For one month, I set out to buy everything I needed used and online. A wooden train set for my son? eBay. Salad tongs? Mercari. Fishing rod? Goodwill. Running shoes? Amazon Warehouse. Replacing a torn wet-suit glove? I'm still looking for that one.
Across the internet, I discovered a bustling secondary market ready to fulfill nearly all my shopping needs with something someone else had once owned. These were not tattered castoffs or bargain-bin specials. The online "recommerce" ecosystem was full of premium, quality goods at a price and, at times, convenience, rivaling Amazon's shopping cart.