Mothers' motivations for purchasing secondhand children's clothing on peer-to-peer platforms

Buying and selling secondhand items on social media platforms has increased consumer trading in children's clothing. The present study aimed to elucidate mothers' motivations for purchasing secondhand children's clothing on peer-to-peer platforms in Finland. This article focuses on two previously identified secondhand shopping motivations, economic and sustainability, and introduces a new factor: good parenting. The purpose is to gain better insight into this emerging trend of showing good parenting through consumption practices that favor secondhand.

The secondhand clothing business is expected to grow 127% worldwide by 2026. In Europe, the secondhand clothing market is growing twice as fast as the clothing market. Globally, the growth is triple (Thred Up, 2022). In 2022, Finnish consumers were the world's most diligent buyers of secondhand products (Finnish Commerce Federation, 2023). The secondhand ideal was prominently displayed at the Helsinki Children's Fair 2023. There was a circular economy zone for the first time, with secondhand companies selling used branded children's clothes and companies counseling parents on how to mend clothing. Growth in used clothing sales has been cited in the Finnish media as the cause for the closure of several local children's clothing companies, along with the increased availability of fast fashion and supermarket items (Laakso, 2023).

The rise of eco-fashion initiatives and technology has facilitated the growth of the secondhand children's clothing market (Peña-Vinces et al., 2020). Online marketplaces that enable individuals to buy and sell secondhand goods are called peer-to-peer (P2P) (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Parguel et al., 2017) or consumer-to-consumer (C2C) platforms (Yeap et al., 2022). Online is the fastest-growing segment of the secondhand market (Thred Up, 2022). In Finland, P2P secondhand online sales comprise about 60% of circular trade, with fashion being the most significant product group (Finnish Commerce Federation, 2023).

Financial reasons are the main drivers behind purchasing secondhand clothes and other goods, whether online or offline (Cervellon et al., 2012; Hur, 2020; Guiot and Roux, 2010; Hamari et al., 2016; Padmavathy et al., 2019; Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020). In addition, consumers are increasingly conscious of the negative impact of the clothing industry, particularly fast fashion (Dzhengiz et al., 2023). Environmental concerns have been recognized as motivations for secondhand shopping (Evans et al., 2022; Guiot and Roux, 2010; Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Hur, 2020; Park et al., 2020; Turunen and Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015; Yeap et al., 2022; Zaman et al., 2019). Secondhand marketplaces for branded children's clothing are also popular due to shifts in fashion-related consumer culture. Nowadays, children's clothing is seen as fashion (Vänskä, 2017) and children as an emerging consumer group of fashion (Cook, 2004). Many mothers also use their children's outfits and appearance to express their own identity (Huopalainen and Satama, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014). Moreover, purchasing secondhand has become a trend (Ferraro et al., 2016) if not the norm.

The practice of passing down children's clothing to smaller siblings or other families has long been an everyday routine in households (Clarke, 2000; Ritch, 2019). Historical records indicate that recycling children's clothing among family members, relatives, or neighbors has also been prevalent in Finland (e.g. Roivainen, 2016). However, the purchases of used children's goods have received little research attention. A few studies, both qualitative (Clarke, 2000; Waight, 2013, 2014, 2019) and quantitative (Peña-Vinces et al., 2020; Silva et al., 2024) have examined this topic. The consumption and lifestyles of individuals are influenced by various socioeconomic and demographic factors (Wilska, 2002), and further analysis is needed on how these factors explain parents' secondhand shopping motivations.

Facebook is a widely used secondhand marketplace. To achieve the objectives of our study, we conducted an online survey. Participants were recruited from three Finnish P2P secondhand Facebook groups specializing in branded children's clothing. We analyzed 210 responses, using the descriptive frequency procedure to determine how the motivations appear in our convenience sample, and regression analysis to investigate whether certain demographic factors can explain the motivations.

This study contributes to the existing literature by addressing two main research questions: (1) How do economic, sustainable and good parenting motivations appear among those who buy children's secondhand clothing on Facebook's P2P platforms? (2) How are sociodemographic variables associated with different motivations? First, reviewing the literature on the motivations for secondhand shopping allowed us to develop a set of hypotheses regarding these questions and the associated demographic factors. The data from our online questionnaire shows that economic, sustainability and good parenting motivations were all considered important by mothers. Younger respondents were more affected by economic factors, while those who were not on parental leave and those with higher education leaned more towards sustainability, and participants on parental leave showed more purchase incentives related to good parenting motivation. Finally, we discuss the implications and limitations of the study and offer suggestions for further research.

In Guiot and Roux (2010), motivations for secondhand shopping are described as “the psychological and material motives that orient consumers toward second-hand products and/or channels”. Guiot and Roux's (2010) motivation scale has been widely used to measure motivations for brick-and-mortar secondhand shopping. This scale consists of three categories of motivations: economic, critical, and recreational. Economic motivations are based on fair price and the gratification role of price. Critical motivations consist of ethical and ecological considerations, as well as distance and avoidance of the traditional consumption system and channels. Recreational motivations include treasure hunting, socializing, nostalgia, and originality.

