Shocked Consumers Learn Donated Clothes Destined for Landfill

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SellHound, the leading automated reseller listing app, commissioned a study of 1,000 US respondents who had sold clothing on secondhand marketplaces to better understand feelings around selling clothes online. Respondents were drawn to reselling because of streamlining their closets and sustainability, but the primary motive was to make more money. 

Recently, reports have emerged that donation centers send around 85 percent of donated clothing to landfills or incineration. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they felt shocked or betrayed that the majority of donated clothes end up in garbage dumps. Selling items is the most popular choice (46 percent) for respondents when they clean out their closets followed by donating (40 percent) clothing.

An overwhelming majority of respondents (95 percent) have been inspired, at one point or another, to clean out their closets. The top reason for doing so (73 percent) was to make room for new clothes. Interestingly, the fourth most popular inspiration for respondents to clean out their closets was Marie Kondo, also known as KonMari, a Japanese organizing consultant and author. 

New technologies and online marketplaces have made it easier than ever before for people to sell secondhand items online. According to GlobalData Market Sizing, the resale market is set to grow $51B by 2023 from $24B in 2018. Survey respondents' favorite reseller marketplaces were eBay (70 percent), followed by Facebook Marketplace (39 percent) and Poshmark (21 percent). Interestingly, over one-quarter said they would quit their jobs to become full-time resellers if they were able to make a living. 

However, the time it takes to craft listings for these online marketplaces was one of the greatest pain points for resellers. Respondents reported the most difficult aspects of creating a listing as identifying a competitive price for an item (68 percent), followed by taking great product photos (46 percent) and writing a descriptive and competitive listing (16 percent). Crafting a listing in its entirety is quite a time-consuming process – for nearly three-quarters of respondents, it takes over 10 minutes to craft a listing, with 15 percent spending longer than 20 minutes. 

Power sellers, defined as people who sell full-time or frequently every week, are common across all generations. Younger generations were the most likely to be power sellers with 36 percent of Gen Z and 30 percent of Millennials identifying themselves as such, while only 12 percent of Gen X and 21 percent of Baby Boomers also considered themselves power sellers.

Gen Zs and Millennials are spearheading the tremendous growth of the resale market. Streamlining the creation of listings for reseller marketplaces will likely enable the online resale commerce – or "recommerce" – industry to grow and prevent more secondhand items from ending up in landfills. 

"It is fantastic to see the recommerce market growing exponentially as people turn to secondhand marketplaces to sell their used items and extend the life of stuff," said Suzanne Wouk, CEO and co-founder of SellHound. "We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the reselling industry, which has the power to eliminate so much waste and positively impact our environment. The SellHound App is the Virtual Listing Assistant that so many have been waiting for to alleviate the most common pain points. We look forward to easing the burden of reselling to fuel the recommerce movement and make the world a cleaner place."

Interesting Facts

• 62 percent of full-time resellers are male
• 59 percent of frequent resellers say they would quit their jobs to become full-time resellers if given the option
• Gen Z was most keen on saving time when crafting their listings: 64 percent would hire a virtual assistant compared to 51 percent of Millennials and 45 percent of Baby Boomers
• 6 percent of respondents don't care that their clothes are ending up in the landfill

Download the free SellHound report to learn more about the sustainable fashion movement.

About SellHound
SellHound is an AI-powered app that enables users to sell on eBay like a pro (with additional marketplaces coming soon). Just snap a couple of photos of the item you want to sell and the app will do the rest (no typing needed). After searching multiple secondhand marketplaces, SellHound creates the most effective SEO-optimized listing for your item, complete with suggested selling price and description, and posts your listing to eBay. Joining the recommerce movement through reselling is now quick, easy and profitable. To learn more visit www.SellHound.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Media Contacts
Alexandra Baker 
FortyThree, Inc.
[email protected]
831.401.3175

SOURCE SellHound

Related Links

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