One man’s designer trash is another man’s side hustle

The next time you treat yourself to a little retail therapy, maybe reconsider tossing out the packaging your goodies came in — those empty boxes could help you undo some of the damage to your wallet.

On secondhand marketplaces like Vinted and eBay, original packaging for items ranging from designer bags to video game consoles are selling for hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars.

• On eBay, there are 180k+ search results for “empty box.” On Poshmark, branded packaging is selling for as little as $3 and as much as $10k for bundles.
• But boxes of less collectible goods, like tech products (e.g., Apple, Nintendo, Dyson) and high-end makeup, are also commanding big bucks.

The trend, which has taken off since the pandemic, comes at the intersection of a booming resale market and social media culture.

So, who’s buying?

Resellers…

… who want the original packaging of the wares they’re trying to sell, which can significantly increase an item’s resale value.

• In 2021, a study by credit broker Money found boxes for high-end watch brands like Rolex and Omega commanded average resale prices of ~$200; today, you can find some going for well over $3k, per Wired.

That might seem like a stupid amount to pay for an empty box, but considering resale prices for certain luxury items, like purses and watches, can fluctuate by tens of thousands of dollars, the ROI can be worth it.

Counterfeiters…

… are also fueling the market for resold packaging, buying up authentic boxes to repackage knockoffs and market them as the real deal.

Some are even duping consumers by sending them designer-brand boxes with nothing in them.

But worse than them are perhaps the clout chasers…

… who, according to one empty-box purveyor who spoke to Refinery29, have driven much of the demand.

• Small-time influencers and wannabes are purchasing them to dress up the backgrounds of their photos to project the image of a life they might not actually be able to afford to their followers.
• Or, social media researcher Tama Leaver told Wired, to make it seem like they have partnerships with high-end brands in hopes that they might actually score one.

Fake it till you make it, I guess.