Refurbished furniture sales boom in the UK, eBay sellers' sales increased by 205% year-on-year

According to foreign media reports, many customers in the UK have been actively purchasing refurbished home furnishings during this period, even reaching an unprecedented level, which has also driven the growth of the refurbished home furnishings market.

As the epidemic has not improved for a long time, the lockdown period in European countries has been extended again and again. Many people can only choose to buy home furniture online, and a large number of returns have followed. These returned furniture are basically new, but they can only be piled up in the warehouse. However, this situation has changed in recent times:

As the epidemic has caused the unemployment rate in the UK to soar, for environmental and budget considerations, more and more consumers are choosing more environmentally friendly and cost-effective refurbished furniture to decorate their rooms: the resale price of refurbished products on eBay is about 50% lower than the suggested retail price of new products, which not only doubles the life of the product, but also has certain environmental benefits, which coincides with the sustainable environmental protection concept of today's European consumers.

This has given a new meaning to buying refurbished furniture, making it not only a way to save money, but also a fashion trend that demonstrates environmental protection. As a result, the search volume for various refurbished furniture has increased significantly.

Compared to 2019, searches for "refurbished sofa" increased by 133% in 2020, and searches for "refurbished bed" increased by 50%. Not only that, searches for "eco furniture" and "sustainable furniture" increased significantly in 2020 compared to the previous year, increasing by 123% and 171% respectively.

Benefiting from the current boom in refurbished furniture sales, eBay seller ClearCycle has made a fortune by refurbishing and selling returned or excess inventory from designer brands such as Cox & Cox, Nectar Sleep, Swoon and Highstreet TV, with sales in 2020 increasing by a significant 205% year-on-year.

ClearCycle, known as ClearDeals Outlet on eBay, has grown to its current size in five years since launching in 2016, with more than 1,300 refurbished sofas sold, 271% growth in refurbished equipment sales, 169% growth in refurbished furniture sales, and 6,287 sofas, tables, chairs, etc. refurbished and resold.

“More and more people are choosing to spend money on where they live, and the UK government’s adjustment to stamp duty during the pandemic has also given the industry a huge boost,” said Alex Hiatt, eBay UK home and garden category manager. “Refurbished products are the first choice for many people, not only because they are more sustainable, but also because they are great value. We expect this customer interest to become a trend that furniture retailers, large and small, can continue to benefit from.”

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