kiv47 
-For Czechs, shopping for used items has commonly been taboo, and whilst second-hand shops aren’t uncommon, few human beings effectively admit to buying in them.
“People typically percentage their amusement of looking for second-hand garments best with a circle of own circle of relatives and near friends,” concluded a 2019 look on Czech buying habits, authored with the aid of using the analyst Marketa Rulikova.
“Not carrying logo new (and logo-named) clothes additionally suggests, for plenty Czechs, an incapacity to offer for the own circle of relatives, a too acquainted misery remembered from the socialist beyond.”
But the monetary effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, crowned with the aid of using spiraling inflation and strength expenses, has brought about a second-hand buying spree.
“We have in no way had such takings as in those beyond few months,” says Monika van den Berg, of Moment Czech Republic, an NGO that runs numerous second-hand, charity stores throughout the
Second-hand income has extended threefold nationally in view that closing yr, the Association of Social Responsibility, an enterprise body, instructed neighborhood media in advance this month.
What’s changed? Some assume it’s taste. Czechs are increasingly eco-aware whilst shopping for second-hand frequently way great.
“We assume that the increase is in part due to our offer,” says van den Berg. “We promote apparel of the first-rate great and superb manufacturers because of the manner we kind donated apparel.”
“The patron receives superb great apparel for a minimal charge,” she stated. Because the apparel has been worn but continues to be in the true nick, it’s a signal of true material.”
-The maximum apparent factor, though, is cost:
Inflation has been hovering because of the flip of 2022. It become as much as 17.2 in keeping with cent in June, the best on record. Economists are expecting it can nonetheless climb higher.
At the equal time, strength expenses also are growing and there may be a huge experience that matters get tons worse as wintry weather nears. As of June, Czechs have been as pessimistic as they had been for greater than a decade approximately the destiny of family intake and saving, consistent with the OECD’s client self-belief index.
-Naturally, greater clients have grown to become to second-hand items as they tighten family spending:
Clothing expenses, for instance, are presently up with the aid of using 19. nine in keeping with cent and shoes with the aid of using 15. four in keeping with cent as compared to the closing yr, consistent with the trendy facts from the Czech Statistical Office.
“People withinside the Czech Republic had been an increasing number of involved approximately their monetary state of affairs, looking to spare each haler,” stated Lukáš Kovanda, leader economist with Trinity Bank. “They restriction particularly spending on non-important objects and garments, clothes or footwear are amongst them.”
“This fashion can be even greater mentioned in coming months and quarters as the general monetary state of affairs withinside the Czech Republic similarly deteriorates, likely main to a widespread surge (withinside the) unemployment charge subsequent yr,” he introduced.
-But brick-and-mortar shops aren’t being overrun with the aid of using cut-price hunters:
As human beings are tightening their belts, organizations also are making it less complicated to look online for second-hand bargains. Many thrift stores now put up for sale their wares on social media. Some have online shops. Traditional providers of the latest and branded apparel also are entering the second-hand marketplace.
In April 2021, the Germany-primarily based online store Zalando, which sells throughout Europe, released its website’s “pre-owned” class withinside the Czech Republic.
By including this segment, “we will bridge the distance among the laugh of style buying, freshness, and self-expression, along greater sustainable style intake and unrivaled convenience,” a Zalando consultant instructed Euronews in a statement.
Since they released the “pre-owned” segment of the web website online throughout Europe in 2020, the class has grown from 20,000 to greater than 400,000 objects, consisting of the Czech Republic, where “clients’ feedback… has been very high-quality.”
-Supply is likewise using the second-hand increase:
In a few cases, consisting of charity stores, items are donated. Now line structures are increasing the number making it less complicated for human beings to promote their used items to different buyers, taking gain of the fast-developing e-trade marketplace withinside the Czech Republic, which noticed a 14 percent bounce closing yr to be well worth around €nine.1 billion, consistent with Heureka Group, one of all Europe’s biggest charge contrast websites.
In 2019, Czech marketers released Knihobot, an e-trade platform that permits human beings to shop for and promote used books. In 2020 it boasted an income of around €700,0000 crowns; closing yr it become as much greater than €three million. According to media reports, it is ambitious for €12 million this yr.
Economists name this “re-trade”. Inflation and growing family expenses aren’t simply developing greater good deal hunters; they’re additionally pushing greater human beings to promote their items.
Vinted, a Lithuania-primarily based online market for shopping for, promoting, and replacing items, has around 1,000,000 registered individuals the use the Czech platform, which might be around a 10th of the country’s population.
“Platforms like Vinted may be a great area for human beings to mitigate the effect of inflation on their pocket with the aid of using promoting matters they do not need, and we understand human beings are influenced with the aid of using the monetary advantages of second-hand, in addition to the environmental aspects,” says Lilly Berns, Vinted’s PR supervisor for Germany, and Southern and Eastern Europe.
-There’s nonetheless room for enlargement withinside the “re-trade” quarter.
Vinted, for instance, lately related clients withinside the Czech Republic and Poland, which means human beings in each international location can now purchase and promote their second-hand items to every different.
It additionally introduced puppy care and enjoyment categories, “giving human beings greater possibilities to promote and purchase preloved way of life objects,” stated their PR supervisor.
“Compared to the first-hand marketplace, the second-hand style quarter nonetheless has a big capacity to grow, and we agree with in its high-quality improvement pushed with the aid of using an increasing number of human beings around the world deciding on pre-cherished each day,” she introduced.
