TIANJIN (XINHUA) – From old clothes and books to furniture and bags, young people in China are embracing the trend of trading second-hand goods, allowing the once-discarded items to be circulated and shared.
A Beijing resident surnamed Zhang decided to move as her rental contract neared its end.
She recently put up large appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines for sale on second-hand e-commerce platforms, as she couldn’t take them to her next destination.
“Buying and selling second-hand products is a thrifty, environmentally friendly lifestyle,” Zhang said. “These products are of good quality, relatively inexpensive, and better suit my needs.”
Zhang represents a growing number of young people in China who view eco-friendly consumption as a favourable choice.
According to a report on China’s e-commerce green development, people born in the 1990s and 2000s exhibit a notably higher understanding of “green consumption” compared to other age groups, with rates reaching 70 per cent and 79 per cent, respectively.
On Xianyu, one of China’s largest second-hand goods trading platforms, its daily transaction volume has exceeded CNY1 billion (USD140.9 million), with over 100 million users listing their idle items on the platform last year.
According to the company, post-95s account for 43 per cent of its users, while post-00s account for 22 per cent, and post-95 users on Xianyu earned an average of CNY2,700 each in 2023.
In an e-commerce industrial park specialising in second-hand goods in north China’s Tianjin Municipality, whenever events are held, the park is always crowded with people coming to “treasure hunt.”
“Since its opening, the place has attracted 213 companies, and last year, the park’s revenue reached about CNY420 million,” said the person in charge of the park, Chen Wenlong.
According to a 2021 report on China’s second-hand trading carbon reduction released by Tsinghua University’s Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy, second-hand trading covers almost all consumer goods categories, with a trading volume exceeding CNY1 trillion in 2020 and is expected to exceed CNY3 trillion by 2025.
