Zhuanzhuan scales up secondhand luxury in China

What happened Zhuanzhuan Group, a leading retailer in China’s circular economy, opened its first multi-category secondhand warehouse store, dubbed “Super Zhuanzhuan,” in Beijing last month. Located on the third floor of the Beijing Friendship Store and spanning over 3,000 sqm, the store offers a curated selection and a hybrid retail layout that elevates the secondhand shopping experience. Boasting more than 200 product categories and over 30,000 carefully vetted items, the inventory ranges from pre-owned luxury bags and apparel to jewelry, watches, photography gear, gaming consoles, and small home appliances — catering to consumers’ growing appetite for a smooth, all-encompassing circular consumption journey. Every item is inspected by Zhuanzhuan’s quality control team and comes with a comprehensive test report. Shoppers can scan a QR code to access detailed information, ensuring a true “what you see is what you get” experience. Prices are clearly marked and transparent, especially in the luxury secondhand segment, which features warehouse-style displays of brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Celine. Pre-owned luxury meets industrial chic The store’s industrial-chic design, combined with abundant open shelving, showcases a broad range of categories efficiently but also allows customers to engage with the textures and quality of pre-owned goods up close. Without sales assistants hovering, the space cultivates a relaxed, free-flowing shopping environment, amplifying its appeal as a destination for young consumers seeking discovery and experience. Zhuanzhuan Group CEO Huang Wei sees Super Zhuanzhuan as a milestone in the company’s multi-category strategy and a crucial step toward building a trusted ecosystem for secondhand consumption. The Jing Take Launched in 2015, the Zhuanzhuan app initially carved out a niche in the secondhand smartphone market, capitalizing on consumer desire for trust and transparency. The platform expanded its reach to encompass a broader spectrum of secondhand goods, from electronics to luxury and fashion items, evolving into a multi-category resale marketplace. Zhuanzhuan invested $100 million in China’s leading platform for high-end secondhand fashion Plum (also known as Hongbulin) in November 2022, then fully acquired it in September 2024. Leveraging Plum’s robust supply chain and its established base of affluent female consumers, the partnership addressed Zhuanzhuan’s prior luxury inventory gaps. Following the acquisition, Plum’s integration diversified Zhuanzhuan’s luxury offerings and laid a solid foundation for its innovative offline venture. Trust remains the Achilles’ heel of the secondhand market As an offline extension of Zhuanzhuan Group’s multi-category strategy, Super Zhuanzhuan expands the traditional concept of a secondhand store. It’s more of a retail experiment designed for younger consumers — a hybrid space where discovery, socializing, shopping, and leisure blend seamlessly. The concept speaks directly to young shoppers’ desire for a balance between value and novelty, creating an immersive environment that feels fresh, yet accessible. Yet, the buzz around Zhuanzhuan masks some significant hurdles. Despite the platform’s emphasis on professional authentication and rigorous quality checks, consumers are still wary. High-ticket items still trigger widespread unease among buyers. While the offline “see and touch” experience goes some way to tackling this, it does little to quiet complaints about items not matching descriptions or doubts over authenticity. Compounding these challenges is a crowded marketplace brimming with established vintage luxury stores. These competitors enjoy advantages in sourcing, presentation, and service, exerting considerable pressure on Super Zhuanzhuan. A breakthrough may come via building unshakable trust through supply chain transparency, meticulous quality control, robust after-sales service, and emotionally resonant, culturally rich in-store experiences. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Zhuanzhuan scales up secondhand luxury in China

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Published June 18, 2025

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Zhuanzhuan scales up secondhand luxury in China