Most previous studies have examined motivations for secondhand consumption in general, but few have focused explicitly on used clothing purchasing motivations or the factors that prevent consumers from adopting this behavior (Ferraro et al., 2016; Hur, 2020; Laitala and Klepp, 2018; Nistor and Bálint, 2022; Silva et al., 2024; Zaman et al., 2019), as well as the consumption of secondhand luxury (e.g. Turunen and Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015) and vintage fashion (Cervellon et al., 2012). With the emergence of new trading platforms, research on secondhand purchases has expanded to online P2P marketplaces. These studies have focused on purchase motivations (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Padmavathy et al., 2019; Parguel et al., 2017; Yeap et al., 2022), the purchase of secondhand luxury products (Aycock et al., 2023; Turunen and Pöyry, 2019) and how consumers evaluate the perceived value of fashion brands on these markets (Sihvonen and Turunen, 2016).

A previous study by Hur (2020) identified different consumer groups who purchase secondhand goods. These included price-conscious, quality- and style-conscious, brand-conscious, and environmentally and socially conscious purchasers. Fashion (Ferraro et al., 2016; Sihvonen and Turunen, 2016) has also been found as a motivation for purchasing secondhand clothes. The “zeitgeist” has also changed. The more mainstream the discourse on the unsustainability of fashion has become, the more consumers have become interested in finding alternatives to unsustainably produced mass fashion. The view of the general social acceptance and normalization of buying secondhand children's clothing is supported by the study of Silva et al. (2024), which found that social embarrassment did not significantly influence the intention to purchase secondhand children's clothing. They observed that environmental sustainability increased purchase intention, whereas perception of risk, particularly regarding clothing quality, reduced it. Prior experience mitigated the impact of perceived risk, suggesting that experience helps overcome barriers.

Åberg and Huvila (2019) interviewed Finnish mothers interested in children's fashion and found that children's clothing brands and styles were of great importance to them. Moreover, some mothers associated strong positive feelings with shopping itself, likening it to activities such as mushroom picking or hunting, thereby expressing recreational motivation (Guiot and Roux, 2010). Studies on secondhand shopping have also found that shopping and so-called treasure hunting for branded clothing can be an enjoyable experience (Hur, 2020; Park et al., 2020; Turunen and Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015).

Consumers' shopping orientations differ depending on the type of secondhand store or if they use an online platform (Evans et al., 2022; Zaman et al., 2019). It has been suggested that shoppers in physical stores approach the experience more recreationally than online shoppers do (Turunen and Pöyry, 2019). Browsing for secondhand items on P2P platforms may lack the excitement and sensory experience provided by shopping at physical stores (Yeap et al., 2022). This finding contradicts what we generally know about the attractiveness of online shopping and, for example, how for some of the mothers interviewed by Åberg and Huvila (2019), online shopping at home after the children had gone to bed was a way to relax and seek entertainment.

Online secondhand shopping is motivated by various factors, including economic, convenience, ideological, and sustainability. According to Padmavathy et al. (2019), economic motivation is driven by price orientation, bargaining power, and critical orientation. The convenience motivation includes utility and ease of use, while ideological motivation includes the need to be unique, nostalgia, trust, and assurance. Ek Styvén and Mariani (2020), Evans et al. (2022), Yeap et al. (2022), and Zaman et al. (2019) have confirmed the importance of financial incentives in online secondhand purchases. However, they have also found that sustainability affects the purchase of secondhand clothing online or on P2P platforms. Sustainability also encourages buying pre-owned luxury fashion online (Aycock et al., 2023).

Waight (2013, 2014, 2019) and Clarke (2000) have studied mothers participating in “nearly new sales” in the United Kingdom. Nearly new sales offer parents a platform to buy and sell secondhand baby and children's products. Purchasing used children's clothing is the practical act of acquiring clothing for children as well as social interaction between mothers, which involves sharing knowledge and experiences. Mothers are also aware that with their spending habits, they act as role models for their children, which can spur them to responsible consumption and spending. Cairns et al. (2013) have studied ethical food discourse and the “organic child” ideal. Their findings indicated that this ideal involves instilling children with a habit of ethical consumption, as many women described efforts to socialize their children into healthy and ethical eating habits to prepare them for the future.

Overall, earlier studies have identified diverse motivations for secondhand clothing consumption and online secondhand shopping, including economic, recreational, convenience, ideological, fashion, luxury, and vintage orientations, as well as consumer segments such as price-conscious, quality- and style-conscious, brand-oriented, and environmentally and socially aware buyers. In mothers' secondhand children's clothing purchases, aspects of social interaction, peer support, and fostering children's socialization as conscious consumers have also been noted. This variety shows that secondhand consumption is shaped by both practical and symbolic considerations. Against this background, we have focused on three motivations: economic, sustainability and good parenting. Economic and sustainability concerns are commonly identified in research on secondhand consumption, yet they have been less examined in the specific context of children's clothing. Recreational value and vicarious consumption, which we conceptualize as the motivation of good parenting, have been scarcely addressed in this setting and thus deserve further consideration. Other motivations, such as convenience, nostalgia, luxury orientation, or social interaction, are acknowledged but set aside here, as they are less central to the analytical focus. By concentrating on these three dimensions, we develop a coherent framework that examines mothers' branded secondhand clothing purchases in a setting where economic scarcity has become increasingly visible among families even in a relatively affluent welfare state such as Finland, sustainability debates have intensified in public discourse, secondhand trade has expanded into online channels, and children's clothing shopping is increasingly experienced as a leisure activity.

