The Vinted Effect: What Can the Outdoor Community Learn?

The Vinted effect

Vinted didn't just create a second-hand marketplace. It changed the way millions of people think about buying.

Second-hand went from being something you did occasionally to something you actively looked for.

So why hasn't the outdoor community had the same shift?

This is a collection of observations and reflections from our own experiences as outdoor enthusiasts and as the founders of Kelo. And, importantly, we are guilty of many of the things we discuss below.

We wanted to put these thoughts down as a way of holding ourselves accountable, and perhaps to start a conversation with others who might recognise some of the same behaviours. This is the first in what we'll call ‘Founders' Thoughts’.

Vinted changed the way we buy

Vinted has undoubtedly changed the purchasing landscape for a huge number of people in the UK and beyond.

For years, we have been told how damaging fast fashion is and how unhealthy our consumption habits can be. But for a long time, there wasn't an easy, mainstream alternative. Vinted helped change that.

It didn't just create a marketplace for second-hand clothes. It helped normalise a different way of buying and selling. Buying second-hand became easier, more accessible and, importantly, something people actively wanted to do. Passing on clothes you no longer use became normal too.

That is a pretty remarkable success story.

And it got us thinking: what could the outdoor community learn from this?

The outdoor enthusiast's paradox

As outdoor enthusiasts, many of us have a slightly unusual relationship with gear.

We need it. Some of it is essential for safety and comfort. And, if we're honest, a lot of us also just love it.

I love finding out about new gear, looking at what other people are using, building wishlists and dreaming about what I'd buy next. There is something about getting new outdoor equipment that brings back the excitement of being a kid getting a new toy. But this can very easily turn into the feeling that we need the newest thing.

A new jacket. A new kayak. A new board. A new pair of skis. A newer, lighter, better version of something we already own. And this is where we face something of an outdoor enthusiast's paradox.

We spend our free time enjoying wild places. We understand how important they are. Many of us actively campaign to protect them.

Yet the equipment that allows us to experience those places can itself have a significant environmental impact.

Outdoor equipment can require large amounts of plastic, synthetic fibres, resin, foam, metals and other resource-intensive materials to manufacture. And sometimes perfectly good gear gets replaced long before it has reached the end of its useful life. We don't need to be told that our rivers, mountains, oceans and wild spaces are under pressure. Most outdoor enthusiasts have seen it for themselves.

That is precisely why this feels like something we should be taking seriously.

We have the foundations already

As a community, outdoor enthusiasts are actually in a pretty unique position.

We care about these places. We spend so much time in them. We notice when they change. And we often have a much better understanding of the gear we use than the average consumer.

We also have something that makes a circular economy for outdoor gear particularly exciting: community.

When I sell a kayak, I don't just want it to disappear into a transaction with a stranger.

I'd much rather know that it is going to another kayaker who is going to take it down rivers, learn new skills in it, explore somewhere new and create their own adventures.

I'm not just selling an old kayak. I'm passing something on.

And when I buy a piece of gear from another outdoor enthusiast, there is a different kind of trust involved. I can ask them how it has been used, what they think of it, what condition it is really in and whether it is going to work for what I want to do.

I'm not buying from a completely faceless seller. I'm buying from someone who understands the gear and the activity I care about.

That is a powerful foundation for a circular community.

The most sustainable piece of gear is the piece of gear that is already made.

Of course, buying new isn't going to disappear.

Outdoor brands are researching better materials, more durable products, repair services and more sustainable manufacturing processes. Many are doing genuinely good work, and we don't think the responsibility sits entirely with manufacturers.

But progress takes time.

So while the industry works on making new gear better, and more sustainable, there is something we can all do right now.

Keep the gear that already exists in use for longer.

The most sustainable piece of gear is the piece of gear that is already made.

We already have huge amounts of perfectly usable outdoor equipment sitting in garages, lofts, cupboards and spare rooms.

Kayaks that haven't been paddled for years. Wetsuits that no longer fit. Jackets that have been replaced by a newer model. Climbing gear that has moved on to a different owner. Skis sitting unused because someone has changed sports.

The opportunity isn't necessarily to consume less gear.

It is to consume differently.

So why hasn't it happened at the same scale?

It's not that this behaviour doesn't already exist.

We have Facebook groups. We have eBay. We have Vinted. We have clubs, mates and local communities where gear gets passed around.

But it hasn't happened at anything like the scale we've seen with second-hand fashion.

Maybe that's partly because we haven't had a platform built specifically around outdoor gear and the people who use it. A place where the gear makes sense. Where the people buying it understand it. Where sellers can pass it on easily. And where buying second-hand isn't the alternative to buying new.

It is the first option.

And that's why we built Kelo

This is exactly why we built Kelo.

Not simply as another marketplace, but as a destination for the outdoor community. A place where we can collectively make passing on unused gear normal. Where selling something you no longer use helps another person get into the sport you love. Where buying second-hand can mean getting better gear for your money. And where we can start to build a culture of buying second-hand first and passing on what we no longer need.

We don't think Kelo alone is going to solve the environmental challenges facing the outdoors. But we do think our community has the foundations to lead the way. We are the people who care most about these places. So perhaps we should also be the people who think hardest about how we equip ourselves to enjoy them.

Pass it on. Buy second-hand first. Keep good gear in use.

That's the community we want Kelo to help build.