The crisis drives second-hand purchases: chosen by two out of three Italians

Due to need and savings, the number of Italians buying or selling second-hand goods is increasing. In recent years, the number of buyers was predominant, but in 2025 there was an overtaking of sellers, with a growth of three percentage points. Last year, 65% of Italians bought or sold a second-hand item at least once. The choice of second-hand goods has thus become the first option in the purchasing process for 68% of consumers. This is what emerges from the twelfth edition of the Second hand economy observatory by Ipsos Doxa for Subito that Il Sole 24 Ore is able to anticipate.

Amidst the loss of purchasing power and the high cost of living to make ends meet, the choice falls to second-hand goods and the value generated by purchases and sales between private individuals in 2025 remains substantially stable at €27.2 billion - it was €27 billion in the previous year - but the number of Italians choosing the second-hand route is increasing. "On average, the value of objects has remained constant, but the number of sellers is increasing a great deal," explains Giuseppe Pasceri, CEO of Subito, a marketplace that registers more than 2.3 million online transactions a year, "and for the first time we can see that the key factor is that people sell out of necessity, to make money from what they own. According to the findings of Subito's Second Hand Economy Observatory, in 2020-2021 the average earning on an annual basis was around EUR 1,000-1,100. These values have been on a downward trend since 2022, falling from 900-950 euro to 800-850 euro in recent years. It is the effect of the increase in supply and the ease with which it is possible to sell online that prompts people to also offer items that bring low returns. Buyers, on the other hand, are aiming for savings of at least 40% on the cost of new. Of the EUR 27.2 billion turnover, 54%, or EUR 14.7 billion, came from online sites, which are preferred for their speed, the ability to manage the entire process with a smartphone, the breadth of choice and the 24-hour service availability. Thus, the digital adoption rate exceeds the 70% threshold for the first time, up from just 30% ten years ago.

According to Doxa and Subito data, among the different categories, two- and four-wheelers have the largest share in value, EUR 11.1 billion with a slight increase. The 'home & person' category follows with 7.4 billion, stable. Electronics increased slightly to EUR 5.5 billion in third place, while the 'sport & hobby' category closes the ranking at EUR 3.2 billion. On the podium of the number of products most bought online are clothing and accessories (39%), books and magazines (28%), furniture and household goods (22%) ex aequo with vintage. In terms of growth there are the exploits of accessories for cars, motorbikes and scooters, gardening tools and do-it-yourself. On Subito, the largest number of transactions is related to collectables while IT surpasses vintage clothing and accessories.

The frequency of use of the second hand economy is also increasing. 24% of those who buy and 23% of those who sell do so at least once a month while over half of Italians say they do so at least once every six months. The level of satisfaction is high considering that 78% of users kept the number of buying and selling transactions in line with the previous year or increased it. Among the most searched words on Subito are Vespa, iPhone, Fiat Panda but also tractor, camper van, kitchen and Playstation without forgetting pellet stoves and large household appliances. "Second-hand shopping is an intelligent, accessible model of consumption, and is chosen because it is environmentally, socially and above all economically sustainable," Pasceri emphasises. "We can see this from the growth in the number of people visiting our platform every day, over 2.8 million, with an annual growth rate of 8.3%.