Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6734-5164

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department

Fashion, Dress and Merchandising

Committee Chair

Debanjan Das, Ph.D.

Committee Co-Chair

Elizabeth Shorrock

Committee Member

Elizabeth Shorrock

Committee Member

Aaron J. Giorgi, Ph.D.

Abstract

The growth of secondhand product sales has surged in recent years, underscoring the importance of secondhand marketplaces. Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) platforms represent a new era in these marketplaces. This study investigates the factors influencing U.S. consumers' behaviors towards utilizing C2C online marketplaces, employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework, which is widely used to understand the adoption of technology or new innovations. Given the inherent risks associated with sharing personal and financial information, as well as the uncertainties between buyers and sellers, the variable of perceived risk was also included in the study. A comprehensive survey was conducted via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), yielding 517 responses from a diverse sample of participants. The findings reveal several significant factors influencing consumer behavior. However, despite the significant role of social media in connecting users, visiting, buying, or selling in online secondhand marketplaces did not show a substantial impact. The study emphasizes the need to incorporate perceived risk into the UTAUT2 model to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior in online marketplaces. Practical implications highlight the necessity for marketplace platforms to enhance trust and reduce perceived risks through well-designed information ecosystems. The study's limitations and future research directions are discussed, emphasizing the importance of further exploring demographic influences and integrating additional variables to enrich the understanding of consumer behavior in C2C online marketplaces.

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