The RealReal review quick take: An online marketplace enabling people to resell luxury items.
What is The RealReal?
The RealReal enables you to resell luxury items ranging from women’s, men’s, and kids’s fashion, jewelry, watches, home décor, and others. The company was founded in 2011 by Julie Wainwright as a small business in San Francisco. The RealReal has grown to accommodate thousands of items and has opened 17 retail stores across the United States.
How RealReal Works for Sellers
You can use the platform to sell all your luxury items, including designer clothes, bags, shoes, books, jewelry, watches, fine art, décor, kids’ toys, and many more.
The consigning process is effortless, with free in-home pickup, drop-off service, and direct shipping.
To start selling your items The RealReal, you first have to sign up with the company and prepare your item to be picked up or ship the items to one of the company’s retail locations. Once received, the articles are reviewed for authenticity and pricing.
The company uses the following factors to determine the best price for your commodity.
- Authenticity: The RealReal does its best to battle fake items to ensure the platform remains the consumers’ place to buy a used authentic item.
- Brand Resale Value: Top brands often retain their value because of their high demand rates in the market. Brands such as Rolex and Gucci will enable you to earn more with a slight difference from the original cost.
- Market Trends: RealReal analyzes the trending patterns of the item you want to sell using their internal and external data and then comes up with the right price for the item.
- Condition of the Item: The company accepts items from good to perfect. These conditions determine what price each item will attract, and if your item is in excellent condition, you will be likely to earn more from that item after the sale.
- Recency: Newer items will attract higher prices than those that appear to be used for a longer time. Nevertheless, items considered rare fetch higher prices without necessarily considering the recency of that product.
Who is it Best for
The RealReal is best for both buyers and sellers. Buyers are guaranteed to obtain used luxurious items but of high quality at relatively lower prices, and sellers can sell items and make money.
Getting Paid
You are paid with a check or direct deposit once your item sells.
Key Features
- Most items in the marketplace sell within a month.
- Earn commission on sold items which are three times higher than other companies. For example, watches with a resell price of $2,495 or above earn up to 85 percent in commissions.
- The consignment process is simple. The RealReal can pick up your items, or you can send them to any retail location.
Minimum Requirements
- You must have an account to sell your items on The RealReal.
- You must be at least 18 years old to access the company’s services.
Fees
For most items, there are no fees to list items with The RealReal. However, the fees paid on items sold vary based on a one-year commission window. The more you sell, the higher commission rates you are paid, lowering your consignment fees.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The company offers a wide selection of luxury items from kids’, women’s, and men’s items.
- Items are sold at a faster rate and often within a month.
- You can earn high commissions on the sale price depending on the items sold.
Cons
- The RealReal determines the price of your item.
- Some items incur high storage fees.
Our The RealReal Review
This company is legitimate, not a scam, and provides a rigorous authentication process. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has accredited it and has an excellent rating on Trustpilot.
Our The RealReal review found that it is a sustainable and legitimate company. The RealReal has some negative reviews, although most long-term users have overwhelmingly indicated positive experience and customer service support.
Are there scam sellers on the marketplace? Unfortunately, there is always the potential for scammers looking for ways to sell fake items. However, the company is committed to protecting consigners and buyers with an authentication team and expert staff.
The RealReal Alternatives
Some of The RealReal alternatives include ThredUP, Mercari, and Poshmark, all of which cater to selling higher-end fashions and accessories. Find more marketplaces to sell your stuff.
by Bas
The Realreal staff members cancelled a fully completed online transaction to enable a staff member to take a sold item from a customer for the purposes of reselling to another customer and/or for their own profit.
This has occurred to me twice this week. My order number R336105046 was canceled on 10/2/23, and the item was sold to another customer. Today, 10/5, order number R557818362 was also canceled, and the item was taken from my completed transaction list and sold to another customer. I immediately contacted The Real Real’s customer service and spoke with Gabriel, who confirmed that my purchase had been canceled because another customer in their physical store desperately desired the item, so they canceled my order and sold it to her. He acknowledged that this was wrong but provided no solution. Upon speaking to another member of their support team, named Carson, he investigated and found that it wasn’t for another customer but a purchase by a member of staff, which he stated was against RealReal’s policy. It’s evident that these policies are not being enforced.
After items are paid for and transactions are concluded, taking items from a customer amounts to theft. The RealReal staff members have no right to take them back or resell them without the permission of the customers who had completed their purchase. This practice is appalling and fraudulent, in addition to undermining the trust and credibility for those purchasing items from RealReal.
by Jason Vitug
Sorry to hear about this. Was this ever resolved by the RealReal?