As good as new – valuing fashion brands in the online second-hand markets

Abstract

Purpose Brand management and marketing have focused on brand-new goods, thus largely neglecting the emergence of markets for used products. This study sheds light on how consumers determine the perceived value of fashion brands in online flea markets. In addition, this study aims to illustrate how fashion brands are perceived when sold second-hand in Facebook flea markets. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data, consisting of internet discussions, were collected for this study from seven Facebook flea market forums between Fall 2014 and Fall 2015. The discussions were analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. Findings In the context of flea markets, the perceived value is negotiated and evaluated through six antecedents: perceived quality, price, design, origin, authenticity and brand availability. Not surprisingly, price and quality appear as focal aspects when determining the value of a used brand in second-hand markets. However, the aspects of availability, origin and design complicate the considerations of the perceived value and can distinguish between different flea markets for fashion brands. In online second-hand markets for fashion brands, the passing of time appears to be an important factor grounding the consumers’ considerations of the perceived value. Originality/value This study brings forward novel viewpoints to brand marketing by discussing the formation of the consumer-perceived value in the growing field of online second-hand sales of fashion brands.

Shopping with the resale value in mind: A study on second‐hand luxury consumers

“…Online platforms enable comparison, are more efficient and expand boundaries by bringing the available inventory from a regional to global scale (Sihvonen & Turunen, 2016). On the other hand, second-hand shopping in the online context had characteristics of goal-oriented bargain hunting, impulsiveness and resale value consciousness.…”

“…High-quality consciousness Consumer searches for best quality; Is a "perfectionist" Eastman et al, 2013;Sproles & Kendall, 1986) Facebook and eBay allow direct interaction (Sihvonen & Turunen, 2016) while services such as Vestiaire Collective, High Society and Rewind Vintage (c.f. Harper's Bazaar, 2018) act as a retailer between the seller and the buyer and do not allow the seller and the buyer to interact.…”

“…On the other hand, second-hand shopping in the online context had characteristics of goal-oriented bargain hunting, impulsiveness and resale value consciousness. Online platforms enable comparison, are more efficient and expand boundaries by bringing the available inventory from a regional to global scale (Sihvonen & Turunen, 2016). Relatedly, confusion from over-choice as described by Sproles and Kendall (1986) was manifested as confusion from lack of choice among a vast variety of alternatives and is expected to become even more prominent as more second-hand shopping channels become available.…”

Restructuring Secondhand Fashion from the Consumption Perspective

“…Indeed, the topics have often been analysed alongside some other, often well-developed, theoretical discussions and concepts. The consumer theoretical frameworks applied are as follows: theory of reasoned action (Xu et al, 2014), materialism and theory of shopping (Bardhi & Arnould, 2005;Guiot & Roux, 2010), identity and self-expression behaviours (Roux & Korchia, 2006;Cassidy & Bennett, 2012), second-hand and sustainable shopping behaviours (Cervellon et al, 2012;Turunen & Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015;Edbring et al, 2016;Ferraro et al, 2016), and perceived value (Sihvonen & Turunen, 2016). In the field of fashion studies, the topic has been explored in relation to postmodern theories of fashion (Isla, 2013), sustainability and ethical fashion consumption (Reiley & DeLong, 2011), and fashion and fashionability (Veenstra & Kuipers, 2013).…”

“…Since the early 1990s, the industry has rapidly expanded due to heightened interest from consumers, investors and retailers (Hansen, 2010;NARTS, 2013). The number of second-hand, vintage, and thrift stores opening, particularly those offering online resale, is growing fast: besides Ebay, Facebook fleamarket groups also reach tens of thousands of consumers who are actively buying and selling used goods (Sihvonen & Turunen, 2016). The full size of the resale market is challenging to estimate, because actors in the market may also be private consumers.…”