WORDS BY ASHLEIGH GRIBBON
As sustainability steadily makes its way to the forefront of luxury fashion, designers and marketplaces alike are shifting their focus towards achieving a circular fashion economy – whereby existing pieces are reused, repaired, recycled or repurposed – in order to help close the loop on waste in the industry. FARFETCH’s resale, repair and donation services are a great way to embrace this new circular approach. FARFETCH Fix is a luxury restoration service that repairs and revives your favorite shoes, bags and leather goods, while FARFETCH Donate enables you to clear your closet, raise money for a chosen charity and earn FARFETCH credit by donating your best pre-owned pieces. Our most popular circular service, FARFETCH Second Life, allows you to sell your pre-owned designer bags for shopping credit — here’s everything you need to know.
What is FARFETCH Second Life?
Our resale service allows you to clear space in your wardrobe and sell your second-hand designer handbags from the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and many more, in exchange for some well-earned FARFETCH credit. You can then use your credit to shop the new season’s most sought-after pieces. The process is simple and hassle-free, with quick submissions, free pick-ups and fast, upfront payments. ‘Services like Second Life are so important because they keep accessories in their life cycle longer,’ says New York-based stylist and ethical fashion advocate Rachael Wang. Please note that this service is currently only available in the UK, USA, all European Union countries and Norway.
How FARFETCH Second Life works
The Second Life process is clear and easy to follow: simply upload photos of the bag you want to sell — see the full list of luxury designer bag brands currently being accepted by the service in the ‘Brand’ drop-down here — and we'll tell you how much FARFETCH credit you could earn within two working days. If you choose to accept the quoted amount in credit, you can schedule a free collection at a time that suits you. Once the team has received and verified your bag, the credit will be applied to your FARFETCH account. There are no hidden fees — the quote provided is the exact value of credit you'll receive — and credit is applied to your account as soon as your bag is verified, as opposed to waiting until your bag is sold.
Hermès 2019 pre-owned Tressage Birkin bag | Chanel Pre-Owned 1992 Classic shoulder bag | Christian Dior pre-owned leopard-print Saddle bag | Fendi Pre-Owned Zucca plaque shoulder bag
The benefits of using FARFETCH Second Life
'We chose to launch our Second Life service with a “buy-upfront” model as we wanted to deliver a luxury experience to our customers,’ says FARFETCH’s senior sustainable business manager, Emma Britton, who specializes in circular services. ‘Utilizing this model means that Second Life customers get given an upfront price quote, and once they’ve accepted this and their bag passes our verification process, their FARFETCH credit is applied to their account within 48 hours – they don’t need to wait until another customer has committed to buying their bag,’ she explains. ‘This means the end-to-end process of selling their piece is typically much faster, and also gives customers more security as they know the exact price they’ll get for their bag before they commit to selling it.
'The feedback that we get most consistently from our customers is that they love how simple and easy the Second Life process is, and how quickly it means they get paid for their pieces. Customers often have their eye on a particular piece that they want to buy with their credit, so it’s important to them to get paid quickly so they can make that purchase before that piece sells out.’
Stylist and vintage collector Leah Abbott on using the service
A keen collector of designer bags, fashion stylist and collector Leah Abbott uses FARFETCH’s Second Life service to maintain and recycle her collection. ‘The Second Life program gives you the chance to rehome your bags when it's time to make room for more,’ explains Abbott. ‘You simply upload images of the piece you wish to sell, and receive a credit quote for your bag within a few days. Once you’ve sent it off using FARFETCH’s free collection service, the quoted credit is applied to your account and can be used to shop those new pieces you’ve had your eye on. Giving pre-loved pieces a second life and being conscious about the ways you can help our planet is imperative.
'I think a designer bag is a great way to dress up a relaxed outfit, and FARFETCH’s pre-owned designer bags are all such great quality – had I not known, it would be really hard to tell they were pre-owned. The styles I received came with their straps and inside additional pouches complete too, which can often be missing with second-hand pieces. They’re genuinely really special, well-kept bags.’ Shop Leah’s highlights below.