KURB Newsletter April 2026

We’re a third into the year but it feels like we’ve KURB several times over in the past few months. We hit the ground running in April with the release of The KURB Report Q1-2026, detailing market data shifts across the entire secondhand designer ecosystem. The response has been incredible so far as we’re already cooking on what we want to offer in the report for Q2. Last week we spilled our guts in a Substack both celebrating our business endeavours and also lamenting what it means to be a fashion-tech startup in the Nordic entrepreneurial scene. As always we’ve been tweaking KURB a bunch, from pretty much every angle to ensure you’re finding the best deals on exactly the secondhand designer clothing you want. But for those who are reading, we also secretly double the KURB Pro free trial duration. Before diving into the detail we are going through a massive customer feedback outreach round, feedback from these sessions are what directly impact what we build for you! We’ve already compiled a list but if you want to be pushed to the top please schedule a time with us here.

The biggest moves for KURB this month include The KURB Report Q1, if you haven’t read it yet give it a shot. There is no other interactive online report on the secondhand designer ecosystem at that scale, and better yet it’s entirely available for free. It highlights the unique dynamics of this market, what brands are surging and proposing where the best deals are for exactly what you want. For the Q2 Report we want to nail down our statistical methodologies, build brand narratives a bit more coherently and also offer more interesting insights into what’s going on in the market. If you have any thoughts on what you would like to see please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Just last week we got our short-form-content engines roaring with the release of our first few more personable reels. They’re an ego-shattering ordeal to put together but getting over that has really allowed us to indulge in the creative process of creating content. Especially given KURB’s unique position in the ecosystem there is so much exciting insight and opportunity we’re looking forward to sharing with you on Instagram and TikTok. And our last major update is overcoming the vendor coverage stalemate we have had for several months. For the longest time we were stuck at about 550, then about two weeks ago I accessed cant_nots new map and the Lost In Transit website to really dig into some niche independent stores, pushing KURB’s coverage to over 750 vendors. Also now, as highly requested, we cover Goofish/Xianyu as well!

There has been an avalanche of more discrete yet critical updates to the core KURB technology over April. Nick and I have really noticed there have been website load performance issues as of late, so started tearing through our code to ensure that you aren’t stuck in wait screens, substantially increasing website performance. The keyword search has been a huge thorn in our side but we’ve got it up to scratch by now allowing you to sort by most recent or price while filtering by keyword. Many of us are painfully aware of the same item being listed among different marketplaces and stores resulting in duplicate listings across the search space. This fragmentation in the secondhand designer landscape was among the core reasons we developed KURB, and now we have a feature in the item slide-in that automatically checks and tells you whether the exact item you’re looking at exists on a different vendor. If the item exists on another vendor(s) the slide-in will tell you which vendor, what the price is on that vendor and provide a link to get there, empowering you to find the best deal on a given item. Our leaps in coverage include the addition of 200ish stores we added from across the world the majority have been independent vendors including: Miami Twice, Bang Bang, Laboratory, Renton Archives, Come Up Vintage and a couple dozen brands including: Colleen Allen, RIMOWA, Horisaki, Midorikawa and many more. As always, if there vendors or brands you would like us to add please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know via any of our channels.

A big reason for this avalanche of updates has been more carefully taking-in all your feedback. In March we made it our mission to listen to as many users as possible and diligently address their needs. The fruits of that process have blossomed and now we’re looking to repeat the process again. We’ve already got a modest list of people we are reaching out to so please keep an eye on your inbox for [email protected]. Alternatively if you want to tell us how we can improve on any of the above, produce something to help solve your secondhand designer system problems or just want to chat about the industry please feel free to get in touch with us. We’re always keen to chat. The best place to get direct communication from us is over Discord, Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok or Email! Short of that, you can book yourself into our schedule! It means the world to us to chat to you guys, hear what you have to say and find ways to make the secondhand designer terrain a bit more easier to navigate for you.

We’re hitting electronic classics on the Playlist this week, though it does wheel around a bit as you get deeper into it. Never really a big electronics-classic head but it does inspire a bit of nostalgia. One big motivator is that I’m off to see De Ambassade play in Greece in a couple weeks so I feel like this gives any Greek KURB’ers enough time to book a KURB-signing event with me!

Two more thirds of the year to go! We’ve got big things planned over the course of the month but if you want to get trickled in on all we’re about follow us on our socials. Alternatively if you want to help dictate that course feel free to jump the feedback queue. Otherwise we’re gunning pretty hard on going “big bidness” so If you’re a fan of KURB and want to contribute to our existence please consider subscribing to KURB Pro! It costs $4 a month & gives you access to the most powerful sourcing tool on the planet, but more importantly it helps sustain the project. We have big plans to keep improving your secondhand designer market experience otherwise we’re just stoked so please spread the KURB word!