Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced its customers can now trade-in their pre-loved clothing, footwear, and accessories via a new online resale service.
M&S’s first online takeback scheme is powered by Reskinned, which collects and curates unwanted items before reselling those of an appropriate quality via the M&S x eBay online store.
The UK retailer said the new online resale platform pairs eBay’s reach across millions of shoppers with Reskinned’s “expertise in garment repair, resale and recycling” – and it is expected to help extend the lifecycle of M&S garments while also reducing the retailer’s textile waste.
Reskinned and eBay established a partnership in 2022 to help the latter grow its second-hand fashion offering by creating second-hand shopfronts for individual brands.
How it works
- Customers complete a form on M&S.com or scan QR codes in M&S’s stores, then send their pre-loved items using a free local courier service to Reskinned
- For each return that includes at least one M&S-labelled item, customers receive a £5 off (for use on a spend of £35 or more on fashion, home, and beauty products online at M&S.com, valid for four weeks from date of issue)
- Items that can be worn again are professionally cleaned, repaired and listed by Reskinned on the M&S x eBay store. Items that cannot be resold will be responsibly repurposed or recycled, according to the retailer
- Customers can then purchase pre-loved products on the official M&S x eBay store.
Monique Leewenburgh, director of sourcing & technology in fashion, home & beauty at M&S, commented: “At M&S, we are committed to supporting customers to do the right thing and playing our part in reducing textile waste.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the pre-loved experts at eBay and Reskinned to launch a dedicated resale platform. This not only offers more ways for customers to give items another life, but also an opportunity for customers to purchase items they might have missed from previous seasons – which are pre-loved.”
Kirsty Keoghan, general manager for European fashion at eBay, added: “Welcoming M&S to the eBay marketplace represents an exciting milestone in our mission to make circular fashion more accessible, appealing, and scalable.”
Matt Hanrahan, co-founder of Reskinned, remarked: “We’re making it easy for brands and their customers to rehome unwanted clothes, whether that’s reselling, repairing or if it’s end-of-life recycling it responsibly.
“We’re determined to create a more sustainable clothing future for us all.”
Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: “Our ‘Plan for Change’ is focused on cleaning up Britain, ending our throwaway culture and ensuring that the 700,000 odd tonnes of clothes we throw away each year are worn more.
“Only government and businesses working together can stop fashion costing the earth, which is why I welcome this new initiative from M&S – a great way for consumers to be rewarded for providing a new home for old favourites.”
[image credit: M&S]
