Second‐hand clothing consumption: a cross‐cultural comparison between American and Chinese young consumers

There has been an enormous increase in the economic power and global scope of the second‐hand clothing trade since the early 1990s. Young consumers are a major driver behind the growth of the second‐hand clothing industry in the US. While the stigma of buying second‐hand clothing is fading in the western countries, little is known about second‐hand clothing consumption in the Asian countries. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate young consumers' behaviours towards second‐hand clothing from a cross‐cultural perspective in the US and Chinese contexts. Results of this study indicated significant differences in young consumers' second‐hand clothing consumption behaviour between the two countries in the following aspects: past purchase experience, perceived values and concerns, perceived subjective norm and future purchase intention.