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What drives the choice between first-hand and second-hand commodities?? An FsQCA analysis

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Abstract

The choice between purchasing first-hand or second-hand commodities is shaped by a complex interplay of factors, yet existing research often examines these determinants in isolation, overlooking their combined causal effects. Anchored in signal theory, this study employs fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to uncover how causal configurations of brand value (BV), commodity price (CP), store reputation (SR), total comment volume (TC), and picture comment volume (PC) collectively influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. Analyzing data from 75 sampled cases (45 first-hand commodities and 30 s-hand commodities), the study reveals three key findings: (1) brand value and store reputation are necessary to achieve high monthly sales of first-hand commodities, while only brand value is a necessary condition for achieving high monthly sales of second-hand commodities; (2) a single dominant configuration (BV*CP*SR*TC*PC) drives high adoption of first-hand commodities; (3) two equifinal pathways (BV*TC*PC vs. BV*~CP*SR*PC) explain the purchasing of second-hand commodities. Theoretically, this research enriches consumer behavior literature by bridging signal theory with a configurational perspective, demonstrating how heterogeneous value perceptions lead to divergent outcomes. Practically, it provides actionable insights for e-commerce platforms: sellers of first-hand commodities should emphasize the synergy among brand, price, and reputation, whereas sellers of second-hand commodities can adopt dual strategies—either leveraging trust signals (reputation and comments) or value-for-money cues (brand and price trade-offs). By highlighting the causal complexity underlying consumer choices, this study advocates for tailored marketing strategies aligned with distinct product contexts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the useful suggestions by the editors and reviewers, and the support of Beijing Social Science Foundation Young Academic Leader Project(NO.24DTR032).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management Science and Engineering, Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, 100192, China

    Nuan Luo, Dongxuan Zhang & Qian Cao

  2. Business School, Beijing Information Science and Technology University, No. 12, East Xiaoying Road, Qinghe Haidian District, Beijing, 100192, Mainland, China

    Yuan Ni

  3. Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Development Big Data Decision Making, Beijing, 100192, China

    Nuan Luo, Dongxuan Zhang, Yuan Ni & Qian Cao

  4. School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100021, China

    Zhaohai Zhu

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  1. Nuan Luo
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  2. Dongxuan Zhang
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Correspondence to Yuan Ni.

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Luo, N., Zhang, D., Zhu, Z. et al. What drives the choice between first-hand and second-hand commodities?? An FsQCA analysis. Electron Commer Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-025-10041-z

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