China's second-hand luxury market surges
Sun Shaqi holds a shiny red leather Louis Vuitton bag and smiles to a camera.
She's about to start a live-stream promoting second-hand luxury products to some of her 6.5 million followers.
Originally a travel blogger, she switched to selling second-hand goods on a livestreaming app in February.
Her customers are contributing to a major uptick in pre-loved luxury spending:
"I could obviously buy three or four bags for the price of one, so why wouldn't I buy them? Anyway, bags are just apparel, right? If I buy one then who knows this is a second-hand bag,"
The growing industry is not only driven by customers in so-called first-tier cities, but also new members of China's growing middle class in lower tier cities.
People there have less access to actual luxury flagship stores.
Sun promotes products for sites including Plum, a Beijing-based company, which specialises in selling second-hand luxury goods.
Hundreds of staff at its headquarters examine the authenticity of piles of products.
Some have to examine up to 200-300 handbags a day.
Plum says business is booming since shopping has shifted from physical stores to online platforms - a shift given extra impetus by this year's health worries.
Chinese consumers have traditionally shunned buying second-hand out of concerns including that the item might be fake.
But in recent years platforms have launched to bet on a mindset shift.
On Plum's platform, a Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 Monogram rated at 85% new was offering at $676, compared with $1,560 on the brand's homepage.
The company sells via a mini program on Tencent's popular WeChat messaging platform as well as a stand-alone app, using live-streaming personalities to help promote its products.
