The irruption of electronic commerce platforms between individuals, the economic difficulties that many households are going through and the impulse of consumption fuel the growth of the second-hand market. These types of transactions have experienced a significant increase in recent years, as indicated by the figures managed by Wallapop, the leader in the sector in Spain, whose users -17 million- have grown exponentially year after year since it began its adventures ago. one of each. So has its turnover, which has tripled in the last three years.
The platform has just produced a report, together with Deloitte, to calculate the savings of accessing this type of product, and not only from an economic point of view but also from an environmental one. One of the conclusions of the study, in which 15,000 people were surveyed and 86% of the supply of physical products sold last year was taken into account, is that the average savings per user was 378 euros per year. A figure that can be much higher in certain categories. For example, “the average saving per reused car is 7,600 euros,” explains Pol Fàbrega, Wallapop’s head of sustainability.
The average discount obtained for purchasing a recycled product is 44% compared to a new product. In this sense, Fábrega points out that although the incentive of finding quality products at a more affordable price is obvious, “sustainability is increasingly present in the mind of the consumer”. And indeed, the environmental benefit is significant. The study shows that product sales through the platform saved the environment half a million tons of carbon dioxide, 20 billion liters of water, more than 22,000 tons of plastic and nearly 83,000 tons of metals (aluminum and steel ).
In the investigation, it is estimated that 56% of the products advertised on the platform would not have had a useful life if they had not changed hands, either because the owners had stored them unused, or because they had inclined to get rid of them, which that would have generated 31,000 tons of waste. Added to this is the fact that 81% of second-hand purchases prevent the acquisition of a new product, except in cases in which the user indulges in a purchase on a whim or purchases items that are no longer produced -for example , a collection of vintage comics-.
For all these reasons, more and more citizens have entered, through buying or selling, in this market. According to a survey by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), carried out before the pandemic, 75% of those surveyed acknowledged having bought the odd second-hand product on online platforms. The average cost per product was 63 euros. This last figure, he clarifies, “is understandable” if we take into account that the best-selling products are furniture and home decoration, sports and leisure articles, and fashion and accessories.
However, in 44% of cases sellers had to lower the price by approximately 22%. And it is that haggling plays an important role in setting the price, since three out of ten users declared having obtained a discount on their purchase that, on average, was 22%.
Be that as it may, the second-hand online market consolidates its expansion in the country. A sector, Fàbrega points out, “completely booming, encouraged both by environmental concern on the part of the consumer and by economic difficulties due to inflation. Even large companies are jumping on the bandwagon”. For example, Ikea and Zara. The multinational of Swedish origin already allows its customers to sell and buy used furniture, while the Inditex firm has announced the launch this year of a platform where second-hand clothing can be sold and purchased.
“The growing awareness of environmental sustainability has accelerated the change towards a circular economy model, also in the fashion sector,” says Nicolás Fournié, manager for Spain and Portugal of the Mangopay payment management platform, Partner of Wallapop, Vinted and Milanuncios, the main C2C platforms -from consumer to consumer- in Spain. According to the company’s calculations, in the last year – from spring 2023 to this year – used clothing and accessories transactions have increased by 50%, while the volume of purchases processed by Mangopay on platforms has grown. 40% during the same period.
One more example that the second-hand market is no longer just an option for those with little affordable power, but has become a driver of the transition towards a circular economy.
