Trade Me says people have $1500 worth of unwanted items gathering dust

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Need an extra $1500? You might be able to make it just by selling unwanted stuff around your house, Trade Me says.

A survey by the online auction website of 3600 people’s selling habits and attitudes towards second-hand items revealed many people could make more money than they might expect.

Trade Me head of marketplace Lisa Stewart said there were about 1.2 million second-hand items listed on the auction website at any given time.

On average Kiwis had at least 18 used unwanted items to sell, which added up to about 90 million second-hand items across the country, according to the survey.

Based on the average selling price of items sold on Trade Me, that amounted to about $1500 of unwanted items gathering dust in cupboards, wardrobes and garages, up 20 per cent on last year, Stewart said.

**READ MORE:

* Covid-19: Meet the Kiwis becoming their own bosses post-lockdown

* West Coast women hit hard by Covid-19 job losses

* Covid-19 fails to knock Kiwi faith in the housing market

**

Ethical shopping advocate and blogger Kate Hall said that during lockdown she and her partner got rid of at least 1000 items they did not need.

While they gave away many items for free, the couple were able to make about $700 from those they sold at garage sales or on Trade Me.

Hall said that during lockdown she gained a wave of followers and was flooded with questions from people asking about how they could start living more environmentally friendly.

“There were people genuinely interested in changing their shopping habits and asking a lot of good questions about getting into sustainably living. Covid-19 felt like a slap in the face for many people in lockdown and people had more time to think at home and were thinking more consciously about their lives,” Hall said.

“People have also become more thrifty around how they spend their money with uncertainty around jobs because of Covid-19.”

She said the message to shop local and support small businesses had also boosted the popularity of second-hand shopping.

Hall said her advice to people wanting to shop more sustainably was to think about buying less, shopping consciously and paying for quality.

Stewart said Trade Me’s research found that on the whole people were no snobs about buying pre-loved items.

About 73 per cent of respondents said they bought something second-hand in the last six months.

People living rurally were more likely to buy second-hand than those in the main centres, according to the survey.

She said Northlanders were the strongest supporters of the second-hand economy, with 40 per cent saying they “definitely would” buy second-hand.

“Kiwis in the Wairarapa and the West Coast came in close second equal, with 39 per cent saying they’d definitely buy pre-loved items,” she said.

Stewart said Covid-19 had also contributed to a popularity in shopping second-hand.

“It was particularly interesting to see how habits and attitudes had changed since Covid-19 and in the wake of the nationwide lockdown.

“The impacts of Covid-19 have been felt far and wide … and 43 per cent of people think that the effects of Covid-19 are likely to cause the second-hand economy in New Zealand to grow.”

Stewart said the report findings were good news for businesses.

“Nearly 50 per cent of participants saying they were more likely to buy from New Zealand-based businesses than before.”

Having worked at second hand clothing shops, Hall said shoppers also needed to improve their op-shopping etiquette.

“Generally only one in 10 items are re-sold. Thousands of items go to the landfill and the second-hand stores have to foot the bill. Make sure you’re selling items that are washed and repaired before donating.

“If it's junk, recycle it or drop it at the tip: the second-hand shop is not our free landfill.”