What: Sell designer clothing, jewelry, shoes and handbags on consignment
Commissions & fees: 30% – 50%
Husl$core: $$
Where: Nationwide
Review: The Real Real is a high-end consignment store, where you can theoretically resell your designer goods for a reasonable price. But a litany of complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau tell a different tale. Consignors complain that the site sometimes discounts their goods far more steeply than the sellers expected, leaving them with a much lower return than they’d anticipated. The site’s “terms and conditions” stipulate that Real Real can discount anything placed for sale on the site by 20% — immediately. Thus, if you’re selling a product that’s, say, worth $200, that cuts your take by $40. They take another 50% commission on the remaining $160 sales price. So you get $80 for your $200 product.
Our take: You’re better off selling through Amazon, CraigsList or eBay.
What their sellers say: (These reviews from the Better Business Bureau are edited only for space and grammar.)
“I listed an expensive diamond watch (+ appraisal) with them. They marked the watch down without my approval. It sold and there’s nothing I can do about it. Also, I have purchased items from them that were not in good condition: stains, pilling, defects, etc. They have low standards for the items they accept for sale. I have given them several chances, now I am done with TRR.”
“I sent The Real Real a Balenciaga Motocross Giant 12 iPad Case which I originally purchased at Barneys for over $400 several years ago. I shipped it in November of 2016 in perfect condition, and they JUST NOW SOLD IT on April 6th!! They listed it originally at $175, but said they would never go below 50% off. Instead they sold it for $75 (over 50% off), leaving me with a measly $42.63 commission! I could have done better selling it on ******* **** ** ****! I HIGHLY do not recommend using The Real Real. It was a waste of my time and money!!!”
“The Real Real ripped me off. Their operations are a mess. They steal people’s valuable items. They have terrible customer service. I have a statement in writing from one of their employees stating that I did not approve the sale of one of my personal items. The Real Real had a mixed up with the warehouse and forgot to ship my item back to me. Instead they sold my item well under its value. They refused to pay me for the item and they can’t retrieve it from the person who purchased it. I have no bag and no payment for it. This company is a fraud.”
“The worst experience I’ve had with any company. Customer service is a joke, no effort and ability to help resolving any issues, terrible place to consign. They are friendly and easy before you send anything in, once they have your items, it’s over. They don’t care about you as long as they make their 45% off your goods. False advertisement, misleading information. They undervalue your goods and then run an extra 20% or more sale on top of it, that means you as a consignor get real ****** money for your stuff. Management and policies are a joke, I don’t know who runs the operation, but this is the lousiest luxury consignment site ever! THEY ROB YOU. I sent over 15 items which were accepted by them, one of the items is a high demand popular Louis Vuitton wallet, in great condition, 2 days after being on the website, they sold it with their 20% off promotion despite that fact it was marked as not available for any coupons and discounts. I mean why the hell would anyone do that? The consignment rep who helped me clearly told me such an item like this would not be on sale unless it’s being on sale for more than 30 days. BUT 2 days after ?? A well sought after LV wallet?? I have no words. But they refused to admit it was their mistake and refused to do anything about it. They simply just do not give a crap about you. THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SEND IN YOUR GOODS. Never again.”
“I have had only negative experiences with the company. They also embellish about the quality of and wear and tear on the garments or bags. As a buyer, my most recent purchase was an almost $700 briefcase that does not open because it is locked and did not come with a key. I have also bought items that were listed as Lanvin, when in fact, they were Lanvin for ***. As a consignor, they will mark down your item significantly without notifying you beforehand–so you are stuck with a final sale price that is much lower than what you would otherwise have accepted.”