One of the primary motivations for buying used items is economic (e.g. Cervellon et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2022; Hur, 2020; Guiot and Roux, 2010; Hamari et al., 2016; Padmavathy et al., 2019; Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Zaman et al., 2019). This motivation indicates consumers' price orientation, such as wanting to pay less, looking for a reasonable price, bargain hunting (e.g. Guiot and Roux, 2010; Padmavathy et al., 2019), and price-per-quality consciousness (Turunen and Pöyry, 2019). Consumers must allocate their budget to different expenses, which also require prioritization (Guiot and Roux, 2010). Economic concerns often lead mothers to purchase secondhand goods for their children. The secondhand market can offer the opportunity to buy products, such as branded clothing, they otherwise would not be able to afford (Waight, 2013, 2019).

In contrast to this prevailing view, Silva et al. (2024) found that economic motivation did not significantly influence parents' decisions to purchase secondhand children's clothing. According to the authors, the established presence of used products in the childrenswear market and the common practice of sharing within families may reduce the impact of financial considerations. They also observed that high-income parents showed a greater intention to buy secondhand children's clothing, suggesting that, for higher-income consumers, sustainability and ethical concerns might take precedence over economic considerations. Moreover, buying used clothing may be more socially acceptable for high-income individuals: it is known that low-income young mothers may feel that purchasing used children's clothing threatens their identity as “good mothers” (Banister et al., 2016; Ponsford, 2014). Similarly, in line with Silva et al. (2024), Waight (2019) found that the mothers in her study were not marginalized consumers in the sense that shopping secondhand would have been their only financial option. However, financial factors still played a role in their purchasing decisions. These mothers remained cost-conscious and strategic, for example, by comparing the prices of new products to assess how much they should pay for secondhand items or by favoring branded products due to their perceived resale value. Purchasing used children's goods also enabled them to buy more overall.

Low-income consumer groups may prefer secondhand goods by prioritizing price when purchasing. The COVID-19 pandemic underlined this frugality as young consumers turned to P2P platforms to get clothing at a more affordable price (Yeap et al., 2022). Similarly, mothers in the UK also took advantage of the secondhand economy after the 2008 recession (Waight, 2014, 2019).

In summary, economic motivation refers to the consumer's effort to optimize financial resources by seeking the best value for their money. Previous research indicates that economic motivation may not always be the primary driver of mothers' secondhand children's clothing shopping, although its role in secondhand shopping is generally recognized as strong. It is therefore noteworthy to examine this motivational factor among buyers of secondhand branded children's clothing. A little-noted viewpoint, which we also aim to address, is that as consumers become parents, economic motivation may take on a new child-rearing perspective: mothers not only strive to spend money wisely to meet their children's needs, but they may see their consumption choices as part of their responsibility to raise their children to be financially savvy consumers.

Ethical and ecological concerns related to traditional consumption affect the purchase of used products (Evans et al., 2022; Guiot and Roux, 2010; Hur, 2020; Park et al., 2020; Turunen and Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015; Zaman et al., 2019). Sustainability has been identified as a motive for buying secondhand clothing on P2P platforms (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Yeap et al., 2022) and an incentive for parents to buy used children's clothing instead of new ones (Silva et al., 2024). Consumers' environmental knowledge impacts their willingness to buy and rent products such as secondhand children's clothes (Peña-Vinces et al., 2020). However, it has also been observed that P2P platforms can foster indulgent spending habits rather than promote frugality among environmentally conscious consumers (Parguel et al., 2017).

Today's parents are expected to be conscious consumers who consider the environment and ethics in their consumption choices (e.g. Cairns et al., 2013; Carey et al., 2008). Becoming a mother is a phase of life where many individuals become more interested in sustainable lifestyles, including sustainable purchases for children. It is not just about the value-based choices of the individuals but also about society's expectations (Cairns et al., 2013). Regarding children's clothes, mothers concerned about sustainability can prefer secondhand shopping, or educate themselves about slow fashion, sustainability certifications, fair wages for workers, and other ethical and environmental aspects (Huopalainen and Satama, 2020). Animal rights and reducing overconsumption can also motivate secondhand fashion consumption (Turunen and Leipämaa-Leskinen, 2015).

However, making purchase decisions and doing “green” mothering is complex, with competing demands for health, safety, and environmental impact (Cairns et al., 2013; Knibb and Taylor, 2017). Knibb and Taylor (2017) identified mothers who tried to balance these competing demands as “light green”. These mothers prioritized the safety and well-being of their family members. For them, sustainable consumption was a way to reduce risks and experience a sense of control more than it was environmentally directed purchasing. Moreover, in Waight's (2013) research, being a “green parent” was perceived as an additional burden that required more time and effort. However, purchasing or obtaining secondhand baby clothes, toys, and equipment was considered beneficial. Mothers can access affordable children's clothing while, as a bonus, contribute to social and environmental benefits (Ritch, 2019; Waight, 2013).

