Can a Brand Truly Control Its Secondhand Market? 🤔 #Fashion'sSecondAct

Walk through the streets of Paris and you're likely to spot pieces from Sandro—elegant, graceful, and effortlessly Parisian-chic. This homegrown brand has seen remarkable success, and it is no wonder. Its collections are timelessly stylish, blending modern sophistication with a classic Parisian flair.

Classic styles aside, there is one more thing the brand is known for - its sustainability efforts. 

Sandro’s sustainability efforts are rooted in its pioneering circular business model. Buyers who wish to resell their items can do so.  The process is simple: sellers receive a prepaid shipping label, making it easy to send in their items. Reimbursement is straightforward as well; once the item is received, sellers can choose to receive either cash or store credit toward their next Sandro purchase.

However, despite having such a straightforward business model, Sandro’s products can still be found in other secondhand marketplaces. For example, a quick look at second-hand marketplaces like Vinted and eBay will show thousands of listings for Sandro. 

Why is that the case? This can be attributed to a few key reasons.

1. While Sandro Secondhand vets all products to ensure they are “sellable,” platforms like Vinted and eBay do not have such strict requirements. 
2. Marketplaces like Vinted and eBay offer sellers greater control and flexibility, allowing them to set their own prices and manage listings independently.

So, what does this mean for Sandro? Is having so many of their products sold on other marketplaces a problem? Technically, yes. One major drawback is the risk of brand dilution. As Sandro will have no control over what is being sold, brand dilution becomes a natural part of the process, and Sandro may start to see its brand perception being altered. Another key point to note is that when Sandro is sold on its secondhand market, it is priced according to how Sandro values it. However, on other secondhand marketplaces, the product is priced based on how the seller values it. 

This means a product can be overpriced, which may harm brand perception if it remains unsold. Buyers might view the brand negatively if the price markup seems unjustified. 

On the other hand, if a product is underpriced in the market, it can discourage buyers from purchasing directly from Sandro's official site. If a significant number of items are consistently available at lower prices on third-party secondhand platforms, customers may shift entirely to those alternatives, leading to a decline in traffic and sales on Sandro’s secondhand site. Furthermore, as Sandro cannot control the pricing of its products on secondhand platforms, customers may perceive the lower prices as a reflection of reduced brand quality, potentially cannibalising firsthand sales. 

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The big question is what can Sandro do to minimise the disconnect between its secondhand store and other secondhand marketplaces? Is integration possible?

Ideally, Sandro would want all secondhand pieces to come directly through its platform. While it may be difficult—if not impossible—to capture the entire secondhand inventory, there is strong potential to tap into stock from thrift and vintage stores. 

Take-back programs are operationally intensive, requiring significant investment in logistics, authentication processes, and customer incentives. Partnering with curated thrift and vintage stores can offer a more scalable and immediate way to increase secondhand stock while maintaining brand control.

One solution could be for Sandro to partner with these stores and designate them as unofficial “drop-off” points. Through such partnerships, vintage and thrift stores could act as inventory collection hubs, uploading items to Sandro’s platform in exchange for compensation or visibility. This approach could help Sandro reclaim control over part of its secondhand supply.

What do you think? Would this approach help Sandro regain control over part of its secondhand supply, or could it present challenges? We would love to hear your thoughts below 👇. 

Are you a brand that’s hoping to enter the second-hand fashion marketplace? Here at Oly, we help fashion brands partner with expert secondhand and vintage stores to provide brands with control over the merchandise of their secondhand listings. 

Ready to rework fashion - Let’s talk!