Holiday Hacks: Winning the Second-Hand Market This Christmas

Merry Thriftmas! Your seasonal guide on making the most from the second-hand market over the festive period.

Christmas is many things to many people. For most, it’s a special time of year, a time for celebration and family. For others, Christmas can be challenging. This article is not about how far Christmas has moved away from tradition over the last consumer-driven decades. It’s about how we can each of us make the most of the opportunities it brings.

Christmas should be about giving, but for most of us, it’s more about buying. This is the time of year where retailers earn most of their profits. According to Statista in Europe, the UK leads Christmas spending with an astonishing £88.5 bill in sales over the festive period which is nearly four times what the Spanish spend over the same few weeks. Of course, all this rampant consumerism comes with a price of its own. Slick advertising, massive peer pressure, and FOMO all combine into a bullying unholy trinity of greed with the single goal of parting us with our cash. The upshot of all of this means there are many opportunities for the casual trader to make the most of the chaos and even help those most in need. So, let’s dig in, and discover the best ways to kill it over Christmas.

1. Santa’s little helper

With all the pressure, some families struggle to find the funds to pay for all the festive excess. With little other options, it’s common to find these folks selling off stuff they don’t need to cover the costs to come. These folks need the money and by buying their goods, you’re doing them a solid gift. You’ll find these offers on most online marketplaces from local selling groups on Meta, to eBay, and Gumtree. Of course, if you have an Riloop account you can find all of them with a single search.

2. Buyer’s remorse

Another way to leverage the festive period is keeping an eye out for all the post-Christmas goodies. From unwanted presents and duplicate items to looming credit card debt there are many reasons to wait until after Christmas to start buying all your bargains.

3. Grey market blues

Christmas heralds the end of the year and that means the end of trading too for some organisations. As you’d expect then, this is also a good time to pick up older stock. For drop shippers, smaller traders, and part-time side hustlers, Christmas can be the time to cut your losses and clear your shelves so you can pick up some new gear. So, with all the excess stock flooding the market, prices at this time of year trend downwards and for opportunity knocks for the savvy entrepreneur.

4. Out with the old

It’s safe to assume, given how much cash changes hands in December that lots of fingers and in particular younger fingers will get their mitts on the latest gadgets this Christmas. Imagine then how many of them will end up with used gadgets. The smart money knows that the few days that follow December 25th mark the optimum time to pick up some lovely pre-owned tech goodies.

5. Gift preloved gifts

One way to get the most from your wallet during the holidays is to go against the consumerist grain. Don’t follow the Black Friday crowds and go your own way, by opting to give your loved ones more sustainable and thoughtful preowned gifts. Second-hand jewellery, vintage books, and retro toys and games are very much in vogue this year. Every product has a carbon footprint, but preloved items have already paid their carbon dues. Giving gifts that have already been around this dance before is a sensible and obvious way to reduce your own contributions to the current climate crisis.

In conclusion

So, there you have it. Five ways the second-hand market can make your Christmas merrier for everyone. Remember with your own RIloop account you can set alarms for specific terms and price range, and run detailed searches across all the major online marketplaces. This includes Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree, and many, many more. We hope you enjoyed our little Merry Thriftmas guide, and we’d love it if you could take the time to share our message.

Kindest regards and Happy Christmas from Thomas and Neil, and everyone one at Riloop.