Secondhand Shopping Continues Multi-Year Growth Streak Into 2026

Retail trend research published via Accio reports that 44% of UK consumers say they are buying more secondhand items than they were a year ago, a trend the report links to both cost-of-living pressures and growing consumer interest in sustainable purchasing habits.

The same analysis identifies a related “slow living” movement gaining traction alongside secondhand growth, with consumers increasingly favoring higher-quality, more durable products over frequent, low-cost purchases — a pattern that runs counter to the faster-cycling micro-trends common in fast fashion and viral consumer products.

The report also notes a parallel shift in e-commerce behavior more broadly, citing separate data indicating 47% of global consumers now identify as deliberate 'value seekers,' willing to trade convenience for savings and increasingly favoring private-label products — a shift the report characterizes as a structural change in consumer behavior rather than a temporary reaction to short-term inflation.

Taken together, the data suggests the secondhand and durability-focused shopping trend is behaving less like a short-lived fad and more like a multi-year structural shift in how a meaningful share of consumers approach purchasing decisions.

Related: The Slow Death of Fast Fashion Hype Cycles