To summarize, sustainability motivation reflects concern about the environmental, ethical and social impacts of consumption. This motivation may be strengthened when the consumer becomes a parent, due to changes in the individual's value system and social expectations. In addition to examining sustainability motivation in the consumption of secondhand branded children's clothing, we aim to consider that parenthood adds a child-rearing dimension to this motivation: mothers may see buying secondhand children's clothing as a way to raise their children into sustainable conscious consumption and shopping practices.

In this study, the notion of good parenting is examined specifically through the lens of consumption, which today plays an increasingly important role in shaping societal ideals of motherhood (e.g. Afflerback et al., 2014; Dedeoglu, 2010; Krzyzanowska, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014). Within consumption, good parenting is multifaceted: it may involve, for example, financial prudence and ecological responsibility, which are addressed in this study as separate motivational dimensions, as well as a range of cultural and social ideals embedded in family shopping practices. Here, however, we delimit the concept to vicarious consumption and the affective pleasure that arises when, in the context of this study, secondhand purchases are made for one's child rather than for oneself.

Clothing is a way to show love and care and can also be used to display status. The latter is discussed in Veblen's (1899) theory of vicarious consumption, whereby the wives of upper-class men would exhibit their husband's status through conspicuous consumption. Small children can be seen as vicarious consumers in the Veblenian sense and can also be included in mothers' extended selves (Belk, 1988). Children's clothing can communicate the tastes, values, and competencies of mothers as well as of families (Andersen et al., 2008; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). Mothers may dress their children in good-quality secondhand branded clothes to indicate their “good motherhood” and ability to provide material care (Waight, 2013, 2019). By investing in their children's appearance, mothers can accumulate their cultural, social, and aesthetic capital (Åberg and Huvila, 2019; Kallioharju et al., 2023).

Being a so-called good mother requires being an active consumer, often self-sacrificing, prioritizing children's needs and desires over personal needs, and meeting the child's needs with the “right” consumer products and brand choices (e.g. Dedeoglu, 2010; Krzyzanowska, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014). Studies have noted that mothers gladly and willingly invest in their children's needs before their own (Andersen et al., 2008; Dedeoglu, 2010; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). As noted earlier, shopping for children's clothing may also provide recreational value and can be perceived as a hobby. We conceptualize this orientation as good parenting motivation, highlighting how consumption practices directed at children generate emotional gratification.

In summary, in this study good parenting motivation refers to the intersection of cultural ideals of motherhood and the affective rewards of vicarious consumption, which is operationalized through secondhand purchasing of children's clothing. Together, economic, sustainability, and good parenting motivations provide the conceptual framework for our study. They capture how mothers' secondhand purchasing of branded children's clothing on Facebook's P2P marketplaces reflects the interplay of financial practicality and ecological/ethical responsibility, as well as recreational value of vicarious consumption. This integrated perspective allows us to investigate secondhand consumption not only as a practical and moral choice but also as a practice that, through vicarious consumption, embodies societal ideals via child-oriented consumption. Collectively, these motivations provide the theoretical foundation for the hypotheses in the following chapter.

It has been suggested in previous research that online P2P secondhand shopping motivations (Padmavathy et al., 2019) and the green consumption patterns of mothers (Knibb and Taylor, 2017) could be studied across various demographic variables. This article includes age, income, employment status and education. Because the study focused specifically on mothers, we chose not to use gender as a comparison variable, recognizing that exploring both gender variations among mothers and differences across genders are important directions for future research. However, it has been shown that, traditionally, it has been the mother's responsibility to acquire, maintain, and dispose of children's clothes as housework or “care work” that involves emotional and physical labor (Andersen et al., 2008; Huopalainen and Satama, 2020; Clarke, 2000; Waight, 2014). Furthermore, women tend to prefer sustainable consumption practices (Carey et al., 2008; Lazaric et al., 2020) more than men do. It has been shown that the sustainable fashion discourse is informed by feminine strategies and values (Clark, 2019).

It is reasonable to assume that being on parental leave affects purchasing behavior and motivations, as this period coincides with the presence of a young child and often entails changes both in household income and in the time available for making purchases. In Finland, new parents are entitled to parental leave, which lasts approximately 14 months. If both parents are involved, they are each allowed 160 working days of leave, and a maximum of 63 days can be transferred from one parent to the other. A single parent has the right to take 320 days of parental leave. After this, parents can take childcare leave until the child turns three. However, even though parents are compensated with a parental leave allowance and a child home care allowance, income often decreases during this period. At the same time, with the arrival of a new family member, the need to purchase often increases. We hypothesize that the following:

Research has shown that having a child can increase motivation for sustainable consumption. The “inheritance factor” heightened parents' awareness of ethical concerns after having a child. Mothers utilized their ethical principles and purchasing choices to construct their identities in their new roles. (Carey et al., 2008). Additionally, mothers may resort to “green consumption” as a way to mitigate risks when their children are very young, as they tend to be more concerned about safety during this phase (Knibb and Taylor, 2017). We thus hypothesize:

Small children are considered part of their mothers' extended self (Belk, 1988). Mothers' clothing choices for their children are often intertwined with mothers' self-identity and buying clothing can support the mother's transition into the role of being a “good mother” (Andersen et al., 2008; McNeill and Graham, 2014). During parental leave, vicarious consumption can be particularly evident while caring for the small children at home and transitioning to a new role. This leads us to hypothesize the following:

