A report from mobile marketplace OfferUp predicts the secondhand goods market in the United States will reach $246.7 billion in 2026, up 7.9% from 2025, and advance to $307.7 billion by 2030.
By decade’s end, OfferUp predicted, used goods will account for 8.3% of retail spending in the United States.
The company’s 2026 Recommerce Report, published in partnership with retail analytics firm GlobalData, indicates secondhand is becoming a bigger part of how U.S. shopping, helping consumers get more for their money while unlocking value from things they already own. Economic pressures, including rising costs and tariff concerns, are making the financial flexibility associated with resale increasingly relevant to consumers, while new technology is introducing transaction conveniences and new considerations about trust, authenticity and control.
Recommerce is firmly embedded in everyday shopping, OfferUp indicated, as 90% of U.S. shoppers reported buying something secondhand in the past year and 51% reported selling something used. Today, 81% of consumers are spending as much or more time on online resale platforms than they were a year ago, while 78% are buying as many or more secondhand items, the company added.
At the same time, 81% of shoppers said buying secondhand allows them to get what they really want without paying full retail price, and more than 51% said they choose used goods always or most of the time when a suitable resale option is available, OfferUp reported. Among Gen Zers, the figure rises to 67%, with 41% of cohort members reporting they buy secondhand to access higher-quality or higher-end products they otherwise couldn’t afford.
Although often associated with clothing, about three-quarters of U.S. recommerce spending happens outside the apparel segment, occurring in furniture, home, electronics and sporting goods categories as well as auto, according to OfferUp. Among other things, consumers are considering secondhand as they consider purchasing goods with values of $100 or more. In the survey, 44% of consumers said they check on whether they can find a used product before making a big-ticket purchase.
On the other side of the coin, 95% of consumers said they own at least one type of item they believe they could sell or resell, and 53% estimated they could make at least $500 from the transaction. One-third said they could make $1,000 or more, and 13% said they could make $3,000 or more. In that case, 51% of consumers said they would use resale earnings to pay bills or everyday expenses; 41% would put their gains toward savings; 25% would use them to pay down debt; and 11% would use their earnings to fund or grow a business or side hustle, rising to 18% among Gen Z sellers.
Economic or financial concerns influenced the decision to buy or sell goods for 71% of consumers surveyed by OfferUp, and 56% specifically pointed to cost of living or inflation as prompting their choice. Among Gen Zers, 91% said economic or financial concerns have influenced their resale behavior. Still, 47% of Gen Zers have avoided listing something because they didn’t want friends, relatives or coworkers to see what they were selling versus 30% of U.S. shoppers overall.
Worries about tariff-related price increases made 51% of consumers more likely to consider purchasing certain items secondhand rather than new, rising to 66% among Gen Zers.
As more of the resale market goes digital, consumers see useful roles for artificial intelligence in reducing friction, such as making price in suggestions, for 39% of consumers, identifying an item or category, for 30%, and drafting listing titles or descriptions, for 29%. When AI changes what shoppers actually see, however, confidence declines: 54% of consumers overall said AI-generated images or substantial edits that change how an item appears make them less confident in a listing, a sentiment expressed by 68% of Gen Zers.
When given the choice, 38% of U.S. consumers surveyed by OfferUp said they prefer buying from someone nearby and picking the item up locally, versus 25% who prefer having it shipped. Among secondhand shoppers who have had an item shipped, 41% have received something that they felt deviated from the seller description.
