Recommerce Caucus & PASS Coalition Celebrate Americana Vintage Fashion, Unveil 2026 Priorities

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Daniel Gleason ([email protected])

​WASHINGTON, D.C. — The PASS Coalition once again led in supporting the bipartisan Congressional Recommerce Caucus by sponsoring a Capitol Hill Lunch and Learn event titled "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Vintage: How America's 250th Anniversary Is Driving Demand for Americana Through Recommerce," during which the Caucus also released its 2026 legislative priorities.

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The event, sponsored by the PASS Coalition and hosted by Recommerce Caucus co-chairs Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), brought together recommerce sellers eBay and Whatnot, along with the owners of local recommerce pop-up Vintage, Vintage, Vintage, to explore the growing cultural moment around classic American goods. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, consumers both domestically and abroad are increasingly turning to recommerce platforms to discover, purchase, and resell vintage and heritage items that capture the American aesthetic — from mid-century collectibles to heritage-brand apparel and Americana home goods.
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“Recommerce is a win-win-win: it provides consumers high-quality goods at affordable prices, supports small businesses and entrepreneurs, and advances sustainability,“ said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “As more and more Americans participate in the recommerce economy every day, Congress must engage to ensure that buyers, sellers, and the environment all continue to benefit. I’m proud to join Congresswoman Malliotakis in announcing the Recommerce Caucus’ bipartisan legislative priorities that will uplift this rapidly growing industry.”

“As Americans celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, the growing demand for vintage and Americana goods highlights the important role resale platforms and small sellers play in our economy. I am proud to co-chair the Congressional Recommerce Caucus and will continue working to support entrepreneurship, reduce waste, ensure American sellers can compete in the global marketplace, protect consumers, and combat counterfeit goods without imposing regulations designed for large manufacturers,” said Rep. Malliotakis.

"This event captured something important: the same patriotic energy driving Americans to celebrate our 250th birthday is also driving them to recommerce platforms, where they can find authentic, well-made vintage goods at accessible prices," said Chris Lamond, Executive Director of the PASS Coalition. "Small sellers and entrepreneurs are at the center of that story, and we're grateful the Recommerce Caucus is elevating their voices in the halls of Congress."

“Whatnot's mission is to help people turn their passion into a business, and vintage seller Jessica of @ShopConradCampbell is a perfect example,” said Josh Korn, Head of Public Policy at Whatnot. “Every week, she shares her eye for vintage American style with a loyal community on her Whatnot shows, and she brought that same energy to Capitol Hill. As the country marks its 250th anniversary, sellers like Jessica are meeting real demand for heritage goods while building businesses of their own, and proving that live commerce gives people an accessible path to entrepreneurship.”

“As Americans celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, growing demand for vintage and collectible items is creating new economic opportunities for small sellers while helping consumers connect with tangible pieces of American history,” said Ashley Shillingsburg, Head of Americas Government Relations at eBay. “We commend the Congressional Recommerce Caucus for advancing a policy agenda that recognizes the distinct realities of the used-goods market and supports the millions of entrepreneurs who rely on recommerce to build and grow their businesses.”

The Lunch and Learn served as the backdrop for the Caucus to unveil its Congressional priorities for the year, which the PASS Coalition strongly endorses. These five priorities, which will guide the Caucus’ work for the remainder of the 119th Congress, include:

1. Combat Counterfeiters While Protecting the Right to Resale

The Caucus is committed to pursuing anti-counterfeiting policies that target bad actors and organized counterfeit
trafficking, while preserving safe harbors and clear notice-and-takedown standards for good-faith resellers and marketplaces.

2. Ensure Compliance Frameworks Reflect Resale Realities

Recognizing that product disclosure, labeling, and safety rules are largely designed for newly manufactured goods, the Caucus supports practical, risk-based compliance standards that preserve consumer protection while recognizing the realities of recommerce.  This can include appropriate small-seller thresholds and second-hand goods carve-outs that account for the fact that sellers of used and vintage goods often lack access to original manufacturing records.

3. Reduce Waste Through Recommerce

The Caucus supports formally incorporating recommerce into federal sustainability and circular economy initiatives, recognizing its role in extending product lifecycles and reducing landfill waste. When federal compliance rules are calibrated to the realities of resale, entrepreneurs are freed up — rather than deterred — to refurbish, repair, and resell goods that would otherwise end up in landfills, directly furthering the environmental benefits recommerce is uniquely positioned to deliver.

4. Support Small Businesses and Expand Economic Opportunity for Sellers and Entrepreneurs

The Caucus recognizes that selling used, vintage, collectible, and refurbished goods is a genuine on-ramp to entrepreneurship for millions of Americans across every income level, region, and background and it is important that Federal policy should support that opportunity. The Caucus supports federal policies that strengthen or incentivize the economic conditions for recommerce entrepreneurship, preserve affordable and accessible services for small sellers, and require meaningful consideration of small-business impact before implementing regulatory changes that affect the cost or logistics of participating in the secondary market.

5. Promote Global Trade in Used Goods

The Caucus is pushing for U.S. trade policy that expands global market access for recommerce and protects American small sellers from foreign customs, labeling, and compliance rules built for large-scale commercial supply chains rather than individual resellers.

"Recommerce is one of the most accessible on-ramps to entrepreneurship in America today, and the vintage and Americana boom happening right now is proof of that," Lamond said, "As the country celebrates 250 years, Congress needs to take a serious look at how federal policy can keep pace with a sector that's helping millions of Americans buy and sell used goods while they build small businesses around the products that tell our national story."

The PASS Coalition looks forward to continuing to work with the Congressional Recommerce Caucus and its members to advance policies that support small sellers, protect consumers, and ensure recommerce platforms are treated fairly under federal law.

About the PASS Coalition

The PASS Coalition is comprised of eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, Mecari, Offerup and Whatnot, brings together third-party marketplaces and e-commerce facilitators to share the benefits that they bring to US consumers, individual sellers and micro, small and medium sized businesses.  The Coalition educates policymakers about the benefits of our members e-commerce business models while also working collaboratively with policymakers to find thoughtful solutions to consumer protection, competition and economic development issues impacting e-commerce. Together we strive to support policy initiatives which favor business growth, support entrepreneurship and digital innovation and ensure a safe, secure, sustainable, and convenient shopping experience for consumers.