The secondhand children's clothing market is gaining popularity among parents of all income levels looking for affordable consumption practices. Silva et al. (2024) found that higher-income parents exhibited a greater inclination to purchase secondhand children's clothing compared to lower-income groups. While upper-income consumers may find it socially easier to adopt secondhand consumption practices (Banister et al., 2016; Ponsford, 2014), economic motivation for secondhand shopping relates to modest financial situations (Nistor and Bálint, 2022). Additionally, buying secondhand clothes (Yeap et al., 2022), including children's clothes (Waight, 2014, 2019), can also be motivated by situational frugality. Thus, we further hypothesize:

The environmental incentive to purchase secondhand is related to having a good financial position (Nistor and Bálint, 2022). Affluent individuals are more likely to be concerned about environmental issues. They may have fewer financial concerns and can focus on other matters in their consumption decisions (Franzen and Vogl, 2013). For low-income people, sustainable consumption can be seen as a secondary priority (Lazaric et al., 2020). Following from this, we hypothesize that the following:

Parents' spending on children has been approached through “intensive parenting,” where parents are expected to invest time and money in their children. While income levels may impact how parents follow these norms, the reasons for investing in children remain similar regardless of income (Gauthier and de Jong, 2021). Hence, we propose our final income-related hypothesis:

Along with income, education is a demographic factor used to define a person's socioeconomic position, which is known to influence consumption choices. As noted by Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020, the education level is often considered a proxy for income. We therefore hypothesize:

Research suggests that higher education is connected to sustainability motivation (Lazaric et al., 2020; Nistor and Bálint, 2022). There is also a counterintuitive finding that education level does not necessarily play a significant role in secondhand purchases (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020). Cervellon et al. (2012) found that education primarily affects the intention to purchase vintage clothing, which, in their study, was defined as clothing from the 1920s to the 1980s. However, they did not find a significant main effect of education on secondhand purchases, defined as modern used clothing. Despite this, we hypothesize:

Higher education is connected to a middle-class way of life, which can be manifested by a certain kind of aesthetics and ethics of children's clothes (Huopalainen and Satama, 2020). On the other hand, it can be considered a generally accepted social norm that mothers prioritize their children's needs and, in this way, demonstrate good parenting regardless of their education or class position (e.g. Banister et al., 2016; Gauthier and de Jong, 2021). We thus hypothesize the following:

Financial motivation (Nistor and Bálint, 2022) and situational frugality (Yeap et al., 2022) for purchasing secondhand are related to young age. However, when purchasing used luxury fashion products, young adults may prioritize other benefits than financial ones (Aycock et al., 2023). However, we hypothesize:

Research suggests that sustainable consumption practices tend to increase as people age, peaking in middle age and declining among older age groups (Lazaric et al., 2020). However, younger mothers are more likely to adopt a green lifestyle (Knibb and Taylor, 2017), and environmental motivation for purchasing secondhand items is linked to younger age groups (Aycock et al., 2023; Nistor and Bálint, 2022; Yeap et al., 2022). On the other hand, it has been suggested that environmental motives do not necessarily affect younger generations more than older ones regarding secondhand consumption (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020). Although the relationship is somewhat contradictory, we hypothesize the following:

Today's new parents are highly dedicated to parenting, which is reflected in their spending on children (e.g. Gauthier and de Jong, 2021). Visual social media, especially popular among young adults, promotes parenting oriented toward commercialism and appearance (Kallioharju et al., 2023). Furthermore, young parents may feel the need to prove their dedication to good parenting by indulging in child-centric spending (Banister et al., 2016). As a result, parental motivation for secondhand children's clothing consumption may be stronger for younger parents. Thus, our final hypothesis is as follows:

All hypotheses are summarised in Figure 1.

The data were collected between May 24 and June 14, 2023. A total of 210 individuals responded to an online survey made available through Google Forms. These participants were recruited from three Finnish P2P secondhand Facebook groups specializing in branded children's clothing.

KAIKO-KIRPPIS (“Kaiko-secondhand”) is a group for buying and selling secondhand Kaiko clothes and accessories. Kaiko Clothing Company (est. 2018) is a Finnish brand that offers women's and children's clothing and accessories. The group has 15,100 members. Pikkutyttöjen vaatekirppis (“Little girls' secondhand clothing”) does not define itself as a group for branded clothing. However, the posts in the group suggest that the same brands are sold there as in many other branded children's clothing secondhand market groups. This group is active and has 22,500 members. Mini Style Finland is a group dedicated to children's fashion, with 37,000 followers. They also have a secondhand market group called Mini Style Kirppis (“Mini Style Secondhand”) with 12,100 members. To join this secondhand group, an individual must be a Mini Style Finland group member. These groups were selected because, while their focus varied slightly, they all provided access to active communities engaged in P2P resale of branded children's clothing.

