Lululemon Is Selling Used Clothing

Lululemon Is Selling Used Clothing — Here’s What That Means for Secondhand

Lululemon sells used clothing on its website. We discovered this when purchasing a gift card for a close friend. We stumbled across their gently worn section of clothing.

If that comes as a surprise, you’re not alone. Through its resale program, Like New, the brand accepts gently worn Lululemon pieces in exchange for store credit, then cleans, inspects, and resells those items directly online.

It’s part of a growing shift in retail — brands stepping into the secondhand space themselves instead of leaving resale entirely to thrift stores or peer-to-peer platforms.

At first glance, it sounds like a win. And in some ways, it is. But like most things in the secondhand world, it’s more nuanced than that.

How the Like New program works

Customers bring eligible Lululemon items to participating stores and receive store credit based on the type of item. The credit amounts are modest and fixed — there’s no negotiation, and no cash option.

Those items are then processed by the company and resold online through the Like New site at discounted prices, typically organized by condition so buyers know what they’re getting.

This isn’t peer-to-peer resale. It’s brand-run, brand-controlled secondhand.

A quick reality check on thrift stores

It’s worth clarifying something upfront: this isn’t about Lululemon overwhelming thrift stores.

Lululemon is a trending brand. Some thrift stores already know this. In many regions, these pieces are pulled, priced confidently, placed on special racks, or sold online rather than left on the floor.

This shift isn’t about excess inventory.
It’s about who controls the value once an item becomes secondhand.

By running their own resale channel, the brand keeps pricing, condition standards, and customer expectations inside its own ecosystem — even after the first owner is done with the item.

A simple comparison: convenience vs value

Take a pair of Lululemon leggings that originally retailed for $98.

Through the Like New trade-in program, that pair typically earns about $10 in store credit.

On a peer-to-peer platform like Facebook Marketplace, the same pair — depending on style, size, and condition — often sells locally for $35–$50, sometimes more in active markets. The seller takes photos, answers messages, and handles pickup, but keeps the cash.

Neither option is wrong. They simply serve different priorities.

Like New offers ease and immediacy.
Marketplace resale takes more effort, but usually returns significantly more value.

The pros

It keeps clothing in circulation
Usable athletic wear stays in use instead of being discarded or lost in donation overflow.

It lowers the barrier to buying secondhand
For shoppers hesitant about thrifting or resale platforms, buying used directly from the brand feels familiar and low-risk.

Quality and consistency are clear
Items are inspected, cleaned, and graded, with customer service that mirrors the retail experience.

It reinforces that resale is mainstream
When a major brand builds resale into its business model, it signals that secondhand is no longer fringe.

The cons

Trade-in payouts are low
Store credit amounts are a fraction of original retail and often far less than what the same item can earn on the open resale market.

There’s no cash option
Credits can only be used at Lululemon, keeping customers within the brand rather than offering flexibility.

Value is centralized
By reclaiming resale in-house, the brand captures more of the secondhand value that once circulated through individuals and independent resale channels.

Sustainability still supports consumption
While reuse is positive, the model still encourages continued purchasing from the same brand rather than slowing buying overall.

The bigger picture

Brand-run resale lives in a complicated middle space.

It extends product life and introduces more people to secondhand shopping. At the same time, it shifts control — over pricing, standards, and expectations — back to large companies.

For shoppers, it’s about ease and trust.
For sellers, it’s a trade-off between convenience and payout.
For the secondhand ecosystem, it raises quiet but important questions about where value ends up as resale continues to grow.

Programs like this aren’t inherently good or bad.
They’re simply a sign that secondhand has become too significant for brands to ignore.

And that’s worth paying attention to.