Xianyu released data for the first half of 2026, revealing that AI services have become the hottest category of consumption on this secondhand trading platform. Data shows that the platform's AI service orders reached 9.816 million in the first half of the year, an increase of 157% compared to the previous year. Nearly 5 million users purchased AI services on Xianyu, an increase of 98% year-on-year.

AI is moving from the technology circle into the daily transaction lists of ordinary people, and the seller ecosystem on Xianyu is unexpectedly diverse. Looking at order categories, AI skill orders are the largest category, accounting for 45.1% of all AI orders; AI tutorial and course orders account for 8.1%, and AI template and workflow orders account for 6.6%, covering professional services such as workflow customization and AI intelligent agent setup.

AI programming increased 17 times, and manga tutorials sold 17,000 copies in half a year

The fastest growing categories are impressive. AI programming and website building orders increased by 1732%, with some users using AI tools to complete code writing and website building. AI manga orders increased by 1425%, and AI PPT and office-related orders increased by 264%. One seller sold 17,000 copies of an AI manga production tutorial in just half a year.

In terms of seller profiles, people aged 18 to 35 make up more than 60%, and female sellers account for 62.4%. The average monthly transaction volume is 897 yuan, mostly as a side job. From a geographical perspective, sellers from fourth-tier cities account for the highest percentage at 32.2%, followed by second-tier cities at 28.6%; on the buyer side, second-tier city users lead with 30.6%, closely followed by fourth-tier cities with 26.1%.

When AI programming courses and manga tutorials are selling well in fourth-tier cities, this signal may be more indicative than any industry report — AI's popularization is not just a slogan. It is permeating into the most real microvasculature through secondhand trading platforms.