The Second Life
The Second Life is a Paris-based B2B2C platform that powers instant second-hand buyback services for shopping centers, fashion brands, and retailers across France and Belgium. It uses a proprietary argus pricing algorithm to value clothing, books, toys, and bags in exchange for partner-redeemable gift cards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Second Life does
The Second Life is a Paris-headquartered B2B2C platform founded in 2021 by Arthur de Soultrait and Antoine Gros that enables shopping centers, fashion brands, concept stores, and large retailers to operate instant second-hand buyback services for consumers. The company operates white-label or co-branded online collection portals and physical kiosks installed in partner locations; consumers receive gift cards valid across the host partner's retail network, removing the friction of photos, listing, and negotiation. Acceptance categories span clothing (1,400+ brands), books, games and toys, and bags/leather goods (150+ brands, added in 2024).
The core technology is a proprietary 'argus' pricing algorithm that produces instant buyback valuations based on item desirability factors (brand, season, category, size, material, color). Online fulfillment is supported by prepaid shipping labels through logistics partners Mondial Relay and Relais Colis; physical drop-offs yield instant gift card compensation at partner kiosks. Items not accepted for buyback are routed to a network of charitable partners (Emmaüs, Croix-Rouge, Re Fashion, TissEco, EcoMaison, Replay, Les Petits Riens), supporting both ESG positioning and operational simplicity. In July 2025 the company launched an appointment-based collection system with pre-registration and a fast queue.
The business model is transaction-commission based: The Second Life captures the spread between the buyback gift card value offered to consumers and the downstream resale or donation value of collected items, while absorbing logistics costs as part of the B2B service offering. Anchor partners include Eurocommercial (multi-property), SCC/Shopping Center Company (rolled out to 8+ sites), Beaugrenelle Paris, La Vallée Village, Marques Avenue, Gant, L'Exception, and Le Temps des Cerises, with active operations in France and Belgium. The company runs with a 1-10 person team, remains privately held without disclosed institutional funding, and won the 1st Prize 'Prestataire Innovant' at Republik Retail's 10th Nuit du Commerce Connecté in November 2023.
The Second Life firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Second Life
- Legal name
- The Second Life
- Website
- https://thesecondlife.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Second Life is a Paris-based B2B2C platform that powers instant second-hand buyback services for shopping centers, fashion brands, and retailers across France and Belgium. It uses a proprietary argus pricing algorithm to value clothing, books, toys, and bags in exchange for partner-redeemable gift cards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Second Life industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Circular Fashion Services
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- C2C Resale, Auctions & Secondhand Marketplaces (BPAMAGAE)
Keywords
Where The Second Life is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Second Life business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction Commission: The company takes a margin on the difference between the buyback price offered to consumers and the resale value of collected items through partner retail channels. Logistics costs for shipping (Mondial Relay/Relais Colis) are absorbed by The Second Life as part of the service offering to partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | No tiered pricing structure - individual item valuations based on proprietary algorithm |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Second Life product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Second Life operates a B2B second-hand collection platform that enables shopping centers, fashion brands, and large retailers to offer their customers buyback services for clothing, books, games/toys, and bags in exchange for gift cards valid within the partner's retail network. Items are collected through white-label online portals and physical kiosks installed at partner locations across France and Belgium, with prices determined by a proprietary instant-valuation algorithm (argus) that requires no photos or negotiation. The company earns revenue by taking a margin between the buyback price paid to consumers and the eventual resale value of items.
Product overview
The Second Life operates a multichannel second-hand collection platform offering B2B services to shopping centers, brands, and retailers. The core offering includes four main product categories: clothing (1,400+ brands), books, games/toys, and bags/leather goods. Customers can use the service through two channels: (1) online collection via white-label partner websites where items are shipped for free and processed within 5-7 weeks, and (2) physical kiosk collection at partner locations for instant gift card rewards. The platform uses a proprietary argus/pricing system developed internally to determine instant buyback prices based on market desirability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 500,000+ articles given second life since 2021
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Second Life
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Second Life technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
The Second Life partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EurocommercialcoreEurocommercial reinforces partnership with The Second Life and deploys service at Grand A shopping center. Partnership began in January 2023 with successful operations at Passage du Havre (Paris) and Woluwe (Belgium). Regular collection events organized at Eurocommercial centers.
- Grand Place (Grenoble)core150-boutique shopping center Grand Place partnered with The Second Life (developed by Wolverine et Associés) to install second-hand collection service. Items are resold or donated to charitable associations.
- Le Temps des CerisescoreFrench fashion brand Le Temps des Cerises partnered with The Second Life to offer customers clothing buyback on their website. Accepts old collections from the brand as well as other brands, with gift cards valid on their e-shop.
- Marques AvenuecoreOutlet specialist partnered with The Second Life for 2nde Avenue physical collection events at Marques Avenue Romans. Launched digital platform dedicated to second-hand.
- Le Passage du HavrecoreLe Passage du Havre shopping center in Paris partnered with The Second Life in March 2024. Offers both online collection and physical kiosk drop-off. Gift cards valid in all center stores.
