Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Can Fashion Resale Ever Be a Profitable Business?

Companies like The RealReal and ThredUp promised Wall Street that with scale comes profit. But operational costs and competition have kept them in the red.
Inside The RealReal's new distribution centre in Arizona.
Inside The RealReal's new distribution centre in Arizona. (The RealReal)

When The RealReal

Please sign in to ensure you can read our agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice. Or get in touch at support@businessoffashion.com if you experience difficulties.

Further Reading

Why Big Retailers Are Finally Taking Resale Seriously

H&M is the latest to enter the space, with a marketplace set to launch on Sept. 7 in Canada. The fast fashion behemoth sees an opportunity to bring in new customers and burnish its sustainability credentials. But it has plenty of competition.

For Brands, Is Resale Actually Worth It?

The secondhand market is booming, and a growing number of labels are piling in. But selling pre-worn trousers and handbags online — and turning a profit — is challenging.

About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Retail
Analysis and advice from the front lines of the retail transformation.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.


The Zara-Fication of John Galliano

Fashion’s enfant terrible is trading exclusivity for the mass market. Is it the ultimate fashion coup, or the final surrender of prestige?


view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.


VIEW MORE
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON