As of last week, Upright Lister, the leading multi-channel listing software for resale, has officially fulfilled over 20 million orders. That number reflects how quickly the secondhand industry is expanding by bringing resale online and meeting customers where they already shop.
Each order is a donated or preloved item put back into use, revenue created for an organization, and real mission impact delivered. Behind every shipment is a team finding faster ways to list, sell, and move inventory, and a customer choosing secondhand over new.
What 20 Million Orders Actually Represent
Twenty million orders aren’t just transactions. They’re small moments of progress, repeated millions of times:
A pair of boots found a second life.
A donated jacket helped fund job training.
A collectible sold online helped keep the store operating.
Each item is hand-selected, inspected, and approved before it reaches a listing. Products are photographed, described, and priced with care so buyers know exactly what they’re getting. Inventory is tracked, orders are routed correctly, and fulfillment stays organized even as volume grows.
That effort is what allows customers to shop secondhand with confidence. It’s what helps teams move donated goods efficiently instead of relying on time-consuming manual processes. And for nonprofit organizations, it’s how usable items become a steady source of funding for programs, operations, and community services rather than ending up unused.
When resale works at this level, it supports the people doing the work, keeps donated goods moving, and makes secondhand shopping feel reliable at scale.
The Items That Powered 20 Million Orders
When you zoom out on 20 million orders, clear patterns start to emerge. Certain categories consistently showed up in carts, proving that secondhand demand isn’t niche. It’s practical, brand-driven, and built around everyday needs.
Here’s what moved the needle most:
Electronics That People Love
Electronics remains one of the strongest categories, both in revenue and volume. Shoppers are actively looking for trusted brands they recognize and know will last.
Gaming consoles, cameras, headphones, and computers from brands like Nintendo, Sony, Apple, Canon, and Bose led the way. These items turn donations into dependable revenue and give buyers affordable access to high-quality tech.
Clothing That Holds Its Value
Apparel remains a cornerstone of online resale, especially well-made and recognizable brands.
Labels like Coach, Lululemon, Ralph Lauren, The North Face, and Patagonia consistently performed well. These aren’t impulse buys. They’re pieces customers actively search for because they know the fit, quality, and resale value hold up over time.
Shoes That Sell at Scale
Footwear proved to be one of the most reliable categories across the board.
Nike alone accounts for tens of thousands of items sold every quarter, with strong performance from Jordan, UGG, Timberland, Dr. Martens, and Birkenstock. Durable shoes with clear brand recognition continue to find second lives quickly.
Toys With Built-In Demand
Toys may not dominate volume, but certain brands remain dependable sellers year after year.
Lego, Disney, Mattel, and Pokémon items consistently found buyers, especially collectibles and character-driven pieces that hold nostalgia and replay value.
The Categories That Quietly Add Up
Some of the most impactful categories don’t always get the spotlight, but they matter.
- Books and media form a foundational layer of online resale, driving steady volume and repeat purchases.
- Home goods like cookware, sewing machines, and specialty items move reliably when properly listed.
- Sporting goods and memorabilia attract passionate buyers who know exactly what they’re looking for.
- Jewelry, particularly sterling silver, delivered strong revenue per item, turning small donations into an outsized impact.
Together, these categories show what secondhand looks like at scale: practical, brand-aware, and deeply tied to how people actually shop online. If you want to explore more about what the top brands sold, read our most recent Top Brands Guide.
Keeping Millions of Pounds in Motion
Here’s one way to picture what 20 million secondhand orders really mean. If you assume the average order contains roughly one pound of product, then the math looks like this:
- 20,000,000 orders ≈ 20,000,000 pounds reused
- That’s roughly 10,000 tons kept in circulation through the circular economy
(20,000,000 ÷ 2,000 = 10,000)
Put differently, that’s about the same weight as 5,000 cars or 50,000 raw Gaylords of items processed. All of it moved back into use instead of being buried in a landfill.
At this scale, resale is a meaningful way to keep goods in motion and reduce waste, one order at a time.
Turning Secondhand Sales Into Real Support
Another way to understand the impact of 20 million orders is to look at what those sales help fund. If many secondhand organizations start online listings in the $10–$20 range, even at the low end, the totals add up quickly:
- 20,000,000 orders × $10 = $200,000,000
- 20,000,000 orders × $20 = $400,000,000
That translates to an estimated $200–$400 million in value generated through online resale.
Those dollars help support job training programs, community services, and local operations. They help organizations cover day-to-day costs, invest in staff, and keep their doors open while expanding their reach online.
Exact totals vary by marketplace, pricing strategy, category, and sell-through. But the takeaway is clear: when secondhand sales scale, the impact stretches far beyond a single transaction.
Built on Trust, Backed by People
Reaching 20 million fulfilled orders is only possible when organizations can rely on their tools and the people behind them.
Secondhand teams trust Upright Lister to support high-volume online operations because the work must move quickly and remain accurate. Listings need to go live fast, orders need to flow smoothly, and inventory needs to stay in sync across channels. The combination of reliable technology and human support is what allows secondhand organizations to keep showing up, order after order.
Ready to Grow Your Online Resale Operation?
If your organization isn’t using Upright Lister yet, we’d love to show you how resale teams are growing their online operations while supporting the mission behind every sale.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to scale what’s already working, we’re here to help you build an online resale operation that can keep up with demand.