How Portland Leather Goods Drove $2M in Resale Revenue in 10 Months

Listening to their customers’ needs, Portland Leather Goods (PLG) successfully launched a resale platform that not only promotes sustainability but has also contributed $2M in sales in the first 10 months. By engaging their already-thriving buy/sell/trade groups and secondhand community through launching the ‘Portland Leather Resale Marketplace’, PLG has seen an overwhelming community response. Through this partnership with Treet, they have increased LTV, boosted customer loyalty on their main site, and driven repeat customers while minimizing their environmental footprint.

‍Identifying the Opportunity

When first considering launching Portland Leather Resale Marketplace, PLG saw an opportunity to enhance the buy/sell/trade experience, which was often dominated by resellers not directly affiliated with the brand. By providing a trusted platform, PLG could offer a more seamless, customer-friendly option for reselling their products. This initiative allowed the brand to stay engaged with customers well beyond the initial purchase and contribute to a more sustainable product lifecycle. Any initial concerns around potential cannibalization of DTC sales were quickly outweighed by the positive impact on the community and the environment, reinforcing PLG’s commitment to customer satisfaction and sustainability.

Why Treet?

PLG chose Treet as their resale partner due to these key factors:

• Ease of Implementation: Treet offered a straightforward solution that required minimal upfront investment, making it a perfect choice for testing PLG’s resale market.
• Scalability: Treet's platform has the ability to grow into new resale models and enhanced features, providing flexibility for future growth on PLG’s resale program.
• Customer Insights: Treet’s extensive data dashboard allowed PLG to track customer behavior like payout lifecycles, increases in credit spend, new customer acquisition, and sell-through rates.

The Goals For Resale

The primary goal of the resale program was to deliver a superior secondhand customer experience and align with PLG’s desire to be more sustainable. They accomplished these goals by:

• Creating a trusted outlet: They provided a reliable platform where customers could buy and sell PLG products with confidence, backed by Treet protection.
• Leveraging customer data: The integration of customer order history and product photos simplified the listing process and elevated their resale aesthetic.
• Audience Activation: Tapping into their Insider Community to collect and implement feedback pre and post launch.

Resale Exceeds Expectations

Since the launch of the Portland Leather Resale Marketplace, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and the data is blowing them away. Their fear of cannibalization was ultimately squashed.

“Don’t fear the resale — embrace it! Instead of cannibalizing DTC sales, our resale program has proven to be a strategic channel for growth, loyalty, and sustainability.”

– Scott Allen, VP of Operations at Portland Leather Goods

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The story is in the numbers:

• $2M in revenue from resale sales in 10 months, reaching a staggering 259x return on investment.
• 56% average sell-through rate across 32,000+ listed items
• 375% average spend over credit on their main site
• 31,070 lbs diverted from the landfill

The Role of PLGs Insider Community

The Portland Leather Goods Insider community played a crucial role in the launch and success of their resale program. They relied heavily on Insider feedback to establish the need and help the development of their branded resale program, especially after hearing about the poor buying experience on other platforms. Since launch, Insiders have given positive praise on the user-friendly interface, secure transactions, and added benefits such as the credit toward new purchases.

The PLG Insider community is among their most active Treet users, contributing to:

• 83% of sellers selecting credit over cash
• 89% of users listing an item for resale on Treet go on to make a new purchase on PLGs main site
• 77% of Treet users who buy a secondhand item end up purchasing something new on PLGs main site

PLG's Resale Future

The Portland Leather Resale Marketplace has proven itself impactful through high engagement, increased community adoption, and incremental revenue. Moving forward, PLG's focus on community feedback and leveraging more of Treet’s platform will drive continued success, reinforcing their reputation as a brand that values both environmental responsibility and exceptional customer service.