‘Thrifting’ Outpaces ‘Brand New’ in 2025 Report
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- Oct 22
- 2 min read
Used Clothing Sales Expected to Grow 9% a Year through 2029
In recent years, thrifting—buying secondhand clothing, furniture, and goods—has shifted from fringe to mainstream behavior in the US and worldwide. A recent report from Capital One Shopping, Thrifting Statistics (2025): Industry Size, Revenue & Growth Rate, tracks the size of the thrifting market, who is participating in it, and where the sector is headed.
The US secondhand market, currently worth about $56 billion as of 2025, is up 14.3% from 2024.
Since 2018, the U.S. secondhand market has grown by about 143.5%, with resale alone growing a massive 650% over that period.
Traditional thrift and donation operations represent roughly $26 billion (46.4%) of this market; resale (commercial consignment or secondhand) accounts for the remaining $30 billion (53.6%).
Apparel is a big part of this shift: Secondhand apparel sales are projected to keep growing about 9% annually through 2029.
About 16–18% of Americans shop at thrift stores each year; 12–15% shop at resale or consignment stores.
In 2024, 58% of US shoppers purchased secondhand apparel. Additionally, about 75% have either purchased or say they’re open to purchasing secondhand.
Younger generations are leading the charge. For example, 83% of Gen Z consumers have either bought or are interested in secondhand apparel; 34% always shop thrift stores first; many look at the resale value before buying.
Online resale is becoming especially important: In 2024, US fashion resale platforms generated $16.8 billion in sales, up 18.5% from 2023.
Purchasing secondhand instead of new saves on average 8.41 pounds of carbon emissions, 16.48 kWh of energy, and 88.89 gallons of water per item. Even so, only around 14.7% of textile waste is recycled, while a large share ends up in landfills.
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