Second-hand in the outdoor market: From trend to economic factor

As the political deregulation of sustainability targets becomes the new norm, voluntary initiatives from industry and retail are gaining even greater importance. With these introductory words, representatives from Bergzeit, Globetrotter, Sport Conrad and Patagonia met at the Bergzeit headquarters in Otterfing near Munich at the end of November. They gathered to discuss the current status of their second-hand business.

Like the entire fashion market, the outdoor industry is facing a dilemma. There is not yet an end-of-life pathway for the majority of products that would guarantee the reuse of raw materials in the sense of a circular economy.

“We still don't have an answer for what should happen to 85 percent of textiles at their end-of-life,” explains Michael Austermühle, regional manager Central Europe at Patagonia. “We are actively looking for better materials, but jackets with membranes are still considered hazardous waste.” As long as these pathways do not exist, it makes sense to extend the lifespan of clothing. This can be achieved, for example, by establishing a second-hand offering.

Globetrotter, for example, had MyClimate calculate that a second-hand offering can save CO₂. The CO₂ footprint of a rain jacket drops from around nine kilograms for a new purchase to about two kilograms for a resale, although the data is not yet fully reliable due to complex supply chains. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that this is the right way forward, given the large amount of unused clothing and equipment in our wardrobes and basements.

Second-hand market is growing – also in the outdoor segment

Nobody knows exactly how large the second-hand market in the outdoor sector actually is. There are only figures for the textile second-hand market as a whole. Since the outdoor market is a niche, accounting for about one to two percent of the total clothing market, the second-hand market in this area should be similar. Michael Austermühle from Patagonia therefore estimates it at around 190 billion euros.

What is certain, however, is that the second-hand market in the outdoor segment is growing. All participants confirmed this. Globetrotter started its second-hand business in 2020, initially in brick and mortar stores and as a trial run, which was met with an immediate positive response. Due to strong demand, the offering was quickly expanded to all 21 locations and has been growing continuously ever since. The online expansion followed in 2022.

“The sector is growing steadily and strongly,” says Mareike Heubel, senior product lifecycle manager at Globetrotter. “Since we started offering second-hand products online, we have seen extremely strong demand.” The online second-hand market now accounts for around a quarter of total resale turnover.

Sport Conrad started with a brick and mortar second-hand offering in 2022, but initially only as an event. Due to the great interest, second-hand goods have been available at all three locations year-round since 2024. During Black Week in November, the retailer also opened a second-hand pop-up store. “We wanted to give the topic more visibility,” explains Maria Ries, head of CSR at Sport Conrad.

Bergzeit also ventured into resale in 2021 with its Re-Use programme in cooperation with the resale service provider Reverse.Supply, and has expanded the programme ever since. The range now includes 15,000 items, and the quantity of used products has tripled in the last year. “We have found that second-hand works. We can buy and sell goods; the first step has been solved. Now come the next goals,” explains Jule Schneider, CSR manager at Bergzeit.

Pioneering work: hurdles in developing the business model

Patagonia is considered a pioneer in the second-hand sector. In the US, the company started with pop-up stores and online offerings back in 2012. Although it entered the European market in 2016 with the “Worn Wear” programme, the focus here is on repairs rather than resale. So far, Patagonia only sells second-hand goods in its Berlin store and organises pop-up events about once or twice a year in various locations. The rush is huge every time, but “the goods are not enough for more,” says Austermühle.

The problem is: “We have been working on trade-in for years, but we lack IT and process management – and we don't want to completely hand over these sensitive processes.” Without trade-in, i.e. buying used clothing, the offering consists mainly of returns and repaired individual items, and their availability is limited. However, Patagonia is sticking to its resale goal. In the next few years, Patagonia wants to build up a second-hand business in Europe as well.

Bergzeit also knows that resale is demanding. The online giant deliberately outsourced the area because it would have become too complicated within the existing online shop. “The previous system is designed so that you create one item and sell it 1,000 times. With second-hand, it's different: each item has to be created individually. That was not feasible with the in-house logistics,” explains Jens Oellrich, team lead re-use at Bergzeit.

