EXPLAINER: How Irish people are turning old clothes into huge cash boost

As consumers dust off their autumnal wardrobes, research by An Post has revealed the increasing trend amongst consumers to buy and sell preloved items online.

Research conducted by Ipsos B&A between 1st – 16th August on behalf of An Post exploring consumers circular economy actions has revealed that under 34s are the driving force behind the growing trend of selling preloved goods online, spearheading Ireland’s transition to the circular economy.

The research found that whilst 1 in 4 consumers (26%) have sold goods online, this figure is significantly higher amongst under 34-year-olds with 45% selling items online demonstrating a more circular mindset amongst this cohort, saving both their pockets and the environment.

An Post is fuelling this resale revolution by removing the weight restrictions on their popular prepaid postage envelopes and boxes to support consumers, to sell and send their preloved items with ease. Consumers can now send any item that fits inside the envelope or box to anywhere in the Republic of Ireland, with no weight restrictions for just €6 or €9 respectively. If it fits, it ships!

Clothing was the primary category for selling online across the past 12 months, with 54% of under 34s having sold clothing online compared to 45% of all adults. Renting an outfit for an occasion is also becoming more popular amongst this younger cohort with 20% of 16-34s having rented an outfit to wear once over the past year, double the 10% recorded amongst all adult respondents.

Other popular categories for online selling included small household items, such as lamps (30%), furniture (29%), personal electronic items (21%) and children’s toys (15%) illustrating the range of preloved items that can have a second life once consumers are finished with them.

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Depop is currently the primary platform for the sale of clothes used by 44% of all adults selling clothes online, followed by Facebook in second place (29%). A quarter of 16-34s (25%) were more likely to use TikTok compared to the 21% of all adults who preferred to use Done Deal, demonstrating a noticeable difference in preferred platforms amongst the age cohorts.

The research found that An Post is the key delivery channel within the resale market, especially for clothing, with 71% of those surveyed using An Post to send their preloved clothes. Overall, selling online was seen as a positive experience by those surveyed with 77% of adults confirming that they would sell preloved items online again within the next twelve months.

In addition to selling online, the research also revealed the popularity of other circular economy actions including donating to charity shops. Over the past 12 months, 60% of adults have donated clothes to a charity shop, 37% have given preloved clothes to family or friend. Giving to charity shops continues to increase and charity shops are diversifying their range and starting to sell items online to gain a wider audience.

1 in 5 respondents have bought preloved clothing with 8% of people purchasing preloved furniture and 7% acquiring other preloved smaller household items. When selecting a gift for a loved one, 41% of 16-34s said that they would buy a preloved item as a birthday or Christmas gift, demonstrating the growing popularity of buying preloved.

Speaking on An Post’s role in leading Ireland’s transition to the circular economy, Richard Miley, Marketing Communications Lead at An Post, commented: “Buying and selling preloved goods is a simple and sustainable way of making some extra cash while also giving another lease of life to items that we no longer use. Getting started can be a little overwhelming, so at An Post, we’re all about making it easy for consumers to sell and send what they don’t wear or want anymore. And with simple pre-paid packaging with no weight restrictions and 900 post offices across the country, consumers can sell and send with ease.”

“By establishing re-use and re-sale as everyday practice for people of all ages, the post office and postal service is becoming the engine for selling and sending, reusing and recycling, offering consumers great-value and brilliantly useful products and services.”

To help breakdown some of the barriers of selling and sending preloved goods, An Post has launched a Send Preloved content series on their social media channels and on their website with helpful videos advising consumers on how they can get involved in the circular economy from reusing, reselling and repairing their goods. To discover these helpful tips, tap here. https://www.anpost.com/Post-Parcels/Sending/Reselling

For more information on An Post’s prepaid packaging visit here.