Beni is revolutionizing the secondhand shopping experience.
You’ve heard of e-commerce, but what about “re-commerce”? As purse strings continue to tighten, the second-hand clothing market has exploded. Consignment magnate ThredUp reports that “...the U.S. second-hand market grew 11% in 2023, which was seven times faster than the broader U.S. clothing market,” and globally, the second-hand apparel market will reach $350 billion by 2028. This all begs the question: why is it so hard to thrift online these days?
Our favorite sites have been flooded with dropshippers, online shopping is notoriously deceptive, and it can be very difficult to “window shop” on thrift sites without knowing exactly what you’re looking for. It’s become impossible to know where to turn.
Thankfully, I stumbled upon this tweet from the much-beloved stylist Lakyn Carlton (@OGLakyn):
Founded by Kate Sanner, Celine Lightfoot and Sarah Pinner, Beni is a service that is most similar to Gem.app, which is an online aggregate that gathers a bunch of listings from second-hand selling sites (like Poshmark, Depop, eBay, Etsy, etc.) and groups them together in one convenient, searchable place.
Where Beni differentiates themselves is that they aren’t just a hub for secondhand listings — their tool actually interacts with other online stores’ websites. It operates in a similar vein to other browser extensions like Honey and Rakuten, although it’s focused on alternative listings, not couponing. This means that, while shopping at regular stores online, you can also browse comparable secondhand options.
Let’s say, for instance, that I see the much-buzzed-about Zac Posen Poplin Shirt Dress. I want one, but to my dismay, it’s already sold out on Gap.com. I’m still interested in something that’s a similar style, so I open Beni’s browser extension and it finds me multiple listings at the click of a button. It’s just a bonus that these listings are also at a fraction of the original cost!
There are limitations to Beni, however. The software utilizes an AI that hunts for comparable listings based on keywords, not image similarity. So, even though I’m hunting for a white button-down shirt dress, my Beni search results may come up with black or brown or blue dresses — all because they are also described as “poplin” or are originally from Gap.com.
Now, this isn’t the end of the world. It’s still an incredibly helpful tool — and one that has the promise to develop into a much more streamlined and visually accurate browser extension. I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t judge a startup by its infancy, but by the potential it has to change the market — and I am in full support of any shopping aid that aims to trend more toward reselling. Because, truthfully, prioritizing thrifting instead of shopping at another new production store is the real revolution here.
Beni’s underlying mission is to encourage users to begin shopping second-hand where they otherwise would’ve purchased a newly manufactured garment. They tout that by using Beni, “...you’re helping to keep garments we’ve spent so many resources to create in their most valuable state for as long as possible and you’re simultaneously reducing demand for new products to be made. By giving a new life to these clothes, you’re keeping items out of the landfill and participating in the circular economy.”
Sustainability in fashion has been a hot-button issue for decades now (and it’s one that I have written about many times over the course of my career), but the issue has recently seemed to have reached a fever pitch in reaction to the prevalence of fast-fashion mega-monsters like SHEIN and Temu.
Consumers are sick and tired of poor quality, cheaply made, disposable clothes. I spoke with Lakyn Carlton, the stylist who first introduced me to the Beni platform, about her experience with this developing shopping pattern.
She said that: “...it really just boils down to being able to access really good clothes. So much of the new clothes that are most accessible are just so cheaply made, even by brands that have historically been better quality like the J. Crews and Gaps of the world… [So,] If you’re willing to wait a bit and search for even a couple minutes, you can get so much high quality stuff — even luxury — at your fingertips.”
She continued by saying that, truthfully, “...it’s really never been easier to find what you want, for a good price, ethically and sustainably. And it’ll only get easier as more people start using and promoting tools like Beni or Gem and, ideally, rescuing more clothes from landfills and giving them a second life.”
As bleak as the landscape of mass production and consumerism may seem, there is still a flickering flame of hope in the shape of platforms like Beni — lighting our way towards a more responsible and sustainable future. All we have to do is shop.
Kaitlin Owens is a vintage fashion writer, movie buff, lover of good eats, and a women’s size 7.5 (if any shoe brands are reading). She is the Editor-in-Chief of Dilettante Magazine. You can find her on socials @magdilettante.