Luxury resale is angling to be the big winner of this year’s secondhand gift boom

“We see a massive increase starting Black Friday, it sustains through the holidays, and then we see it even pick back up in the start of the year for bonus season,” Walker said.

For luxury resale platforms, the combination of fancy items at a better price becomes a powerful value proposition during the holiday gifting season. But 2025 has been a big year for the sector, in particular, as more people have become more comfortable gifting secondhand items, thanks to the rise of digital resale platforms. What’s more, people are especially looking to save money this year as they grow weary of sustained inflation. Buying secondhand allows them to still get the items at the top of their wishlists, but at a potentially lower price.

In its annual holiday survey, the National Retail Federation found that 59% of shoppers say they would consider buying a secondhand gift for someone else, while 64% say they may purchase a secondhand gift for themselves. Books and media tend to be the most popular secondhand gifts, followed by clothing, accessories and home decor.

Nearly half, or 46%, of those surveyed said they are buying secondhand gifts to save money, while 25% said they are looking for greater value. But about 16% said it’s so they can afford higher-end brands at more affordable prices.

In response to the secondhand demand, luxury marketplaces and platforms are moving more inventory than ever and finding new points of distribution. Reklaim, a luxury marketplace, is now on Amazon’s Luxury Shops page for watches and has over 100 physical retail partners. In the last year, it went from one to four airport locations in Dubai alone.

In the watch world, Walker from Bezel said some shoppers head straight to the secondary market for a good value. Cartier, for instance, tends to resell at a lower price than retail. While people shopping for gifts may be a bit more likely to look for pieces labeled “unworn,” Walker said they also favor “retail-ready” items that have been polished to the point of not showing any prior signs of wear.

Beyond the savings appeal, consumers seem to be getting more comfortable with used items — even visibly so. Just because something is clearly slightly “used,” that doesn’t mean it’s off the table. TheRealReal’s 2025 Resale Report from October found that sales of “fair condition” items were up 32% year over year. Similarly, sales of bags showing visible wear were up 45% year over year.

Keeping up with shopper demand

Holiday becomes a big acquisition time for Bezel, Walker said. Some traffic comes from buying guides and some from paid advertising. The company puts together a holiday sale section featuring discounted inventory—a move that allows sellers to move their stock without taking too big a hit. It also has an auction capability that tends to see more activity during the holiday.

“We do a lot of creative stuff to feel like we’re offering a holiday discount, without a cheapening of the brand,” he said. “Obviously, we’re selling very expensive items. We don’t have the luxury of saying, like, ‘It’s 30% off everything.'”

Unlike other online marketplaces, luxury watch resale has a built-in value proposition due to the scarcity and limited availability of sought-after items. People looking for certain models may not be able to score them in store any longer, meaning they are left to scour the secondhand market.

Bezel doesn’t share its sales figures, but as of mid-November, it had over $950 million in inventory listings on the platform. Walker, who co-founded the brand after working at Google, said the company hopes to break $1 billion in revenue this holiday season.

To help meet the demand, Bezel offers a concierge chat service for buyers to help them find what they need — whether they are hoping to find one particular item, are looking for the best price on a particular brand or need help narrowing down choices.

“Because of how expensive these items are, they’re oftentimes very celebratory. And so, it’s not just a gift. It’s like, the biggest gift you’ve ever received or you’ve ever given someone, in many ways,” he said.

Finding new touch points

This holiday season is also bringing an influx of shoppers to Reklaim, a luxury online marketplace that’s expanded its consumer touch points throughout 2025. It has spent several years working with wholesalers like Selfridges and Nordstrom, and now has a presence in over 100 doors worldwide. This time last year, Reklaim had one shop in the Dubai airport, but this year, it’s up to four locations.

Gary Schoenfeld, president at Reklaim, said that traffic and sales have accelerated heading into the holidays. That’s especially true in its new retail environments. “We think these are meaningful purchases that people are making that warrant the in-person experience, the knowledgeable salespeople and the opportunity to see in-person the pristine quality of what it is that we’re selling, which is in like-new condition in most cases,” he said.

At the same time, Reklaim has also been growing on the online front. It launched its own direct-to-consumer marketplace in April 2025 to help reach more shoppers. It also partnered with Amazon for the first time, as part of its Luxury Stores lineup, to sell watches — Schoenfeld said both parties aimed to set it up before the holiday season. “They were eager for us to be fully up and running well in advance of holiday,” he said.

“From a digital perspective,  Amazon is the peak in not just reach, but also in trust and confidence among consumers,” Schoenfeld said. “[Amazon] was launching their luxury business overall and wanted pre-owned to be a meaningful part of that. We’re excited about the opportunity to be chosen as their primary resource for luxury watches.”

Reklaim will still handle authentication and logistics for those who buy via Amazon. But Schoenfeld said joining Amazon is a big indicator of just how mainstream secondhand luxury shopping is becoming — especially this time of year.

As for what people are buying, Schoenfeld said many shoppers are taking advantage of Reklaim’s concierge service to find something specific. If the item is not currently available through the marketplace, Reklain typically locates it within four to six weeks. Retail partners can use a Reklaim sourcing portal to enable in-store buyers to make purchases even if they’re not in their store.

Schoenfeld compared the evolution of luxury resale to what’s happened in the pre-owned auto sales market. Where it once had its own category and its own stigma, now, people are getting pre-owned offers when they go to the dealer.

“People’s attitudes about secondhand and pre-owned have changed,” Schoenfeld said.