New approaches also had to be found at Globetrotter. Although the Hamburg-based company also worked with Reverse.Supply in the beginning, it now handles all processes in-house. “There is no ready-made system for resale yet. Buying and valuing items cannot yet be automated. Fake products are also a challenge. We are learning new things every day,” explains Mareike Heubel from Globetrotter. “This is pioneering work.”

Structures also had to be rebuilt in the brick and mortar business to organise buying and selling, for example through training. The sales staff take on these tasks there. Although Globetrotter can benefit from the staff's experience in assessing products, it is not always easy to integrate these processes. “We can't have one person in the store just valuing products. It's easier online,” Heubel continues. Depending on how busy the store is, the valuation is not always completed within an hour, which is the goal.

Could AI perhaps help with purchasing and valuation? Not at the moment, says Jens Oellrich from Bergzeit: “We have tested it, and it doesn't work yet. The AI can't see anything on a pair of black trousers. No company has approached us yet to say they have a working solution.”

Target groups: buyers and sellers are not identical

The target group for second-hand products is becoming ever broader. While at Patagonia it is mainly young people and vintage lovers who are interested in second-hand products, at the other retailers more and more families and price-conscious consumers are also taking advantage of the offer. This is not surprising given the price trends of recent years.

“There are not that many people who can afford a completely new outfit from Globetrotter,” Heubel points out. At the same time, more and more people are factoring in the resale value when buying new products, for example with high-priced items or with children's clothing that is often outgrown quickly. In this respect, the second-hand business also supports new sales and promotes quality awareness among consumers.

It is noticeable that sellers and buyers have only a very small overlap. Those who sell used clothing do not necessarily buy it – and vice versa. Second-hand is therefore less of a closed exchange system and more of an independent market. This is another reason why second-hand and new goods sales do not cannibalise each other.

Incidentally, hiking boots, climbing shoes and of course jackets sell well at Bergzeit. Globetrotter, on the other hand, does not offer shoes for resale at all due to high return rates. In general, the business is not yet worthwhile for low-priced products such as accessories and T-shirts. However, the participants believe that these cannot be omitted from a consumer perspective.

Nevertheless, there is still much to be done to make the topic more present in the minds of customers. This is necessary to ensure the continuous return of resale products on the one hand and to boost their sales on the other. In brick and mortar retail, i.e. at Globetrotter and Sport Conrad, the sales staff are encouraged to actively sell the second-hand range. In online retail, for example, Bergzeit uses flyers enclosed in every parcel to permanently draw attention to resale.

Second-hand as a business model or 'just' idealism?

Strategically, second-hand is thus developing from a sustainability project into a relevant business pillar. The rule for everyone is that second-hand must be profitable, which is not yet the case. The business is still too young and the processes are still in the development stage. Bergzeit expects a single to double-digit share of turnover in the next five years. Globetrotter and Sport Conrad are planning to expand their services to include repair and refurbishment. Rental models are also being discussed, not least because they could generate additional second-hand supply in the future and help to systematise the return flow.

At Patagonia, too, the goal with the introduction of resale will be to cover costs – unlike before. Until now, all services related to Worn Wear, i.e. primarily the repair of products, have been offered free of charge to end consumers. “We have always said that this is not an economic factor. Repairs are free, even the shipment. It's all about reducing the footprint,” explains Michael Austermühle from Patagonia. This will change as soon as Patagonia also introduces trade-in. “Then the goal is to at least break even; it doesn't have to make a profit.”

However, this does not mean that resale cannot be combined with charitable activities. Almost all participants support local NGOs with their second-hand initiatives. Bergzeit, for example, will donate a total of 10,000 euros in 2025 for 10,000 Re-Use items sent in during the autumn. Patagonia also donated the proceeds of around 30,000 euros, which were generated at the Munich Worn Wear event alone, to three local environmental protection groups. Similarly, Sport Conrad has been donating one percent of the sales price to regional projects since 2022.

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