switching to buying pre-loved, they’re selling it too. Gen Z often resells to fund new purchases or simply for extra income (of which 58 percent do^[3]). The opportunity to earn extra cash is increasingly important due to high living costs and stubborn inflation – especially when the average shopper sits on £400 worth of unworn clothes^[4].

To maintain momentum for pre-loved fashion, we’re always looking at how to remove barriers to buying and selling pre-loved. For example, we listened to our customers and made it free to sell pre-loved fashion in the UK earlier this year. This will get more of the nation to sell unwanted clothes and broaden the inventory of unique pre-loved items on eBay.

We’re also making the pre-loved experience as trustworthy and seamless as possible. For example, we’re using new technologies like AI-powered listings, interactive shopping experiences with eBay Live, and digital IDs via Certilogo. This makes it as easy as possible for everyone to engage with buying and selling pre-loved fashion.

I’m continuing to focus on ensuring eBay does everything possible to enable businesses and consumers to participate in circular fashion. And it’s not just about Gen Z – we need to engage all generations on the power of pre-loved. As an industry, we are working towards the same goal and must collaborate effectively to achieve it, as there is still a long way to go – to reduce unnecessary waste and give consumers good-value fashion, which makes us feel great!

^[1] 21 percent of Gen Z shop pre-loved fashion every month, 21 percent of estimated 12 million Gen Z in the UK. eBay Recommerce Report 2024
^[2] eBay Recommerce Report 2024
^[3] eBay Recommerce Report 2024
^[4] eBay consumer research carried out by Opinium March 2024 with 2,000 nationally representative UK adults (18+)