How Can Retailers Reduce Perceived Risk for Second-Hand Online Shopping? Exploratory Analysis and Suggestion of a New Theoretical Framework

Despite the influence of perceived risk on the decision to buy a second-hand product, very few studies address the issue of risk reduction for a second-hand purchase. In this study, we focus on the influence of product or situational cues controlled by online second-hand dealers on perceived risk. While the literature review suggests using the signaling theory’s framework to study the reduction of perceived risk for a second-hand online purchase, an exploratory qualitative study leads us to consider a new theoretical framework that combines signaling theory with the “laws of sympathetic magic” and thus takes into account the specificities of a second-hand purchase.