- SCC (Shopping Center Company)coreSCC, pioneer of shopping centers in France with ~40 centers, expanded partnership with The Second Life to 8+ locations including La Vache Noire (Arcueil), Allées Provençales (Aix), and Cap de Cabriès. Partnership began with earlier centers.
- L'ExceptioncoreConcept store partnered with The Second Life to launch online second-hand service. Accepts brands like Maison Labiche, Sessun, Levi's, Iro for gift cards valid on lexception.com.
- Beaugrenelle PariscoreParis shopping center installed kiosk on 2nd floor for clothing drop-off. Customers receive gift cards valid in all Beaugrenelle boutiques.
- La Galerie (Quimper)coreShopping center with Géant and dozens of boutiques offered The Second Life service for customers to sell clothing in exchange for gift cards.
- Centre Jaude (Clermont-Ferrand)coreCenter Jaude launched Vesti'Jaude online service using The Second Life platform. Physical kiosk presented during special events.
- La Vallée VillagecoreOutlet in Serris (Seine-et-Marne) launched 'la mode en boucle' collection service with dedicated kiosk. Gift cards valid in all boutiques.
- Shopping Cora ChâtelineaucoreShopping Cora partnered with The Second Life to promote circular economy. Collection period May-November 2022.
- Les Saisons de MeauxcoreShopping center Les Saisons de Meaux launched clothing deposit service using The Second Life, offering gift cards to customers.
- GantcoreInternational fashion brand Gant partnered with The Second Life to extend clothing lifecycle as part of sustainability strategy to reduce environmental impact of fashion industry.
- Charitable Associations (Replay, Re Fashion, TissEco, EcoMaison, Les Petits Riens, Emmaüs Solidarité, Croix-Rouge)minorCharitable partners receive items not accepted for buyback. Replay receives toys/games; Re Fashion, TissEco receive clothing; EcoMaison, Les Petits Riens, Emmaüs, Croix-Rouge receive various items.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Second Life competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vestiaire Collective: Global C2C resale marketplace for pre-owned fashion, comparable to The Second Life in enabling circular fashion commerce and increasingly expanding into brand-led take-back initiatives.
- ThredUp: US-based resale-as-a-service platform and online thrift operator, the most direct international analogue for delivering branded resale infrastructure to retail partners.
- Vinted: Pan-European C2C resale marketplace with deep brand recognition and well-funded scale, competing with The Second Life for the sell-side consumer mindshare and increasingly partnering with brands on circular programs.
Direct peers
- The Renewal Workshop: US-based circular textiles partner that operates take-back and resale programs for apparel brands (e.g., outerwear, kids), implementing branded second-hand commerce very similar to The Second Life's white-label model.
- Patatam: French second-hand clothing service that partners with retailers and brands (e.g., Tape à l'OEil) to collect children's clothing for resale or donation, comparable B2B2C second-hand collection flywheel.
- Once Upon a Time (OUAT): French second-hand kids' clothing platform offering instant gift-card buyback with shipping included, operating an analogous C2C fashion resale model to The Second Life's clothing service.
Emerging players
- Back Market: Refurbished-electronics B2B2C marketplace, comparable in model archetype of partnering retailers with second-hand goods collection and instant valuation/compensation flows.
- Circul'Eggs: French consultancy/platform enabling retailers to set up second-hand, repair, and donation services, comparable in offering turnkey circular-economy tools to physical retail partners.
Regional players
- Emmaüs Solidarité: Major French second-hand charity network that receives unsold items from The Second Life and operates donation-driven resale across France, a key downstream counterparty and adjacent operator in the second-hand value chain.
Others
- Refashion (Eco TLC): French eco-organization responsible for collecting and recycling textile waste; receives unsold clothing from The Second Life and is a structural buyer-side partner in the circular textiles ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Second Life social profiles
Digital presenceThe Second Life financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Second Life leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Second Life funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Second Life M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Second Life
What does The Second Life do?
The Second Life operates a B2B second-hand collection platform that enables shopping centers, fashion brands, and large retailers to offer their customers buyback services for clothing, books, games/toys, and bags in exchange for gift cards valid within the partner's retail network. Items are collected through white-label online portals and physical kiosks installed at partner locations across France and Belgium, with prices determined by a proprietary instant-valuation algorithm (argus) that requires no photos or negotiation. The company earns revenue by taking a margin between the buyback price paid to consumers and the eventual resale value of items.
Is The Second Life a public or private company?
The Second Life is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Second Life founded?
The Second Life was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Second Life based?
The Second Life is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does The Second Life make money?
One revenue line is on record: transaction Commission.
Who are The Second Life's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vestiaire Collective, ThredUp and Vinted. Direct peers are The Renewal Workshop, Patatam and Once Upon a Time (OUAT). Emerging players are Back Market and Circul'Eggs. Emmaüs Solidarité is listed as a regional player. Refashion (Eco TLC) is listed as an others.
Does The Second Life have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Second Life.
What industry is The Second Life in?
The Second Life's product category is Circular Fashion Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAE, C2C Resale, Auctions & Secondhand Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5600.