A Real Real Review of The Real Real

Okay y’all, the post you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s talk luxury consignment. About a month ago, I shared on Instagram stories that I made a ‘big girl’ purchase on the Real Real, and my inbox was drowned in questions asking about my experience. I figured, what better way to answer all the questions than to write a post on it all? So today, I’m answering all of your questions about luxury consignment, and my experience shopping at The Real Real.

What was the process like?

For me personally, I spend quite a bit of time doing research before I buy any luxury items. The Real Real has a huge library of items, so I took my sweet time sorting through everything, looking at sale items, and comparing prices with other outlets before purchasing anything. I spent a few weeks browsing the site before my eyes landed on this Prada beaut! I’ve been watching The Real Real over the past several months consistently, and it does look like they almost always have 20% off deals running in the sale section. Here’s the link in case you want to fish around! It only applies on certain items, but you can get 20% off with code ‘REAL.’

Another tip: you can actually get a free $25 with a coupon code almost consistently! Just do some Googling, and you’ll be able to find it. I would love to share it with y’all, but their codes always change. If y’all aren’t able to find it let me know and I can help ask!

Anyway, back to the process. You purchase just as you would from any other retailer, and share your details with them. Keep in mind that most of the sale items are final sale, so make sure that you’re really in love before you hit purchase. A big tip that I’ve found to be handy is to use the zoom tool. This can help you look at every single scratch or scuff that’s on the item. Most of the descriptions they have are pretty accurate, but I always like to be extra careful. The images are in extremely hi-res, so you can see every single detail shown on the item.

After purchasing my bag, it took several days before my bag even got shipped. I guess it’s that millennial mindset, but I was hoping the order would be shipped out either same day or 1-2 days afterwards. I ended up waiting a good week before the item got shipped- just a heads up! I can tend to get pretty eager when I shop online, so I definitely wish I had prepared myself beforehand. Good things come to those who wait though, right? Wink, wink.

Where is the best place to find authentic items secondhand?

Personally I can only speak for The Real Real, because so far that’s the only experience that I’ve had with purchasing designer items secondhand. I’ll get more into it in this post obviously, but I had a really great experience with The Real Real and would highly recommend. I’ve also stopped by the Rebag retail store on Melrose near my house, and had a really great experience with their customer service too. Some of the other retailers and consignment stores I’ve heard good things about include Fashionphile, Ebay, and Gilt. These are all verified, so you don’t have to worry about the items being counterfeit!

Is it actually a lot cheaper?

Depending on the item, the answer to this question could be a yes or no. For this bag specifically, I paid $800 total. Granted, it is an older model, but the same bag right now is running at around $3,000 MSRP.

How long did shipping take?

Like I mentioned above, it took TRR a few days to get my bag shipped out. From there, it took a good 2 weeks for the bag to arrive at my door. It shipped from California to Texas, which typically takes 4-5 days through UPS ground, so I’m not sure if maybe a shipping label was created, and the item was shipped a few days after. From the time of purchase to the day I received the bag, it was almost a month. Keep that in mind so you can set your expectations!

Does it come with the authenticity card, box, dust bag, etc.?

Each item is different, and all of the items that will be included are shared in the item’s description. My bag came with the dust bag and the authenticity card, but unfortunately no box. The majority of the items that I saw don’t come with the box.

Would you recommend The Real Real?

All in all, I had a pretty stellar experience! I’ve also stopped by their store on Melrose in West Hollywood, about a mile from my apartment, and they always have an amazing selection! When I think luxury consignment, I often think items that are decades old that nobody wants anymore. To my surprise, they actually have quite a few items that are trendy right now that are in great condition. I have my eye on the Gucci Dionysus bag next! Unfortunately though, my wallet’s suffered a bit and I’ll have to save up for this one for quite a while. Maybe for Christmas! Haha.

And that’s all! I hope this post helps at least a little for any of you who might be looking to be making a big girl purchase anytime soon! If you’re wanting to try out any of the other luxury consignment shops I mentioned, let me know! If there’s a certain level of demand for it, I’d be down to be a guinea pig for y’all. The things we do for #fashun, am I right?