Marks & Spencer has opened a secondhand clothing store on eBay, aiming to find new homes for 'old favourites' as demand for preloved items surges. The retailer is revamping its long-standing 'shwopping' scheme, now called Another Life, to encourage customers to donate preloved M&S items.
Customers who donate at least one M&S item through the Another Life scheme will receive a £5 voucher to spend when they spend £35 online. Donations can be arranged via a short online form or QR code in stores, with free local courier collection by Reskinned, a repair and resale specialist.
Reskinned will professionally clean and repair the best M&S items for listing on the M&S eBay store. Unsellable items will be repurposed or recycled. Charity partner Oxfam will receive a 15% share of M&S’s profits from eBay sales, with the remainder split between M&S, eBay, and Reskinned. Oxfam will also continue to sell non-M&S donations directly in its outlets.
Katharine Beacham, M&S’s head of sustainability in fashion, said the partnership with eBay offers an opportunity to learn about resale demand. The company will assess the store's success before potentially selling secondhand items via its own channels. Mary Creagh, the circular economy minister, praised the initiative as a 'great way for consumers to be rewarded for providing a new home for old favourites'.
The move comes as secondhand clothing sales grow rapidly, with M&S one of the most searched brands on eBay. Rivals such as Vinted and Depop have reported significant sales increases, while high street names like Primark and H&M are also embracing resale.
