Inside the $40 Billion Luxury Resale Boom

The story of luxury resale used to be a footnote. Now it is the headline. Research and Markets values the luxury resale market at $36.79B in 2024 and $40.11B in 2025, with a projected CAGR of 9.5% taking it to $76.06B by 2032. A joint BCG and Vestiaire Collective study, based on nearly 8,000 consumers, found that secondhand fashion and luxury is now growing roughly three times faster than the primary market.

Rebag's 2025 Clair Report — one of the most-cited data sets in the category — attributes part of the surge to 2025's global tariff shifts, which pushed primary-market handbag, watch, and jewelry prices up and sent more buyers to resale in search of access and value.

Who is actually driving the growth

• Millennials and Gen Z now treat pre-owned luxury as a default, not a compromise (BCG / Vestiaire).
• Under-30 buyers are entering the market via TikTok Shop, Whatnot livestreams, and short-form product content (Bloomberg, Business Insider).
• Post-tariff, primary-market buyers are re-shopping resale to sidestep 2025's price hikes (Rebag Clair 2025).
• Investment-motivated buyers are treating Birkins, Kellys, Classic Flaps, and select Miu Miu / The Row bags as portfolio pieces (WWD on Clair report).

The brands winning the resale market

According to WWD's reporting on Rebag's 2025 Clair Report, three brands defined the year's resale performance: Hermès (unshakeable at the top), The Row (breakout demand), and Miu Miu (Gen-Z-driven cultural momentum). Chanel remains a foundational holding for buyers focused on price appreciation from repeated retail hikes.

"The secondhand fashion and luxury market is growing three times faster than the primary market."

Why the numbers matter for buyers

Category growth is not just an interesting statistic — it is the depth of the exit door. A market growing 9.5% a year with $40B already flowing through it means liquidity: real buyers, real bids, real time-to-sale. That is what separates an investable asset class from a niche collector hobby, and it is why sophisticated buyers are treating designer handbags with the same rigor traditionally reserved for watches, art, and wine.