Are you interested in learning more about the popular luxury resale sites?
This is the third post in a series of how to buy and sell designer handbags. I decided to do a deep dive into where to find these bags. What are the popular luxury resale sites and what are the pros and cons of shopping from them? I also included bits from a seller perspective.
I love hunting down bags, sometimes I look for more than a year and I wait for my favorite leather, color, hardware combination for so long and that’s how I know I really love the bag. It is time consuming, that much I’ll say, but also fun. You bump into a lot of things as you’re searching for something specific, whether you are shopping online or in-person.
We have some solid options in terms of places to look. I think variety is good and these companies all offer something similar, but different. There are companies that you know you will get a great deal from, others are almost always priced a bit above market value. So let’s talk about them!
This blog post is all about popular luxury resale sites and my thoughts on each and every one of them.
MAIN GROUPS
There are two groups of companies that sell. (1) Those that take ownership of the product, meaning they take their own photos, describe the item, and deal with the customer. Mainly, these are The Real Real, Fashionphile and Rebag. (2) And those that serve as platforms where sellers list their items, providing their own description and photos, and buyers purchase directly from them, are Vestiaire, Poshmark and Ebay.
GROUP 1: SEND OFF YOUR THINGS
#1 THE REAL REAL
The Real Real has a large luxury inventory, from accessories, shoes, clothing and of course bags. I really like The Real Real. They have great customer service. I know that there are reports (allegedly) of them selling fakes (unbeknownst to them), but they have always refunded customers as far as I know.
The Real Real has an online platform as well as brick and mortar presence. So if an item is physically in a store, as it gets listed and pops-up online, it also shows that it’s available at a certain branch. This is especially important if you want to see the item before pulling the trigger. Their bags are all final sale. So if you have no reference of an item, and how it looks on you, it can be valuable to have the option to check it out in person first. Some stores are heavier on certain brands based on track records of sales.
I haven’t sold bags with The Real Real, but I have sold clothing and shoes. The prices are always set to sell (i.e. great deals), they offer sales and discount codes, and they eventually drop their prices by 5-10% almost every 30 days if the item hasn’t sold. So if the price isn’t a bargain for you, you can like it, save it, and keep an eye on it, knowing that you’re taking a risk as someone else might grab it before you do.
Final thoughts: I think it’s a better platform to purchase than sell on. There are amazing deals at The Real Real. Unless you purchased your item heavily discounted, you will more or less lose by selling with them. On the other hand, if you want to get rid of something really fast, this is the way to go in my opinion.
#2 FASHIONPHILE
Fashionphile is another company, but on a smaller scale. They only sell bags, accessories, shoes and watches but with a 14 day return policy. A dream. They are quite selective I believe as far as the condition and brands go. They expanded to selling The Row over the past 2 years (I believe), what a great decision. They authenticate all their inventory. As a buyer, because you’re dealing with the company, you can’t make an offer on things. The price point is usually higher than most platforms. As a seller, you will lose quite a bit selling with them, but you will be paid upfront after you send them or drop off your item and they approve it.
Final thoughts: Their prices aren’t that great but they are known for selling items in better condition than most of their competitors and their return policy is what many buyers appreciate. As a seller, you will probably lose by selling with them, but you will be paid up front.
#3 REBAG
Rebag is another company, even smaller scale tha the previous two. They have an online inventory and brick and mortar presence. They own their inventory, authenticate products and send them directly to buyers. They have a 7 day return policy, which is great. They cross-post on Vestiaire and Poshmark, and sometimes their items show up even more discounted there.
Final thoughts: I find their prices to be not the best, they are marked up compared to the market value. Their selection is also limited, but ever so often you’ll find something you’re looking for.
GROUP 2: KEEP YOUR THINGS
#4 VESTIAIRE
Vestiaire is a French company that functions internationally. So if you’re on a hunt for anything in the designer world, this is where you’re going to find it. I have found some great pieces here. This is a platform where sellers list their items, take their own photos, describe, and deal with their customers directly. So you can ask questions, make offers and they are not binding. You can make 20 offers with 20 different sellers and then choose which one to go with. This is a great feature for buyers, but terrible for sellers, as even after you agree on the offer made, the buyer may not finalize the sale with you.
Once an item is purchased, it goes to Vestiaire first, gets authenticated and then is sent to the buyer. While it’s important to have things authenticated, it may take a while until you receive your item 10-12 days. Vestiaire also tends to focus on the authenticity and not so much the condition of the item when they are authenticating, in my experience at least. So if you bought a bag and decided to pay a little more because it was in brand new condition, Vestiaire won’t necessarily reach out to you to say… this is authentic, but not in brand new condition as it has signs of wear. This is a problem if you chose to pay a little more for an unworn bag for instance. They also pay off the seller as soon as the bag passes authentication. So there isn’t a return policy. The tariffs have also ruined international shopping for me.
