A Guide to Buying Resale Fashion Online: The RealReal Edition

Tips from what I've learned shopping secondhand to get you started (or keep you going) and an intro to my favorite website

I’ve been shopping secondhand ever since The RealReal came into my life 10 years ago. I made some questionable purchases in the beginning as I was trying to figure out resale, but I have a system today that’s helped me buy more thoughtfully. Shopping preloved fashion can feel overwhelming and hopefully this guide will make it easier to shop secondhand first. Note: I’ve linked to websites so you don’t have to dig around for them - no affiliate links are used in this post.

General Tips

• Pinterest is your friend: I set aside a board on Pinterest for items I’d like to buy secondhand one day. I create pins using the “save from url” button so I can reference the brand product detail page for sizing, fabric care, and fit later on. If it’s an old pin and the site link’s broken, the good news is that you still have the item name and image for searching.

• Patience is key: If you have a specific item in mind it can be a waiting game for it to show up secondhand. So far, everything I’ve wanted to buy preloved has eventually been listed on a resale website within a year or so. I know - it sounds so long, but this lag time can allow you to figure out if you really want to buy something or if you were just influenced in the moment.

• Check the pricing: If something’s sold out firsthand, there’s a chance that the price will be higher at resale. If the price seems off, do a quick search to double check that you’re not paying more secondhand.

• Know your measurements: Waist, inseam, bust, and hips. There’s a whole host of guides online to get your body measurements, but you can also measure your best-fitting top, pant, jacket, or dress.

• Know your lengths: Totally dependent on your height and torso, but being aware of your lengths will help you buy for your proportions. I’m taller with a long waist and look for pant inseams that are at least 29” to cover my ankles and tops that are 21” or longer to cover my stomach. I like maxi dresses in the 54” range and pant rises that are at least 12” to visually shorten my torso.

• Rent The Runway for reviews: Rent The Runway (RTR) has built a fantastic community of customer and employee reviewers. I became a member in 2017 and have been using their reviews for renting and buying ever since. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to a brand or looking for honest reviews on quality and sizing. You can also buy preloved items as a RTR member or shop on ThredUp.

• Denim can be tough, but not impossible: The big resale sites are the hardest to shop for jeans since they have minimal product details and it’s challenging to see the silhouette in flat lays or on mannequins. Unless you’re looking for a distinct shape, like a barrel leg, it can be hard to know if you’re buying the right style. Marketplaces are easier to shop for a specific jean since they’re more likely to be listed under the style name and you can connect with sellers.

Google Reverse Image Search

This was a total game changer for me - before I found this tool I was manually searching and wading through the results. With reverse image search you can see an item on model, look at other retailer pricing, and get details on fabric care and sizing. 

• How to use: Take a screenshot, drop or upload it into Google Images, and you’ll get a page of related results.

• Find image source button: This locates exact matches and works especially well for resale sites that photograph on mannequins or flat lays. It can pull up several links of the same style in a range of prices and retailers.

• Related searches: This takes you to a traditional Google results page and is a great snapshot of item imagery and other retailers selling your item.

• Outfit photo: If your image is of a full or partial outfit, you can resize the image frame to capture the part of the outfit you’re most interested in.

• Not the best for: Super basic jeans and t-shirts since there usually isn’t enough design differentiation for Google to identify the brand.

Get to know “related searches” and “find image source” plus a quick video below if you’re new to Google Images

The RealReal

My first and favorite resale website is The RealReal (TRR). I love the wide range of designer pieces, consistent user experience, and curated category inspiration. The customer service can be a little uneven, but I’ve had largely positive experiences.

Shopping TRR is the closest I come to gambling since it’s a balance of me waiting for the right price vs. the likelihood of finding this item again. If I’ve seen something listed on TRR before, I’m more comfortable waiting for a price drop. I’ve learned not to sit on newer pieces that are still in stores, under the radar brands, or something I’ve been searching for for a long time so I don’t miss out.

