As China strives to promote green consumption, the country’s leading secondhand trading platform, Xianyu, has opened its first flagship store in Shenzhen to create a lifestyle community for young people and make itself a landmark for the circular economy.
Founded by e-commerce giant Alibaba in 2014, Xianyu is one of the nation’s largest online second trading platforms, with 600 million registered users, primarily young people. Covering an area of about 4,000 square meters, the three-story store is located in the Tianmian International Cultural & Creative Town in Futian district.
The store, which started business on Christmas Eve last year, offers various products, including mobile devices, home appliances, outdoor sports gear, trendy collectibles and cultural creative items.
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Besides purchasing secondhand goods, consumers can also consign their items at the store, with pricing to be determined by the Xianyu system. Products sold in-store can also be listed on Xianyu's online platform to reach a broader clientele. If an item doesn’t sell within the agreed time frame, consumers can either retrieve it or donate it, and some products can be bought back by the store.
To boost customer engagement, the store also offers experiences like 3D printing and LEGO building, while hosting events, such as pop-up markets.
Shao Lu, regional manager of Xianyu's circular-economy store, said the business aligns with China’s new development directions for high-quality growth. The high activity and purchasing power of Shenzhen users on the Xianyu platform, along with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's openness to new trends, have facilitated the establishment of the company’s flagship store.
According to Xianyu, Futian places great importance on promoting the new consumption model represented by the store. The platform will offer strong support to make itself a landmark for the circular economy in Shenzhen and the country.
Xianyu plans to open more shops in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district and other regions this year to further promote the green consumption concept and continue to lead the trend in secondhand shopping.
The Ministry of Commerce and eight other central government departments said on Jan 4 they’ll implement the green consumption promotion initiative, outlining plans for boosting sustainable consumption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
In terms of fostering new growth points in green consumption, the document proposes to develop the circulation of secondhand goods and promote the recycling of waste materials.
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In April last year, the central government designated 10 Chinese mainland cities as the country’s first batch of pilot cities for second-hand goods circulation, with Shenzhen being the only city chosen in Guangdong province.
Another secondhand trading platform, Zhuanzhuan, has also established its new Shenzhen headquarters in Futian. It has built a 4,500-square-meter smart quality inspection center capable of processing up to 17,000 items daily.
A study released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Association of Market Development in April last year estimated that for every one-percent increase in the transaction volume of idle secondhand goods in mainland cities, the total retail sales of consumer goods would go up by 0.1 percent.
