Secondhand luxury goods sellers tap overseas markets

Expansion nationwide

Several free trade zones have begun building industrial parks for secondhand products and exploring smoother customs procedures for pre-owned goods.

Shenzhen Qianhai Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Guangdong province released a three-year action plan in September 2025, expressing its support for the export of secondhand goods.

With a rich reserve of luxury goods and vibrant purchases among local consumers, Chengdu in Sichuan province is promoting the export of secondhand luxury goods as a new driver of foreign trade.

As a pioneer of cross-border e-commerce, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province has already built a complete e-commerce ecosystem.

At the end of last year, Hangzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone announced it will build an industrial park for the export of secondhand goods. As the first of its kind in Zhejiang, the new facility will mainly serve the export of secondhand luxury goods, used cellphones and secondhand home appliances, according to the local administrative committee.

"The government has attached greater importance to the secondhand luxury goods industry since 2025. A large number of bonded zones have set up such industrial parks to provide complete infrastructure and policy support," said Sheng Tang's CEO Jiang.

With the joint efforts of the government and service providers, industry experts anticipate more room for the growth of China's secondhand luxury goods industry.

"The huge growth potential of the overseas market, the development of a circular economy and the maturity of the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem both make us optimistic about the secondhand luxury goods market in the next three to five years," said Senza Group's Liang.

"China is still in the early stages of its secondhand luxury market compared to mature markets like the US and Japan. That gives us a late-mover advantage in terms of service capability, authentication quality, product depth and brand richness," said Pang of eBay.

To better ride the tide, eBay earlier this year launched a recruitment drive for secondhand luxury sellers in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Suzhou in Jiangsu province, and Beijing.

"The primary market for luxury goods in China has contracted and undergone much volatility over the past few years," said Bain & Company's Yang.

"But the secondhand market has matured at the supply, demand and channel ends. It is by no means a short-term fluctuation, but rather, an increasingly unavoidable second growth curve."

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn