Who Buys And Sells Second Hand Preloved Fashion?
Who Buys And Sells Second Hand Preloved Fashion?
Preloved has been the name of the designer fashion game for quite a few years now and we have loved seeing the Shush at the Wellington loyal following grow larger and larger as time goes on. Personally, we believe that a regular look behind the scenes of every business is essential to create that family feel for which every good independent brand strives. That’s why we have dedicated today’s blog post to looking at preloved through a long lens. Specifically, we want to answer two of the most pressing questions that we are asked on almost a daily basis – who buys preloved… and who sells it?
Who Buys Preloved… and Why?
First let’s take a look at the wider preloved audience before zooming in to look at who buys from Shush. There are so many reasons to buy second hand designer fashion, the main one being that it’s so affordable and such good quality. Many people cannot stretch to buying designer pieces brand new, which leaves us with a choice – do we invest our hard-earned cash into cheap, throwaway fashion from the high street that everyone else is wearing and which will lose its shape and go out of style after just a few weeks and washes? Or, do we invest in our wardrobe and focus on buying select designer pieces that we can wear for years on end thanks to their timeless style and quality? Even if we did go off these designer pieces eventually, we can regain some capital by selling them on as they will retain their value. With high street items, the only place they’re destined to go second-hand is to your little sister or the charity shop.
More and more, people are recognising the value of investing in their wardrobes and looking at fashion with a long eye. The high street is designed around quick or instant gratification and fast, trend-led fashion whereas high-end designers focus on quality and longevity.
Many create rare and limited edition pieces while it’s often standard for every seasonal collection to produce a limited number of items. This enhances your investment even further as every designer piece is unique. Preloved also gives the opportunity to invest into classic designer pieces like the Chanel quilted bag for a fraction of the price.
A Diverse Clientele
When we look at the Shush audience, it’s clear to see that preloved is making quite a name for itself. Our youngest buyer to date was aged just 16 – at the other end of the scale, we’ve welcomed an 80-year-old buyer who truly recognised the value of preloved fashion. Our main age group is aged 20-65 and, zooming in more closely, we are most popular with those aged 25-45.
It’s also been amazing to see how coveted our collections are across the world. While the location of most of our buyers is local – in London and across the UK – we have a dedicated cohort of shoppers who keep their eyes peeled on the Shush website and make a journey to the store an essential part of their holidays or business trips to London. As we only currently ship our items within the EU due to customs and excise charges, this is also a great way for shoppers to grab all their designer bargains in one fell swoop.
Who Sells Preloved… and Why?
Both our buyers and sellers are also people who just love designer brands and labels. As preloved is such an accessible and conscious way to begin a designer fashion journey, we often welcome shoppers looking to buy their very first designer item. As our collections are so unique, we also regularly welcome buyers looking for a specific outfit to wear at a special occasion such as a cocktail evening.
Limited Edition Designer Fashion
We are renowned in the high fashion community for stocking rare, limited edition and sold out pieces. This is why we are often sought out by those people who lead a luxury lifestyle, have an in-depth knowledge of high fashion and are seeking a certain item that is no longer available via the usual channels.
The Shush collections and preloved in general has attracted a high calibre of professional buyers. This demographic will typically wear their items for one or two seasons and then bring them back to sell on, putting the profits towards their next purchases and their next set of designer fashion bargains. We also have bulk buyers that pay regular visits and take home a huge haul as well as others that pop in weekly for a spontaneous purchase and to see if something tickles their fancy.
High Quality, Great Prices
Thanks to our handy London location, we often see buyers who are passing by and drop in to grab a bargain. Shush at the Wellington make designer fashion super accessible to everyone with a welcoming, chic environment in which to shop for bargains. And we’re growing too! We are expanding our current team to include online sales administrators and ensure we can give our buyers as much choice as possible as well as showcase some of our best items. It must be said, though, that some of our items never even make it online as they sell as soon as they walk through the door! So, if you fancy finding your next designer must-have, hopefully we will see you very soon.
