Secondhand Market Swells to $56 Billion as 40% Price Rise Erodes Thrift Affordability
Updated
Updated · The Colorado Sun · May 24
Secondhand Market Swells to $56 Billion as 40% Price Rise Erodes Thrift Affordability
2 articles · Updated · The Colorado Sun · May 24
$56 billion in 2025 secondhand sales and a 40% five-year rise in used-clothing prices are making thrift shopping less affordable for low-income buyers.
Rising demand from sustainability-minded shoppers and resellers is colliding with a K-shaped economy, in which top earners drive more discretionary spending while poorer households struggle with basics.
In Boulder, Pig + Pearl keeps donated clothing at $1 to $3 an item even while owner Jennifer Greany says the store loses money at times and relies on online auctions to stay afloat.
Mission-driven chains and nonprofits such as Goodwill and TRU Thrift say higher rent and wage costs also pressure prices, though they frame stores as funding jobs, hospice and other community services.
The shift has changed thrifting from a stigma-linked bargain source into a trendier, profit-seeking market, raising concerns that stores meant to serve cash-strapped families increasingly favor shoppers who can absorb higher prices.
As a fractured economy fuels a $79B resale market, are affordable thrift stores going extinct?
With AI threatening jobs and costs rising, will thrift stores serve online influencers or families in need?