From charity shops to second hand marketplaces, as a nation we love bargains and are increasingly seeing a shift to thrift. However, we are still trapped in a cycle of buy buy buy and have a throw away culture. But the second hand market is booming, so why are we still buying new?
Last year we started a Consumption Rebellion as the UK planned to spend an average of £1,108 on new homeware items, but 53% of us don’t realise the negative impact these fast homeware purchases have on the environment.*
The Committee on Climate Change says that the average UK household needs to reduce its carbon footprint by 3.6 tonnes by 2030 in order to keep the country on track to meet its goals. Our recent research shows if every person swapped their homeware purchases from new to second hand for the next three months alone we’d save an estimated 10.9kgs of carbon. That’s enough carbon for hot showers for six months!
Further a recent survey conducted by the British Heart Foundation revealed that 62 per cent of the UK have thrown away homeware in good enough condition to donate to charity.** These are items that not only can be passed on and re-used but can make people a little extra cash! Gumtree data shows households can earn up to £570*** selling their large household items, with most in-demand large items being sofas, fridge freezers, beds, washing machines, wardrobes, tables, and chairs.
What can we do?
It’s quite simple. We need to take second hand seriously and think second hand first, whether that’s finding to save on both £ + 🌎 or listing a preloved item to reduce waste.
So this September, we want to shine a light on the impacts of fast homewares, and because the impacts are lesser known than fashion, we want to encourage users to think second hand first. What’s more…we’re incentivising all those that shop and list this September with our Second Hand Saves competition.
Think second hand for some homeware staples
The average cost of purchasing 10 key homeware items new – from cushions to mirrors – is a whopping £486, compared to just £169 if a person bought the same items second-hand on Gumtree.*** But more surprisingly, buying just one new cushion for your home creates the equivalent carbon emissions as heating your house for almost a year!
Items | Average price on Gumtree*** | High Street cost new | CO2e produced when item bought new |
Cushions | £16 | £40 | 80kg |
Artwork & Photos | £16 | £20 | 15kg |
Candles | £10 | £20 | 15kg |
Ornaments | £12 | £41 | 30kg |
Throws & Blankets | £15 | £35 | 50kg |
Rugs | £34 | £150 | 212kg |
Bed Linen | £10 | £40 | 57kg |
Plants | £13 | £30 | 43kg |
Lamps | £20 | £50 | 99kg |
Mirrors | £23 | £60 | 44kg |
Total | £169 | £486 | 645kg |
AW 2024 homeware trends – doesn’t have to mean ‘NEW’
Create those cosy autumn trends by shopping second hand 💚
Chrome
Retro
Checks & stripes
Scalloped edges
Coloured glass
Make some extra money this autumn by selling your preloved homewares Sell homewares on Gumtree
First time parents? Save big and go second hand!
September is officially the busiest month for newborns and whether it’s your first baby, second or third, welcoming a baby can sometimes put financial pressure on parents with an endless list of those ‘must have’ items.
The NHS have an essential list of What to buy your newborn and by thinking second hand for some of those items you could save £854 compared to if you bought new from the high street.
Items | Average price on Gumtree*** | High Street cost new |
Cot / Mosses baskets | £45 | £187 |
Pushchair | £77 | £150 |
Car Seats | £27 | £135 |
Changing Tables | £31 | £219 |
Baby Bath | £10 | £24 |
Baby Monitors | £24 | £144 |
Breast Pump | £38 | £130 |
Baby clothes | £9 | £19 |
Sterilisers | £16 | £102 |
Bottles | £10 | £30 |
Total | £286.69 | £1,140 |
How you could help – Hand me downs are a great way to help those you know welcoming a new baby – just ask first before you pop round with bags full of items. You could even make money from selling your preloved baby items on Gumtree by listing them at a reduced price.
Sell baby items on Gumtree
Student shoppers? Snap up second hand finds
September sees the start of a new school year and the beginning of university for new students. Whether you’re moving into student accommodation or a shared house, getting the basics can still add up. By shopping second hand you could save up to £852 to spend on something else. If your place is unfurnished? You could save up to £1,800 on those bigger items.
Items | Average price on Gumtree*** | High Street cost new |
Tableware | £10 | £56 |
Kettle | £12 | £58 |
Cookware | £10 | £66 |
Coat hangers | £5 | £8 |
Bed Linen | £10 | £40 |
Curtains | £18 | £90 |
Bedside table | £30 | £150 |
Coffee table | £34 | £200 |
Extension Lead | £8 | £14 |
Chest of drawers | £43 | £350 |
Total | £180 | £1,032 |
Unfurnished? Need some bigger items?
Items | Average price on Gumtree*** | High Street cost new |
Sofas | £202 | £1000 |
Wardrobes | £82 | £690 |
Beds | £91 | £629 |
Total | £475 | £2,319 |
Make some extra money by selling on Gumtree today! Sell on Gumtree
Join our Consumption Rebellion and you could win cash prizes!
Not only are you saving big (£ + 🌎) this September by thinking second hand first, you can also be in with a chance of winning a cash prize of £500. It couldn’t be simpler to enter – hunt down one of our five Second hand September Good Find ads. Reply to at least one of the ads and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a £500 cash prize. Watch out for the lucky winner announced in October on our social channels.
*HINT* start your search in these categories: prams & strollers, sofas, Lamps, plants and cushions. Or maybe just start here and enjoy exploring all Gumtree has to offer.
How to enter
- Browse Gumtree.com to find our five Good Find ads.
- Reply once to one or all five of our Good Find ads to enter. Replying to one ad counts as one entry, replying to all five ads counts as five separate entries.
We’ll choose one winner from all valid entries. So what’s stopping you from entering?
Look out for an ad with an eye-catching picture. (Subtle tip, it looks a lot like the pictures below.) Full terms and conditions apply – find them here.
Sources
* Research conducted by Censuswide in the UK between March 29th – 31st 2023 and of 2,000 nationally representative consumers aged 16+. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles
** British Heart Foundation survey ‘62 per cent of the nation throwing away homeware items in good enough condition to donate to charity’ – May 2024
*** Internal Gumtree data, August 2022-August 2023