We shared the questionnaire link in the groups with the administrators' consent, and it was available for three weeks. We followed ethical research principles by presenting participants with an informed consent form at the beginning of the survey and by ensuring that participation was voluntary, anonymous and based on sufficient information about the purpose of the study. We used convenience sampling, a commonly used non-random population sampling method (Suen et al., 2014). This method is particularly suitable for sampling in environments like Facebook groups, where it is difficult to control who sees the shared survey link and can thus participate in it. However, due to convenience sampling, findings, including p values and other numerical data presented in the analysis, should be interpreted cautiously.

The questionnaire was structured so that the participants had to answer every question to move forward. Some questions had the option to answer “I cannot say,” which resulted in some missing responses. The total number of respondents was 210, and N in the analysis was 198 at its lowest point, indicating 12 missing responses. SPSS uses the listwise deletion procedure to manage missing data in regression analyses. The data obtained were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0.1.

The questionnaire had three sections. The first section comprised some demographic questions. The second section was about the motivations for secondhand market purchases. The final section consisted of the rest of the demographic questions and questions about the respondents' frequency of purchases in secondhand children's clothing groups on Facebook, how frequently they are exposed to sales posts, and how often they visit these groups.

We used validated instruments for the survey whenever possible. We translated them from English to Finnish and modified certain items to ensure their suitability in our research context. We adapted the economic motivation scale from Padmavathy et al. (2019), while the sustainability items were adapted from Hamari et al. (2016; see also Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020). Additionally, we included custom-made items to provide a parenting perspective. Regarding economic motivation, these items were “I have become more conscious about my expenses after becoming a parent” and “Buying children's clothes secondhand can teach children how to use money wisely.” Similarly, the statements concerning sustainability were “The sustainability of clothes has become more important to me after becoming a parent” and “Buying children's clothes secondhand can teach children about sustainability.” The addition of new items did not substantially affect the reliability of the scales (Economic: α = 0.720 with all items, α = 0.711 without ECO5 and ECO6; Sustainability: α = 0.857 with all items, α = 0.859 without SUST5 and SUST6), and they can still be interpreted as unidimensional. Conceptually they extend the original, well-established scales to encompass the parenting dimension that is particularly relevant in the context of our study.

For measuring good parenting motivation, no validated instrument was available. We therefore developed a scale based on previous literature, specifically drawing on the recreational motivation of secondhand shopping (Guiot and Roux, 2010) and adapting it to the context of vicarious consumption (Veblen, 1899; see also Andersen et al., 2008; Dedeoglu, 2010; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). Our intention was to measure the motivational dimension in which recreational enjoyment is derived from purchasing for one's child, rather than from self-oriented consumption. The statements were as follows: “I feel like I know more about trends in children's clothing than those for adults,” “I prefer to purchase clothing for my child/children over buying clothes for myself,” “I buy clothes for my child/children on impulse more often than I do for myself” and “I feel happier when I find secondhand treasures for my child/children than for myself.” The good parenting scale was not piloted, and its validation will be an important avenue for future research.

All constructs were evaluated using a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree and 1 = not at all important to 5 = very important). We followed Evans and Mathur's (2018) recommendations while conducting the online survey and made it available on mobile devices. All concepts and statements are listed in Table 1.

The survey's respondents consisted of 210 women aged between 22 and 49 (Table 2). Most were between 30 and 39. The majority reported an annual income of less than 30,000 euros or between 30,000 and 59,999 euros. Almost half of the respondents were employed, while parental leave was the next most common employment status. In terms of education, most respondents hold a master's degree, followed by those with a bachelor's degree.

More than half of the respondents stated that they visit Facebook groups for secondhand children's clothing daily, while the next most common frequency was on a weekly basis. Most respondents reported seeing posts for secondhand children's clothing sales in their Facebook feed every day. Regarding purchases from these Facebook groups within the past six months, responses varied. Most respondents reported that they shopped around one to three times per month, with weekly shopping being the next most common frequency. Some also reported that they shopped every other month or one to two times every 6 months, and some also less often than this.

To examine the dimensionality of the items, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis using the Unweighted Least Squares extraction method and Varimax rotation. The analysis produced a three-factor solution, explaining 47.8% of the total variance. The rotated factor matrix showed that sustainability items loaded strongly on Factor 1, economic items on Factor 2, and good parenting items on Factor 3, supporting the content validity of the scale. Based on this structure, we created summed variables for Economic, Sustainability, and Good parenting motivations (Table 3) and tested their reliability. Cronbach's alpha was more than 0.7 for all variables (Economic α = 0.720, sustainability α = 0.857, parenting α = 0.774), which is acceptable. As shown in Table 3, the mean scores across all three dimensions are consistently above the scale midpoint, demonstrating their relevance and indicating that mothers value economic, sustainability and good parenting considerations in their secondhand children's clothing consumption choices.

We then performed a regression analysis to determine if independent demographic variables (age, educational level, employment status, and income) can explain or predict each dependent variable (summed variables of economics, sustainability, and good parenting). To conduct our analysis, we developed dummy variables. These included income of less than €30,000 per year, education level of lower secondary/secondary education, and parental leave as employment status. The remaining variables were treated as reference groups. Each dummy variable was compared to its respective reference group in the analysis. All independent variables were entered into the regression model simultaneously using the enter method.

