When second-hand comes first

An increasing number of young people and college students are buying, and even selling, used goods, a trend that not only enhances the utilization of products but also reflects their evolving consumption behavior — favoring cost-effective but high-quality items over concerns about buying used stuff.

Yang Wanqing, 20, a sophomore at the Communication University of China, bought her first second-hand item — a JK uniform skirt — at the age of 16. A first-year student at senior high school at the time, she was a big fan of the JK uniform, which refers to the Japanese schoolgirl uniform, commonly worn by female high school students in Japan and an icon of Japanese pop culture.

"At that time, some kinds of skirts that could not be found on Taobao were available on Xianyu — China's largest platform trading in secondhand products, so I purchased a JK uniform skirt on Xianyu," Yang said.

Yang's love affair with the skirt continues and she frequently purchases discontinued styles of JK uniform skirt at remarkably low prices on second-hand platforms. "Because many styles are no longer available in the market, you can only find them on secondhand platforms, and their prices are much lower. Sometimes one can buy an almost new JK uniform at 70 percent less than the marked price," she said.

In addition, an increasing number of young people are selling their unused or unwanted items in the second-hand market.

In 2021, Feng Yiming, a senior at Renmin University of China, sold a movie ticket following a schedule change that stopped him from watching the film.

"I didn't know where to sell the ticket, but my classmate told me I could use platforms such as Xianyu, even inviting me to some WeChat groups specifically trading in second-hand movie tickets, with transactions taking place almost every day. And it's very cheap," he said.

This experience exposed Feng to the world of second-hand trading, both online and offline.

"Some graduates from our university would sell their used textbooks or dormitory items to us," he said. "Maybe they didn't want those items to go waste."

A mature consumption concept

According to a 2021 report released by international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan and the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy at Tsinghua University, the market for second-hand trading in China has grown from one worth around 300 billion yuan ($41.39 billion) in 2015 to over 1 trillion yuan in 2020. The market is growing to include almost all consumer product categories and is expected to reach close to 3 trillion yuan by 2025, the report said.

Both Feng and Yang have noticed that many of their classmates and friends are buying and selling second-hand goods such as cameras, phones, and even merchandise related to celebrities.

In their view, this trend is driven by various factors.

"The main reason is that second-hand goods are definitely cheaper, and nowadays young people often prioritize practicality," Feng said.

"If the quality is as good as that of a new one, but the price is lower, then why not choose the second-hand item?" he said.

At the same time, he believes that secondhand transactions are a win-win situation for both buyer and seller.

"From the seller's perspective, if I have something that is lying unused, I'll probably just throw it away. But if I sell it, the item doesn't go waste, and I can also earn some money in the process. So why not do that?" said the youth.

Additionally, Yang believes that given the current economic downturn, college students tend to prefer cheaper second-hand goods so long as they are not compromising much on quality.

But she emphasizes that this trend also reflects a more mature consumption pattern among youths nowadays. "Previously, I didn't care how much I was spending. But now, I will go for something that is cost-effective," she said. "Because money should be spent where it's needed the most, and if you can save a little here and there, you can do more things in the long run."

Twenty-one-year-old Zhang Chenye, another university student based in Beijing, said that she and her friends are increasingly focusing on selecting products that best suit them when shopping, rather than blindly following trends. "Before buying cameras or phones, my friends and I often research online to find the most suitable and cost-effective options, considering factors such as their models and the release date," she said. "On the one hand, it's because as we grow older, we have a more comprehensive understanding of the market prices of common goods and our own purchasing power. On the other hand, personally speaking, our daily expenses have increased over time, and we realize that earning money is not easy ... so we seek value for money in our purchases."

Social attributes

Second-hand trading has brought about some social attributes that are increasingly drawing young people in.

Feng noted that there are many niche cultures, such as JK uniforms, attracting many young people, but their limited availability is behind the increasing volume of secondhand transactions.

"Many enthusiasts can recognize people with the same hobbies and interests in the second-hand market, so you can develop your own social circle this way, which is also a unique aspect of the second-hand market," he said.

Peng Chengcheng contributed to this story.