“Second-hand” Cultural Goods: Changing Markets

The development of second-hand markets in the cultural domain raises very particular questions, given the scope of the dematerialization phenomena affecting the industries concerned. After outlining the main characteristics of the market for second-hand cultural goods, which still essentially offers physical goods, we review the literature to analyse possible articulations between the new and second-hand markets. In view of the specific characteristics of dematerialized goods, the current legal-economic context then raises questions regarding the possibility of a digital resale market opening. While the notion of “second-hand” seems rather unsuitable, in the digital era, resale offers ways to anticipate a transformation of expectations, so as to match each consumer’s tastes and willingness to pay, the particularities of each industry, and the specificities of dematerialized goods. Users are beginning to demand diverse functionalities and services, which could include resale.