Holiday shoppers turn to resale sites when they can’t find what they want elsewhere, and OfferUp said inventory issues and shipping delays are driving the trend this year.
Its survey of secondhand shoppers found that 1 in 4 will use a resale marketplace to shop for holiday gifts and decor this year. Electronics (30%) in particular will be a major theme for shoppers this holiday, it said, followed by furniture and home goods (20%) and clothing, shoes, and accessories (18%).
Some of the most sought-after gifts people are searching for on OfferUp include Peloton, Pokemon cards, Yeezy shoes, Gen-Z favorite Squishmallows, Funko Pop! figures, and the PlayStation5. The PlayStation5 is so popular it was OfferUp’s second-most searched item for all of 2021.
OfferUp goes further, offering a guide on what, when, and how to sell on its mobile classifieds app and other resale marketplaces. For instance, the most popular times to buy and sell travel gear and luggage is between January and May.
“The busiest shopping season is here, and with retailers struggling to keep up with holiday demand, people are buying and selling on resale apps more than ever before,” according to the guide published to the site’s blog by OfferUp’s Vice President of Community Natalie Angelillo.
The guide has a lot of data along with advice. For sellers, OfferUp suggested some tips for selling on a resale app, including create an eye-catching listing; be communicative and responsive; price items fairly; suggest a safe location; and earn a great rating.
What’s the most important thing to buyers on resale apps? A seller’s rating, followed by the listing price.
And shoppers are more likely to purchase an item if it is listed as follows:
- Excellent used condition (70%)
- Best offer (66%)
- Smoke free (65%)
- New in package (63%)
- New with tags (57%)
- True to size (52%)
- Pet free home (47%)
OfferUp said 2021 was a defining year for resale, but 2022 is poised to break those records, with secondhand shoppers saying they plan to buy or sell on resale marketplaces more than they did last year.
Forty percent of secondhand shoppers plan to sell on resale marketplaces more than they did in 2021, and 1 in 3 will shop resale more than they did in 2021.
Readers might remember that last year, OfferUp acquired rival Letgo and consolidated the two platforms into one.
OfferUp used internal marketplace data of more than 56 million yearly users to create its report along with a survey of 1,612 OfferUp users (conducted between October 14-19, 2021), and insights from OfferUp’s 2021 Recommerce Report. You can find the full guide on the OfferUp blog.
