The Resale Messaging Guide

Strategies to Fuel Both Supply and Demand for Your Recommerce Business

Section 1: Why Messaging Matters

The success of your resale program doesn’t just depend on logistics – it depends on how you talk about it.

Whether you’re inviting customers to trade in, list their items, or shop secondhand, your messaging directly impacts participation. Clear, compelling copy (and design!) builds trust, communicates value, and removes friction from both sides of the resale equation. This guide is designed to help you make resale visible, valuable, and effective through better messaging at every step.

Section 2: Why Supply and Demand Messaging Needs to Work Together

Resale only works when both sides of the engine are moving. You need a steady flow of inventory, from trade-ins, returns, or peer-to-peer listings, and a clear path to purchase for buyers discovering those pre-loved items. Great resale messaging connects the loop. It rewards sellers in a way that brings them back to shop, framing shopping resale as contributing to circularity.

• Trade-in credits feel like shopping currency.
• Resale listings live alongside new inventory.

Section 3: Getting Sellers Engaged

To keep resale flowing, you need inventory. That means encouraging customers to trade in items they’ve worn and loved, list pre-owned goods, or turn returns into resale opportunities. The most successful brands start with messaging that’s clear, compelling, and reward-forward.

Lead with what they get
The value exchange should be unmistakable. Use bold, benefit-driven language that centers on rewards, credit, cash, or discounts.

Communicate the benefits
Arc’teryx not only communicates the benefit of trade-in through its ReBird program (20% credit off the original retail price) but also showcases examples of products and what you’d receive.

Include Social Proof
Frye includes testimonials from users of its Exchange in promotional emails, letting the customer speak for themselves to a community of peers.

Go Beyond Sustainability to Impact
Messaging that ties trade-ins or secondhand purchases to clear environmental outcomes turns participation into purpose. Eileen Fisher quantifies the impact with an informative infographic and the message: “We’re taking our clothes back, over 2 million pieces since 2009.”

Run Seasonal Campaigns
Seasonal moments are prime opportunities to spotlight resale. Timed campaigns help create urgency and align with values like sustainability.

Section 4: Converting Buyers to Resale

Getting resale inventory is only half the equation – brands also need to create demand. Smart messaging treats resale as an integrated part of the brand experience, ensuring it’s easy to find and exploring aligned with customer values like quality and uniqueness.

Make Resale a Visible Part of the Brand Experience
Customers shouldn’t have to dig to find your resale program. Messaging should clearly position resale as a natural part of the shopping journey.

Emphasize the Emotional Upside
Messaging that taps into emotion can shift resale from a practical decision to a personally meaningful one.

Leverage External Voices
Influencers, creators, and community advocates can lend authenticity and reach, helping normalize resale and spark curiosity.

Build Trust in Quality
Messaging that highlights product care and durability helps bridge the gap. Brands should showcase how items are cleaned, inspected, or certified to reassure buyers.

Let Design Do the Talking, Too
Design plays a key role in how customers perceive the value of resale. Ensure your resale program communicates value through confident, brand-aligned design. High-quality photography is essential to help customers quickly assess item condition.

Messaging Doesn’t Just Support Resale - It Powers It

The positioning, description, and support of your resale program directly influences customer engagement. Great messaging builds trust, creates urgency, and makes resale something customers feel proud to do.