Luxury second hand dominates eBay’s SS26 report The Trend Watchlist for niche vintage enthusiasts

If you thought Vinted and Vestiaire Collective were the platforms dominating the second hand market, you may want to think again. In the rise of online vintage fashion, the company that has quietly maintained a true monopoly is eBay, which recently released its new Trend Watchlist dedicated to the SS26 season. Curated by stylist Brie Welch, the report analyses trends and best sellers emerging from the platform’s more than 136 million users and approximately 2.5 billion listings.

For the occasion, eBay also involved stylist Harry Lambert, who shared insights drawn from his work across music, celebrity culture and red carpets: «Whether I’m sourcing looks for a red carpet, styling an album campaign, or simply falling into a late-night rabbit hole, I usually end up on eBay». And it is precisely this idea of the rabbit hole that makes eBay different from any other contemporary resale platform.

But let’s take a closer look at what this actually means.

A “niche” vintage platform

In today’s second hand landscape, it is difficult to imagine that a resale platform could still be considered “niche”. Yet eBay, founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar and launched in Italy in the early 2000s, continues to position itself in a radically different way from its competitors. Its interface has remained almost unchanged over time, while its catalogue is vast, including clothing, collectibles, vintage objects, video games, archival fashion and memorabilia. A dispersive and chaotic ecosystem, but precisely because of this, an incredibly authentic one. After more than twenty years of activity, eBay can still be considered a “niche” platform because, unlike other second hand marketplaces, it does not build the experience around brands or purchasing speed, but around the quality of the archive it preserves.

Pricing also often feels more honest compared to other platforms, while variety and availability appear virtually endless. Resellers’ pages resemble independent e-commerce stores more than simple user profiles: every item comes with detailed photographs, technical descriptions and precise information regarding measurements, condition and provenance. Another distinctive feature of the platform is its auction system. Many listings start from extremely low prices, sometimes even from $1, but participating requires attention, strategy and a certain understanding of the vintage market. You need to know when to bid, how much to raise the offer and, above all, when to stop.

The power of Japanese vintage

The buying process on eBay is therefore less immediate compared to that offered by competing platforms, and this may make it less appealing to consumers accustomed to experiencing vintage as a continuous flow driven by speed and timing, often without truly paying attention to the garment’s details. In many ways, eBay represents a form of vintage curation. And when it comes to fashion archives and second hand luxury, Japanese sellers occupy an almost dominant position.

Japanese sellers on eBay are considered among the most reliable sources for purchasing authentic vintage luxury fashion. This is thanks to their obsessive attention to detail, Japan’s strict anti-counterfeiting laws and a highly rigorous collecting culture. In Japan, wardrobe turnover is also extremely high: consumers frequently renew their wardrobes, generating a vast availability of second hand items in excellent condition. Added to this is a relatively lower domestic demand for past collections or vintage garments, a factor that makes many pieces more accessible to international buyers.

Luxury on eBay

It is therefore unsurprising that luxury continues to dominate the platform’s resale market. According to the SS26 report, the most purchased luxury brands globally between January and March 2026 were Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Chanel and Prada. Compared to late 2025, Hermès lost its leading position, leaving space for Dior, influenced by the excitement surrounding Jonathan Anderson’s arrival as creative director of the maison. At the same time, the platform recorded exponential growth in listings for several brands: Brioni leads the ranking with a 5900% increase, followed by Rhude (+4300%), Steve Madden (+2300%) and Birkenstock (+1100%). Average resale values also continue to rise dramatically: Raf Simons increased by 348%, followed by Blumarine (+298%).

It must be said that eBay is not immune to the influence of contemporary entertainment. The Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy effect, fuelled by the 2026 biopic Love Story, generated a massive increase in searches linked to her minimalist aesthetic. In March alone, users searched for Calvin Klein more than 3,800 times per hour. To recreate the CBK aesthetic, searches for the Prada Spazzolato model increased by 518%, while Selima eyewear recorded a 747% growth. Levi’s 517 jeans (+78%) and the L.L.Bean tote bag (+40%) also returned to the centre of collective desire. Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show also had an immediate impact: searches for the Adidas-created BadBo 1.0 sneakers increased by over 50% in just one day. Likewise, Lady Gaga’s surprise appearance caused searches for the custom Luar dress she wore to rise by 160%.

Between leather goods and watchmaking

Given eBay’s reliability and the quality of its marketplace, alongside leather accessories it is also common to find jewellery and watches of considerable value. In the handbag segment, global women’s category listings increased by 20%. Among the accessories that recorded the highest growth in average value were the Gucci Padlock Bag (+530%), Gucci Giglio Bag (+428%), Saint Laurent Y Tote (+253%), Bottega Veneta Arco Tote (+177%), Chanel 25 Small Bag (+77%) and Gucci B Bag (+73%). The watch market also continues to establish itself as an investment sector, with Patek Philippe recording a 154% increase thanks to the Nautilus model, while Cartier continues to dominate resale with iconic models such as the Demoiselle (+80%), Tank Américaine (+43%), Tank Française (+39%) and Baignoire (+21%).

The mecca of authentic vintage

eBay is probably the platform that most authentically preserves the idea of vintage as a cultural archive. The garments found within its catalogue are proof of this, remaining distant, although not entirely detached, from the fleeting trends that regulate the contemporary market. Accessing this universe, however, requires time, research and attention. On eBay, luxury takes on a symbolic dimension as well as a material one: it is not only about economic investment, but also about cultural awareness. This is also reflected in the data from the SS26 report, where the increase in resale value for brands such as Raf Simons, Rodarte or Patek Philippe does not simply mirror growing demand, but rather the desire to own objects capable of embodying a specific imaginary.

eBay is not immediate, and perhaps this is precisely why it remains one of the last spaces where vintage still preserves a truly authentic dimension of discovery and collecting. The logic of instant purchasing, which many second hand platforms have accustomed users to, disappears here. On eBay, the shopping experience demands research, observation and the ability to navigate an endless archive of memorabilia, where luxury continues to be omnipresent, even on a platform that has been unfairly forgotten.