Sustainability as a runner-up in second-hand product buying behavior

Resumo

The resale market of used items presented an annual growth of 7% in the US market in 2015, a U$ 16 billion market in the US alone (NARTS, 2016). The advancement of social media usage allowed consumers to interact more and boosted the commerce of used items amongst consumers. In Brazil, Enjoei started as an informal website amongst friends and in seven years became an e-retailer with annual revenue of U$ 68 million-selling exclusively used products. We researched the literature about the motives and barriers consumers have to engage in second-hand product (SHP) consumption and performed a mixed-method approach to collect consumers' perception on the matter: in-depth interviews with 12 consumers, and a survey to confirm some of the findings with 167 respondents. Our results shed some light on understanding this behavior: consumers choose SHP mostly due to economic reasons (price) or fashionable reasons (uniqueness of the product), but sustainability is marginally considered by consumers. Lack of interest and fear of contamination are the main barriers for consumers that do not engage in SHP. The relevance of the brand in SHP consumption and the impact of selling their used products on consumer behavior are marginal topics that need further investigation. Impacts on consumers' disposal of clothing are discussed.