Value Of New Zealand’s Circular Economy Soars To $5.5 Billion As Record Numbers Shop Secondhand

A new report by Trade Me has found Aotearoa’s Circular Economy to have grown by half a billion dollars in the past year with 81 million items across the country that could be sold for cash.

Trade Me Marketplace Spokesperson Sally Feinson said more than 4,000 Kiwi took part in the annual survey looking into where, how, and why they buy, sell, and trade preowned items.

“Our latest research shows there’s no slowing down the growth of New Zealand’s circular economy with the average Kiwi having around $1,350 worth of unwanted possessions they could sell - $50 more than last year,” says Ms Feinson.

“Buying secondhand has never been more popular with a record 89 per cent of Kiwi having bought pre-loved in the last six months. That’s up two per cent on last year, and we’re seeing the highest levels of secondhand shopping since we started tracking back in 2019.

“On the sold side, 79 per cent of people surveyed have sold at least one of their preloved items in the last six months.

“There’s many interesting insights we can glean from this research, particularly regarding people’s motivations for buying and selling secondhand. Despite the rising cost of living, making money has been found to be a less important driver for sellers this year when compared to last (-10%) while thinking about the environment is becoming more important each year (+4%).

“In fact, just over half of Kiwi surveyed said they consider the environmental impact of their purchase.

“It’s also fascinating to see who is leading the shift, with women more likely than men to consider the environmental impact (57% compared to 41%). Women are also more likely than their male counterparts to change the way they shop to be more environmentally conscious (44% compared to 35%).”

What are we selling and why?

Clothing, shoes and accessories, home and living, and books, CDs and DVDs remain the dominant categories where Kiwi have items to sell.

“Sixty nine per cent have items in the wardrobe to sell while more than half (54%) have home and living items they are looking to offload and more than a quarter (29%) have books, CDs and DVDs ripe for a new home,” says Sally Feinson.

The vast majority of Kiwi (89%) said they were happy with the price they got for their secondhand sale.

The bulk of Kiwi sell as a means to create space, with making some extra money not too far behind.

“Sixty two per cent of respondents say their key motivation in selling preloved items is to declutter, while more than half (53%) do it to earn some money. It’s interesting to see the driver to make a little extra cash is down 10 per cent on the previous year despite the continued rising cost of living.”

Forty three per cent sold l items with plenty of life left in them for others to enjoy, while 36 per cent indicated it was a desire to ‘go green’ and support the environment.

Record levels of secondhand shopping

Sally Feinson says the latest report into the health of Aotearoa’s circular economy, found more Kiwi than ever are shopping preloved.

“This is Trade Me’s sixth annual report and each year we continue to see an upward trend, with 89 per cent of respondents having bought something secondhand in the past six months marking the highest level since we first started tracking.

“Kiwi are pretty pleased with their secondhand buys too, with 68 per cent saying they’re proud of their purchases.

“People had different motivations for shopping secondhand, with saving money (71%), wanting to be more environmentally friendly (25%) and buying quality (17%) the top three reasons given by respondents.”

The survey found women are more likely to buy secondhand with 91 per cent having purchased a preloved item in the last six months, compared to 85 per cent of men.

When looking at the regions, people in Marlborough and Southland were found to be the biggest secondhand shoppers with 97 per cent buying a preloved item in the last six months. Taranaki was in third place on 93 per cent.

Gen Z is all about secondhand, with 94 per cent saying they had bought a preloved item in the last six months.

Upcycling, restoring and repurposing - Millennial women lead the way

For the first time in six years, Trade Me’s latest Circular Economy report looked at the upcycling of home and living items, and Kiwi attitudes towards the practice.

It found on average, New Zealanders have two home and living items around the house they could upcycle, repurpose, or restore.

“Fifty five per cent of Kiwi say the cost of living has made them consider upcycling items as a way to make some extra money, while 47 per cent say upcycling gives them an opportunity to be creative,” says Ms Feinson.

“The art of taking something old or worn out and breathing new life into it can be incredibly rewarding - whether you’re the one doing the upcycling, or one of the 58 per cent who say buying such items allows them to own something unique,” says Ms Feinson.

The research found Millennial women to be the most active group of upcycle entrepreneurs making up over a quarter (26%) of respondents who have sold upcycled items.

Sally Feinson has some advice to share with would-be upcyclers.

“It pays to be both realistic and openminded. If a quick lick of paint is all you can invest in your upcycling quest it may take time, and imagination, to find the right candidate for the job. Fortunately there’s no shortage of options on Trade Me.”

Survey methodology

This survey was conducted by Trade Me’s research team during November 2024 and collates answers from 4,000 individual New Zealand-based respondents. Respondents were externally recruited (via Dynata) to avoid any potential Trade Me membership bias and the survey was written from a platform-agnostic perspective (not ‘from Trade Me’). The survey was also sent out via a third party (Dynata).

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