From thrift to taste: Resale is reshaping how South Korean consumers shop

South Korean consumers are increasingly embracing secondhand shopping, moving beyond fast fashion and fleeting trends. For Gen Z, the focus is shifting from traditional retail to "digging" through secondhand platforms and shops to find pieces that align with their personal style. This trend is fueled by rising living costs and a growing emphasis on value-driven spending, propelling the resale market from the fringes into the mainstream.

The numbers illustrate this significant shift. The Hana Institute of Finance estimates South Korea's re-commerce market will surge from 4 trillion won (approximately $3.48 billion) in 2008 to 43 trillion won by 2025. Surveys consistently show that lower prices are the main reason consumers opt for used goods. A study by Embrain found that 78 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 13 to 59 had bought or sold used clothing, with 62 percent viewing secondhand apparel as a normal purchasing option.

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We put products through condition inspections and classify them into five grades. Offering authenticated, like-new secondhand products at reasonable prices generated word of mouth and helped bring in new customers.

Globally, the secondhand apparel market is also experiencing rapid growth, projected by Research and Markets to more than double from about $199 billion in 2025 to $486 billion by 2031. Companies are now managing the entire resale process, from item collection and inspection to pricing, cleaning, and delivery, significantly enhancing reliability compared to earlier peer-to-peer transactions. A fashion industry official noted a growing perception that secondhand shopping is not just about saving money during economic downturns but about investing in personal taste, establishing a new consumption model that extends the lifespan of clothing.

This burgeoning market has spurred fashion companies to expand their resale services. Musinsa's "Musinsa Used" platform, launched in September, has seen its transaction volume increase tenfold and its seller base grow 30-fold in the first half of 2026. A Musinsa official attributed this success to rigorous condition inspections, a five-grade classification system, and the offering of authenticated, like-new secondhand products at competitive prices. Kolon FnC's "OLO Relay Market" has expanded its brand offerings from 19 to 176, with transaction volume quadrupling in the first half of 2026 compared to the latter half of 2022. LF's "L-Re Market" has broadened its selection to approximately 170 brands, and Hyundai and Lotte Department Stores have also entered the resale arena with services like "Buy Back" and "Green Reward."

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There is a growing perception that secondhand shopping goes beyond recession-driven consumption and is about spending on one’s own taste. It will establish itself as a new way of consuming fashion that extends the useful life of clothing.