TikTok Shop is expanding its range of luxury second-hand fashion to the UK

TikTok Shop, TikTok’s social commerce platform, is launching a second-hand luxury goods category in the UK, putting it in closer competition with The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Depop, Poshmark and Mercari, amongst others. The offer has been available on TikTok Shop US for over six months.

The latest category allows UK customers to buy pre-owned, high-end clothing, designer handbags and other accessories without having to leave the TikTok app. Only five British brands might be available at launch, including Saddler, Luxe Collective, Time sign, Almost never wornAND Archive break.

Since the launch of TikTok Shop in 2022, the platform has sold out approximately $1 billion or more value of products. However, despite its success, some say TikTok Shop is ruining the short video-sharing app, saying fakes and low-quality products are flooding the market. Counterfeits pose the best risk when purchasing used luxury goods online, and even the largest e-commerce giants (AmazoneBay and others) fighting authenticity issues.

Like all resale markets, TikTok Shop has anti-counterfeit policy which guarantees a full refund if it is proven that the seller sold a counterfeit product. Bloomberg recently announced that the company is in talks with luxury goods company LVMH to help fight counterfeiting.

All brands utilized in TikTok Shop US should be certified by third-party authentication providers. TikTok has partnered with authentication services Enthusiasm AND True authentication to make sure that that branded platform handbags are original.

Meanwhile, a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that each one five UK brands have their very own internal authentication process. They have not said when they’ll start accepting other used brands.

The launch of the TikTok Shop second-hand goods category is a strategic move to capitalize on the growing marketplace for pre-owned luxury items. The second-hand luxury goods market is a thriving multi-billion dollar business, with $49.3 billion (€45 billion) of used branded items sold worldwide in 2023.

Moreover, this expansion is part of the growing trend towards reaching for beloved fashion and opens up latest opportunities for second-hand brands in Great Britain to reach a wider customer base. The popularity of the fashion used on TikTok is evident with over 144,000 posts on TikTok using the hashtag #second-hand fashionwhich has garnered roughly 1.2 billion views.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the US House of Representatives passing a bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the US. This bill appears to be gaining support in the Senate. A ban could be a serious blow to US sellers selling on the app. The short video-sharing app generated $14.7 billion for small and medium-sized businesses in 2023, according to the company.