Many Americans are turning to the secondhand market to buy gifts they otherwise could not afford this holiday season. This is according to mobile marketplace app OfferUp’s “2026 Recommerce Report: Holiday Special Release.”
When a gift is outside their budget, 51 percent of U.S. consumers said they would rather look for the same item at a lower price on a secondhand marketplace, compared to the 45 percent who would wait for a sale and 32 percent who would buy something less expensive instead.
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OfferUp’s report is based on an online survey of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by Pollfish in October. With most respondents expressing concern over rising prices, 80 percent said they expected to spend at least some of their holiday gift budget on secondhand items this year.
“We love that so many people use OfferUp to find things they might not otherwise be able to afford or track down, and the holidays are no different. There’s something pretty powerful about being able to give someone exactly what they wanted without putting yourself under financial strain to do it,” said OfferUp CEO Todd Dunlap in a statement.
When given the same budget, 38 percent said they would prefer a higher-end, name-brand item from a secondhand marketplace over a lower-cost alternative from a traditional retailer. That figure rose to 50 percent among Gen Z respondents.
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