This study takes the perspective of a brand introducing its own second-hand products to the re-commerce market. The project finds that consumers are more willing to forgive a transgressing second-hand product compared to a new product, which leads to lower negative word-of-mouth. The relationship is mediated by the underdog effect.

The resale market of used items selled about U$ 16 billions in 2015 in the US. We interviewed twelve consumers to better understand this phenomenon, Our results showed that consumers choose SHP due to economic reasons, and sustainability is marginally considered. Contamination is the main barrier to consume used products.