This year I held off on buying a Proenza Schouler top and skirt since I’ve noticed these listed on TRR before. I was able to grab both of them when the price was right for me, but I wouldn’t have been too sad if I missed out since they’ll be back at some point. But when the Agolde Dame and Luna jeans showed up in my saved searches a few months ago, I grabbed them right away and they’ve been worth every penny in cost per wear.

Two things I sat on and two things I pounced on

And the ones that got away

Best features on The RealReal:

• Newness 3x a day: New items drop at 7am, noon, and 4pm PT daily.

• Obsessions (aka favorites): You can create a collection of favorites by hearting items. I usually wait a few weeks/months to buy, and this helps me make sure I really want something and keep track of price drops.

• Saved searches: You can create customized searches to be as granular as you want down to the brand, category, size, condition, color, and store availability. I look at my saved searches daily to see what newness has arrived and it’s what led to me snagging my Agolde jeans.

• My Sizes: You can also save your clothing and shoe sizes as a filter that can be toggled on and off as you’re shopping the site.

• Waitlisting: If one of your obsessions sells out, you can add it to your waitlist to be notified if it’s returned.

• Improved “similar item” functionality: You can find similar items to what you’re looking at by scrolling to the bottom of the product detail page on desktop, or navigating to sold out and waitlisted items in the app.

• Measurements: Almost all listings have full measurements and they’re typically pretty accurate. Not all resale sites have this feature and it’s increasingly helpful as the oversized aesthetic has made fit more confusing.

• “Find in store” filter: So useful if you live near a physical location and want to save on shipping fees or see something in person.

• Featured shops: Editor’s Picks and Items with Tags are a great starting point if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

• Monthly Shop More, Earn More events: A smart way to keep people coming back to the site by having your purchase today earn a credit to spend next month. But I’ve noticed that these credits have decreased in value since 2021 - spending $250-$499 used to earn you a $50 credit, and today it’s down to $40 (and reached a low of $25 this summer).

• First Look: You can add a subscription to get 24-hour advance access to new arrivals. I tried this a few years back and it wasn’t quite right for me, but if you’re looking for something specific and/or a frequent buyer, it may be worth it.

• Resale reports: The merchant in me loves fashion analytics and TRR team does a phenomenal job of hitting the highlights to make each report easy to read. Their 2024 resale report has a lot of intriguing data, like what each generation is buying (pg. 2), popular and emerging investment bags (pg. 7), and an explainer on their new “as is” category (pg. 16).

Proof that luxury can be a good investment

My wishlist for The RealReal:

• Free shipping over a certain spend level: The $14.95 shipping fee is steep and I have to really want to buy something to spend that much on shipping. From a responsibility standpoint, this can make you more conscious in your buying (do I really want to spend 15 bucks on shipping for this?), but the semi-sustainable side of me would buy more items more frequently if this was on the table.

• Bundling: A logistical nightmare to set up for an established business, but it would bring so much value by allowing customers to get the most out of the shipping fee (and increase TRR’s Average Order Value), especially as TRR receives a constant influx of one-off pieces.

• Visual search: Since TRR has a huge assortment, an internal image search would be a big win to make it easier to shop and buy. Fingers crossed this is on the way as AI continues to be a buzzword everywhere.

• Proactive waitlisting: The current waitlist feature is limited to the exact item you’ve waitlisted, so you could miss out if a same item/different listing arrives on the site. It would be amazing to upload an image to TRR and be notified when something similar is listed in the future.

• More flexible bag return policy: Bags are final sale unless you buy the Return Guarantee option, which seems to be roughly 13% of the item price. On top of the guarantee, there’s a $14.95 return shipping fee + a $14.95 initial shipping fee. If you’re not 100% sure about the bag you’re eyeing, this is where I’d look at a site with a less expensive bag return policy, like Fashionphile.

Next Up

Next week I’ll look at another circular fashion website, Thredup, where I’ve had lot of success with preloved activewear. I’m excited to dive into this!

I’ll continue to add tips to this post as I come across new ideas. Have any questions or fashion resale sites you’re curious about? I’d love to hear about how you’re shopping secondhand. Please let me know in the comments and I’ll see you next week!