As fur coats and Swiss watches fall out of vogue among China’s elites facing a corruption crackdown, another luxury sector is quietly thriving. The second-hand luxury market has seen a jump this year, according to a survey of stores by Fortune Character Institute, FCI, a Chinese luxury lifestyle publication. China’s second-hand luxury stores range from independent boutiques selling, renting, or repairing designer wares to chains like Hong Kong’s Milan Station or Japan’s Brand Off, both of which have stores on the mainland. (They’re not to be confused with the stalls full of fake Vuitton in Beijing’s famous Silk Street Market.) Online operations have sprung up too, such as Secoo.com, which has around 600,000 registered users . Second-hand designer goods can cost as little as a third of their original price.On Secco, a Louis Vuitton bag sells for 2,750 yuan or $450 (link in Chinese), compared to a retail price of 8,350 renminbi. Rare or limited-edition items can even fetch more second-hand than the original price. |