Secondhand Gifts as Status Signals

A growing consumer narrative treats curated pre‑owned goods as superior gifts because they carry history, superior materials, and apparent discernment. This is changing gift‑giving norms: secondhand items are now intentionally purchased to signal taste, ethics, and cultural literacy rather than merely to save money. — If widely adopted, this reverses retail demand patterns, pressures fast‑fashion and mass‑market firms, and pushes policy and business debates toward resale markets, quality standards, and waste regulation.