Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced the launch of a secondhand clothing store on eBay, aiming to address rising demand for pre-owned apparel. This initiative seeks to find new homes for “old favourites” while reinforcing the retailer’s commitment to sustainability. Over the past decade, M&S has collected 36.5 million secondhand garments as part of its clothing recycling initiative, previously known as the “shwopping” scheme and now rebranded as Another Life, most of which have been resold through charity partner Oxfam.
As donation rates have stagnated, M&S is introducing a new incentive: customers donating Oxfam items that include at least one M&S product will receive a £5 voucher for in-store or online purchases when they spend £35. Those wishing to participate can fill out a form online or scan a QR code in-store to arrange for their preloved items to be picked up by a local courier service operated by Reskinned, a specialist in repair and resale.
Selected items will undergo professional cleaning and repairs before being listed on the M&S eBay store; items deemed unsellable will be responsibly repurposed or recycled. Oxfam will receive a 15% share of profits from eBay sales, with the remainder distributed among M&S, eBay, and Reskinned. Oxfam will maintain its sales of donated items in its outlets, including non-M&S products.
Katharine Beacham, who heads M&S’s sustainability efforts, noted that this partnership with eBay will help the company understand customer preferences in the resale market, potentially leading to future sales of secondhand items via its own platforms. M&S’s move comes amid a significant increase in online secondhand clothing sales, a trend reflected in competitors like Depop and Vinted, which have reported substantial growth in sales.
In response to market shifts, various retailers, including Primark, H&M, Uniqlo, and Zara, are integrating secondhand options, while also expanding repair services. The UK government is increasingly focused on reducing clothing waste, with Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh emphasizing the need for collaboration between businesses and government to promote sustainability in fashion.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/26/marks-spencer-to-open-secondhand-clothing-store-on-ebay