As a seller, you have to do a little more work, take your own photos, describe your item, and then deal with customers who may have questions. Vestiaire takes a small fee from your selling price, so you end up making more than what you would have if you sold the bag to other companies (generally speaking). You also have full control of the price as you would be the one to set it.
Unfortunately, because of the rise in fakes, Vestiaire now errs on the side of caution and they have on many occasions mislabeled my items as counterfeits. It has taken a lot of back and forth to get it authenticated via receipts and more photos.
Final thoughts: I have been on both sides as a buyer and seller. It’s a great place to sell as you will be in control of the price and there is a small fee to pay Vestiaire. Even though I don’t love that offers aren’t binding (Vestiaire, are you reading this?). As a buyer, I have to take my chances when it comes to the condition of the item. So I ask for more photos, and when I make an offer, I assume the condition to be worse and I factor that into the price I’m offering.
#5 EBAY
EBay has been around for so long but all of a sudden had a comeback in the second-hand luxury bag market over the past 5 years or so, largely due to their new authentication process and advertisements: ‘EBay, things. People. Love.’ (love it). Ebay has always been where you found the most random vintage things, but I think they realized that counterfeits were a problem and really improved their process. It’s currently one of my favorite platforms. Even though their authentication guarantee is only for US buyers, and sellers from the US, Japan and United Arab Emirates.
You can make offers, ask questions, ask for more photos, etc… directly to the seller. I had a really good experience purchasing a bag last year. The handbag I purchased was sent for authentication, it turned out to be authentic, however the description wasn’t accurate. The bag had lost its shape and was obviously used, so they flagged it and wrote to me saying I could cancel the purchase if I wanted. I ended up buying it anyway, but I was impressed with their thoroughness and made me want to buy from them even more.
I would also advise spending some time and ‘getting to know’ your sellers here. You can see their reviews, ask questions and request more photos and of course make offers. I’ve done that far too many times. This is also another great place to buy from Japanese boutiques, they have some of the best vintage items. Japan also has very strict rules around authenticity.
As a seller you will pay ebay at least 15% of your sale price.
Final thoughts: This is a great place to check out because of its super large inventory, ability to make offers, get a good deal and deal with reliable customer service. As a seller, ebay’s cut isn’t too big and you are in charge of your item’s price.
#6 POSHMARK
I have a lot of experience buying and selling on Poshmark. I do look at Poshmark as I’m hunting down an item, but it’s not my go-to place for second-hand luxury bags. Poshmark is a platform where anyone can list an item, describe it, provide photos and sell. It’s also a big platform, filled with mostly non-designer items and unfortunately some fakes. So, I would still look, but it’s just not my first choice. The inventory for luxury goods isn’t really there.
Having said all of that, Poshmark will authenticate anything you buy for more than $500 for free, shipping is also free. You also have three days after you receive the item to report on any issues such as authenticity, condition, etc. It’s not a return policy, but you can return if something was not disclosed by the seller. I have had a great experience with their customer service over the years and have returned a fake bag with no questions asked. As I mentioned the $500 threshold, anything priced right under $500 that is listed as a designer piece, is a major red flag to me as it tells me that the seller is trying to escape authentication.
Unlike other platforms, the offers you make are binding. If the offer is accepted by the seller, your sale will automatically go through. So don’t go around making more than one offer at a time. You also have access to the seller’s profile. You can see what else they own, if they are into designer clothes, more likely than not, the item listed is authentic vs a one off fake item that they own. You can see how they respond to comments and do business.
As a seller, I don’t mind the 20% that Poshmark makes, I think it’s fair. The shipping label that automatically generates from scanning a QR code makes it very easy to ship. People just don’t really make fair offers on designer goods here. You are more likely to lose here, but I would still cross list my items. The binding offers are a great feature, it finalizes sales as soon as you approve the offer, and I don’t think it hurts the buyer.
Final thoughts: Poshmark is a great platform overall, but not for designer goods.
This blog post is all about popular luxury resale sites and my thoughts on each and every one of them. I hope you find it helpful.
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading. If this content interested you, you might want to follow my Instagram account @girlontheues
See you next time,
Girl on the Upper East Side
Xx
If this interests you, you might enjoy reading my blog post on Part I of this series: Tips for buying second-hand designer handbags, Part II: How to sell your designer handbags, and how to find your personal style.
Leave a Reply