I often get asked if resale as a category has hit the mainstream. People want to know if it's had its breakout moment yet. Has it “arrived”? The answer is...sort of. Let me explain.

The truth is more people are shopping secondhand than ever before. In fact, one in three women shopped secondhand last year. Not just at thredUP or in apparel, but across all categories, consumers are shopping smarter and thinking secondhand first. And the number of people who are trying secondhand for the first time is rapidly increasing. 70% of new customers who shopped on thredUP were first-time resale shoppers. 70%!

There is a powerful transformation of the modern closet happening and resale is a key driver.

Resale as a category isn’t alone. The modern consumer now has a choice between shopping traditional retail or trying new, innovative business models. New apparel experiences and brands are emerging at record rates to replace old ones. Rental, subscription, resale, direct-to-consumer, and more. The closet of the future is going to look very different from the closet of today. When you get that perfectly curated assortment from Stitch Fix, or subscribe to Rent the Runway’s everyday service, or find that killer handbag on thredUP you never could have afforded new, you start realizing how much your preferences and behavior is changing.