Scaling Operations for Growth in the Textile Recommerce Industry

By: Shawn Christensen, VP of Operations, Tersus Solutions

The textile recommerce industry—resale of pre-owned clothing, accessories, and other textiles—is in the middle of a major transformation. What was once a niche market has evolved into a powerful driver of circular fashion, fueled by consumer demand for sustainability, affordability, and individuality. According to ThredUP’s 2024 Resale Report, the global secondhand apparel market is on track to reach $218 billion by 2026.

At Tersus, we've been fortunate to have a front-row seat to the growth of resale, and the operational challenges that come with it. Scaling isn’t just about handling more volume; it’s about maintaining the quality standards that have made us best-in-class, while doing so efficiently, profitably, and sustainably.

Streamlining Inventory Management

If you’re in recommerce, you know that no two SKUs are alike. Unlike traditional retail, every item we process is unique, making inventory management especially complex.

We’ve found that real-time tracking using a barcode system is a must, we lovingly call these LPNs (license plate numbers) at Tersus. No matter if you are processing 100s of items of millions, visibility across the entire operation becomes non-negotiable.

We’ve also made a strategic choice to keep our 3PL (third-party logistics) operations in-house. It gives us more control, especially during seasonal surges. Centralized warehousing, combined with weekly needs adjustments, let us move faster and with greater accuracy.

My Pro Tip: Don’t just track what’s coming in—analyze it. That kind of insight helps us plan our staffing  proactively.

Optimizing the Supply Chain for Circularity

Circularity isn’t a marketing tagline in this space, it’s the foundation. But as volumes increase, staying true to this principle becomes more complex.

We partner with each brand we work with to define a set of standards that work best for them, from sorting product into a variety of “Tiers”, with washing, cleaning, photographing, warehousing, to creating a NBU (Next Best Use) plan, we have different outlets from resale, to donation, so that 100% of the items we touch do not end up in a landfill.

My Pro Tip: If you’re shipping at scale, you might want to consider carbon offsetting. Partnering with offset programs and being transparent about that effort helps strengthen trust with eco-conscious consumers.

Discovering the Right Partners

Define what you want to be known for and then rely on partners to deliver the other parts. If you are best-in-class on the logistics side of things, find companies that can handle the Saas and software. Make sure that any growth works with  the current tech. We’ve chosen platforms that can scale with us, from recommerce to warranty.

My Pro Tip: Drive for innovation, and the ability to do more, but make sure to work in enough testing time, so that together both partners can offer the best experience for the brand partners.

Growing Customer Acquisition and Retention

At the end of the day, operational scale has to align with customer growth. That means engaging both new and existing customers across the right channels.

We’ve leaned heavily into platforms, such as LinkedIn, to share and repost resale stories and showcase our partners. Visibility matters and transparency is king so make sure to are showing up where your customer base is. We are starting to explore more in depth and behind the scenes content with some of our brand partners. Their experience and the resale product stories carry weight, especially with Gen Z.

My Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to try something new, in social media, you never know what will resonate and take off.

Final Thoughts on Scaling Operations

Scaling the Tersus recommerce operation is one of the most exciting challenges I’ve faced in my career. It requires tight coordination across logistics, tech, marketing, and customer experience ,but when it clicks, the impact is fulfilling.

At Tersus, we’re not just building operational systems—we’re helping shape the infrastructure for a more sustainable fashion future. It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and I couldn’t be prouder of the role we play.