Is Buying Secondhand Better for the Environment?
Ari Kimmelfeld's view on Supercool: when big items are easy to buy used, fewer people buy new, and well-built products stay in use longer. Here is how that works.
Listen to the episode: From Sofas to Swim Spas: Secondhand Goods Get the Buy-New Experience, Supercool with Josh Dorfman, aired October 21, 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts.
Short answer: It can be, when it replaces buying new. Commonplace founder Ari Kimmelfeld's view is that if people cannot buy a big item secondhand easily, they buy it new. Making used as easy as new, with inspection, delivery, a warranty, and financing, keeps well-built products like hot tubs, treadmills, and appliances in use longer.
On Supercool, a show about climate innovation and business, host Josh Dorfman asked Ari how he thinks about sustainability, and whether it motivates the team.
What Ari said
The way I think about it is it's really wild that all of these products, if not purchased secondhand, are being purchased brand new.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool, at 43:50
And if you don't enable that, if you don't make it possible, a lot of these people are going to continue to buy brand new. So I think to believe in sustainability and want people to shop sustainably, you need to enable it. You need to make it possible.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool, at 44:51
So yes, you're saving a lot of money, but you're also keeping a lot more products that were previously off market and not available to continue their use.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool, at 45:26
Keeping one hot tub in circulation
Earlier in the episode, Ari described what happens when a used hot tub finds a new owner:
And you're not buying a new hot tub. Like you're just keeping this hot tub in circulation. The previous owner doesn't need it, you wanna use it, and we're just adding all those things that now make it possible.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool, at 23:31
He said the products that sell on Commonplace are built to last:
They're built very well, they're high quality, they're premium products. So I think we're enabling that in an important way.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool, at 45:42
What makes used a real option
Ari said it has to work like a normal store: click buy, get it delivered, and get the installation, warranty, and financing you would get buying new. On Commonplace that means a $1 hold, a 30 to 50 point inspection before pickup, white-glove delivery that is free within 100 miles, a free two-month parts warranty, and financing on eligible items.
Have something you no longer use? Read what happens to old hot tubs, or list it on the hot tub or treadmill sell page. For the full conversation, read Is Buying Used as Easy as New?: Ari Kimmelfeld on Supercool.
Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a free two-month parts warranty. Delivery is free within 100 miles, and Commonplace ships nationwide. See how it works.
Related questions
What is the circular economy?
As Josh Dorfman put it on Supercool, it means keeping products in use longer, which can reduce waste and the need to make new ones. A used hot tub or treadmill that finds a new home is one example.
Why does secondhand need to be easy to make a difference?
Ari said people who cannot easily buy a big item used will buy it new. Delivery, inspection, a warranty, and financing make used a real option, so more products get a second owner.
What should I do with a big item I no longer use?
Sell it while it still works, so someone else can use it. On Commonplace a crew picks it up and pays you at pickup. Start a free listing.
Thank you to Josh Dorfman for having Ari on Supercool. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.