Abstract
Online resale platforms enhance circular supply chains and transform how pre-owned goods are perceived, valued and treated in our society. While buyers on online resale platforms have been frequently researched, studies on individual sellers are rare. Our research draws on Thornton, Ocasio and Lounsbury’s (2012) institutional logic framework to conduct a comparison study of individual sellers on online resale platforms in the contexts of the UK and Vietnam. A qualitative, interpretative approach based on social constructionism is adopted with our primary data coming from 78 in-depth interviews. The study uncovered three institutional-logic-based cognitive pillars underpinning individual sellers’ participation in online resale platforms: cultural roots, cognitive models and system manoeuvres. For Vietnamese sellers, online resale platforms are fitted into a system of culture and traditions that values communal connections. For UK sellers, online resale platforms are an extension of the marketplace emphasizing circulation efficiency.