The findings of our analysis supported some of our hypotheses, while some hypotheses were rejected. The analysis found one or more statistically significant (p < 0.001***p < 0.01**, p < 0.05*) predictors for all dependent variables. Despite the limited variance explained, the results indicate noteworthy associations overall.

Economic motivation N = 198. Figure 2 Economic motivation presents unstandardized (B) and standardized (Beta) regression coefficients for age (−0.032; −0.257**), education (−0.151; −0.101), income (−0.026; −0.019), and parental leave (−0.055; −0.040). The regression model explained 5.6% of the variance (R² = 0.056). The values of the coefficients show a negative association between age and the economic motivation to purchase secondhand children's clothing from social media P2P platforms. No other explanatory variables show significant associations with economic motivation. Therefore, H10: Age is negatively associated with economic motivation, was confirmed. The following hypotheses were rejected: H1: Parental leave as an employment status is positively associated with economic motivation; H4: Income is negatively associated with economic motivation; and H7: Education is negatively associated with economic motivation.

Sustainability motivation N = 198. Figure 3 Sustainability motivation presents unstandardized (B) and standardized (Beta) regression coefficients for age (−0.007; −0.054), education (−0.249; −0.165*), income (−0.006; −0.004), and parental leave (−0.263; −0.188*). The regression model explained 6.3% of the variance (R² = 0.063). The figures show a significant negative association between parental leave and sustainability motivation to purchase secondhand children's clothing from P2P platforms. Similarly, there is a negative association between education level of lower secondary/secondary education and sustainability purchase motivation. Thus, the following hypothesis was confirmed: H8: Education is positively associated with sustainability motivation. The following hypotheses, however, were rejected: H2: Parental leave as an employment status is positively associated with sustainability motivation; H5: Income is positively associated with sustainability motivation; and H11: Age is negatively associated with sustainability motivation.

Good parenting motivation N = 198. Figure 4 Good parenting motivation presents unstandardized (B) and standardized (Beta) regression coefficients for age (−0.007; −0.049), education (0.206; 0.113), income (0.177; 0.108), and parental leave (0.402; 0.238**). The model explained 10,6% of the variance (R² = 0.106). Based on the analysis, only parental leave as an employment status is statistically significantly positively associated with good parenting motivation to buy secondhand children's clothing from P2P platforms. Hence, the following hypothesis was confirmed: H3: Parental leave as an employment status is positively associated with good parenting motivation. The following hypotheses were rejected: H6: Income is not associated with good parenting motivation; H9: Education is not associated with good parenting motivation; and H12: Age is negatively associated with good parenting motivation.

In this article, we studied mothers' motivations for purchasing branded secondhand children's clothing on P2P platforms. We focused on two drivers of secondhand shopping, economic and sustainability, adding to them further dimensions that suggest that mothers' motivations may extend beyond individual priorities to encompass a child-rearing responsibility: using their own consumption practices to teach children values such as thrift and environmental awareness. A third motivation included in this study is what we call good parenting motivation. It is based on that secondhand shopping can be guided by recreational aspects (Guiot and Roux, 2010), with children's clothing purchases experienced as a leisure activity (Åberg and Huvila, 2019), and when consumption occurs vicariously through children, it can be particularly meaningful and rewarding for mothers (e.g. Andersen et al., 2008; Dedeoglu, 2010; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019).

The research was based on a convenience sample of Finnish mothers who were members of secondhand branded children's clothing P2P groups on social media. Economic, sustainability, and good parenting motivations were strongly emphasized by the respondents, but motivations varied by age, education, and parental leave status. Younger participants were more financially driven, while higher education and employment status other than parental leave were associated with stronger sustainability incentives. Conversely, mothers on parental leave emphasized good parenting incentives.

The lower emphasis on sustainability in children's clothing shopping among participants on parental leave may indicate that while mothers generally express a drive towards sustainability, new mothers may temporarily prioritize other concerns. This finding suggests that sustainability motivation is not static but associated with life stage and parental responsibilities. It supports the view that new parents have several concerns and social pressures that may overshadow ethical considerations, leading to complex sustainable consumption patterns (Cairns et al., 2013; Carey et al., 2008; Knibb and Taylor, 2017). In our study, the sustainability motivation also includes child-rearing responsibility: mothers may adopt secondhand consumption habits to teach children about sustainability, but this role may be less significant during parental leave when children are young. This counterintuitive relationship underscores the need to view sustainability as a dynamic construct shaped by parental status and life stage, and the need for future research to examine how parenting transitions moderate this consumption motivation.

Good parenting motivation, in turn, was associated positively with being on parental leave. Qualitative studies have found vicarious consumption evident in mothers' purchases of children's clothes, which are loaded with symbolic meanings (Andersen et al., 2008; McNeill and Graham, 2014). Mothers who prioritize buying clothes for their children over themselves are reproducing cultural ideals and following societal expectations while also using consumption choices to shape their new motherhood identity (Andersen et al., 2008). The shopping act itself can also bring pleasure. During parental leave, when everything is still new, vicarious consumption and shopping for the child may be particularly rewarding, and secondhand groups on social media make it easy to do.

