Secondhand furniture gains traction as Singaporeans embrace circular economy practices

Singaporeans saved 21,970 tonnes of carbon emissions by purchasing secondhand furniture.

Singaporeans are putting the country’s circular economy push into action, leading Southeast Asia in secondhand furniture transactions.

Carousell's “Year-in-Secondhand” report showed that Singaporeans saved 21,970 tonnes of carbon emissions by buying secondhand furniture, equivalent to streaming Netflix non-stop for 69,666 years.

Reflecting this trend, "chair" rose 52 spots to become the platform's second most searched item, overtaking "iPhone," which ranked third.

The demand extended to free items as well, with sofas and IKEA tables among the most popular, contributing to a total of 300,000 items given away.

Carousell said furniture demand spiked in March, alongside event tickets, which could be related to the shows of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars.

By September, Labubu took over Taylor Swift in search popularity. For the whole year, Labubu ranked 5th among the top searches in Singapore.

Apart from Furniture & Home Living, the most popular categories for secondhand purchases in Singapore include Women's Fashion and Hobbies & Toys.

Meanwhile, the report found that Singaporeans earned an average of $2,000 from their listings, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Most transactions on the app occur around 6 p.m., while most sellers create new listings at 2 p.m. The majority of inquiries and searches are made around 10 p.m.