In this study, more highly educated mothers tended to buy secondhand children's clothes more often for ecological and ethical reasons. This finding is consistent with previous studies (Lazaric et al., 2020; Nistor and Bálint, 2022), although there are also conflicting findings (Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020). Environmental knowledge can increase interest in sustainable consumption (Peña-Vinces et al., 2020). Despite extensive ongoing discussions about sustainability challenges in the clothing industry, individuals with higher levels of education may have greater environmental awareness. Additionally, the sustainability motivation of more highly educated mothers may be influenced by their social network's ideals and perceived obligations about consumption and good mothering.

The mothers' financial motivation for purchasing secondhand children's clothes contrasts with findings from a study where competitive pricing did not significantly influence parents' purchase decisions (Silva et al., 2024). However, it aligns with a wide range of secondhand shopping research that emphasizes the role of economic motivation (e.g. Cervellon et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2022; Hur, 2020; Guiot and Roux, 2010; Hamari et al., 2016; Padmavathy et al., 2019; Ek Styvén and Mariani, 2020; Zaman et al., 2019). Finland's challenging economic situation, combined with government cuts expected to impact middle-class families as well (Ignatius, 2023), may further reinforce this trend. These days, the Finnish consumers of children's clothing are generally described as thrifty, prioritizing their purchases and valuing recycling (Laakso, 2023). While branded eco-friendly children's clothes have been suggested to highlight social inequalities and distinctions (Huopalainen and Satama, 2020), secondhand shopping can alleviate this trend. High-quality children's clothing can circulate among families with different socioeconomic backgrounds, helping to bridge these divides.

Our study contributes to research on secondhand consumption motivations by situating it within the context of motherhood. Economic and sustainability motivations may expand to include child-rearing perspectives once individuals become parents. While this aspect has been explored in a study on ethical food discourse (Cairns et al., 2013), further investigation is needed in the context of clothing purchases. We see this as a promising avenue for future research. We also propose new motivation, good parenting, and introduce a scale to measure it. While the construct appears promising, future research should focus on content validation to ensure that the items adequately capture the dimension of vicarious consumption in children's clothing purchases, as well as on reliability testing across different populations. The construct could also be expanded to include dimensions such as clothing choices that support children's wellbeing, as well as aspects like the peer-supportive value of consumption in reinforcing parenting and motherhood roles. Moreover, the scale could be applied more broadly, extending beyond children's clothing and secondhand purchases.

The study had several limitations. The data were collected using a self-reporting technique, which may have biased the results due to the social desirability effect. The use of a convenience sample also limits generalizability. Future studies could investigate motivation for buying used children's clothes with larger and more diverse samples, including samples from different countries. Age and number of children and parental status (e.g. single-parent versus two-parent households) may also influence consumption choices, and we therefore recommend including these demographic variables in future research. It would also be beneficial to include the parenting perspective when studying other motivational factors of secondhand shopping. Moreover, incorporating consumer segments such as those identified by Hur (2020) could provide deeper insights into how different groups prioritize and combine motivations.

The market for children's fashion (Vänskä, 2017) and online P2P secondhand market shopping (Thred Up, 2022) has experienced significant growth in recent years. Although this study did not examine how such growth relates to non-commercial exchanges of children's clothing, these dynamics also represent an important area for future research. What is clear, however, is that online P2P resale has become a particularly prominent channel for the circulation of children's clothing and now represents a significant mechanism within the evolving circular economy. This has brought new opportunities for children's clothing businesses. Several Finnish children's clothing brands collaborate with P2P platforms, and some have launched their own platforms where customers can sell the brand's used clothes to one another. Based on our findings, we recommend that operators in the P2P children's clothing secondhand business tailor their communication to different consumer groups. Younger mothers are primarily motivated by affordability, whereas higher-educated and employed mothers place greater emphasis on circularity and durability. For mothers on parental leave, the emotional rewards of shopping are more central, suggesting that platforms could develop community-building elements such as opportunities to share experiences.

In consumers' everyday lives, sustainable alternatives compete with the linear economy–based fast fashion, known to harm the environment and society, which is now further challenged by ultra-fast fashion (Dzhengiz et al., 2023). These trends may attract children's clothing purchasers with constantly changing styles, low prices, and extensive social media advertising. At the same time, secondhand consumption can embody unsustainable habits such as overspending, as P2P marketplaces may stimulate impulse buying and indulgent consumption (Parguel et al., 2017). Given that buying for children can be especially rewarding, design interventions that encourage more reflective consumption are advisable. At the policy level, measures such as tax incentives for retail systems and public investment in circular projects could strengthen secondhand market development, while awareness campaigns and the integration of sustainable consumption into education can support parents' efforts to transmit responsible consumption values to future generations.

The rise of online secondhand marketplaces is transforming the traditional practice of exchanging children's clothing among mothers, reflecting broader changes in consumer behavior and society. This practice is part of the emerging circular economy. Mothers represent a distinctive consumer group as they purchase not only for themselves but also for their children, and through their choices they can transmit values of economic and sustainable consumption to the next generation. Thus, parents' attitudes are important potential drivers of change in consumerism. However, secondhand children's clothing should be positioned not merely as a cheaper or greener alternative, but as an ecologically, socially and emotionally meaningful practice that redefines family consumption, influences business strategies and policy agendas, and offers a lens for understanding the evolving relationship between parenthood and consumer culture.