The Real Real Reviews

My experience with the real real.

When I learned about the real real it was a process for me to choose and decide to let go of my stuff , I believe all of us, each human being that works hard in this life to buy himself Luxury items, feel respect for his stuff.

I choose in my life to invest in luxury items in order to not cooperate with the fast food culture. When you buy something for $30 you will treat it the same,

When you buy something for $1,000 you will make sure to pass it over to someone you love in the right time.

This is my choice of beliefs.

I was thinking and believing the real real is a real opportunity to pass my stuff over and give them new life. I was just thinking!

I called the real real and when I left them a message if they would like to sell my stuff someone called me after few minutes.

And 2 days after they sent someone to my house to pick up the things from me. Someone came into my private space and into my closet doors and was taking with time over 290 items from me .

You need to feel intimacy and trust to do it. They were lovely and nice . And even I would say looked very professional and helpful.

From there my nightmare started with the real real.

They put my things online, half of my stuff that are men's sizing and men's, clothes or accessories was represented on a female mannequin, the way they described half of the things was not correct at all, the way they put it on their website was not respectful of the things that someone else paid for.

I gave them stuff with tags they didn’t even mention it on the website.

I was trying to call and text the girl that was in my house, no answer for days, when she got back to me she told me that she can’t help me and i need to email them, no luck at emailing them to, after 8 day they get back to me , and from there for almost 3 months they send me hand to hand . Like I’m a playing ball .

On the way I was buying some things from them, they send me a bag that inside the bag there was a vape of weed and hotel card room.

They send me different sizes than what I ordered, I told them about it , but of course nobody did nothing about it.

They sold my items at ridiculous prices , they took responsibility for their mistakes and said they will send me money back, their mistakes were very very under priced , for example a bag of the row that i paid $1,500 for, they sold for $250, the bag name is the twin bag , they described it as a small, leather pouch.

They paid me back $60

So I got $180 for this bag...

When they were in my house they told me I will get at least $700 for this item.

And my list is long .

They separated suits and put them in their website as single items , they sold a suit of Tom ford from 2022. That I used once and paid $7,500 for $500 .

And again my list is very very long.

Each time I’m calling them or trying to fix things it’s taking forever to reach them. When they get back to me or it’s too late to fix things because the item was already sold.

Or they promise that they will fix it or make it up to you and nothing happens.

They disrespect you, the feeling I get from them is that they just like to take your stuff from you and get rid of it quickly no matter for what price.

There is something funny.. there were almost 10 items that they put on their website and the moment they get online someone was buying them at a very very cheap price, for example - $900 mykita limited edition sunglasses sold for $116 and got a 20% discount the moment they went up, so I got $34 for them...

And the same thing happened with multiple items.

They took my time, energy and money. And mislead me in every possible way just to get rid of my stuff and give it away almost for free.

I've had so many issues with each item that it’s almost too much information to share.

Thank you.

Simon

In the website, it says that I can receive up to 85% of each item's sale price.

However, it was not made clear to me that it has a tier pricing point which cannot be found immediately on the seller's page. Had I known and had it been made clear to me, I wouldn't have provided my Kate Spade bag (in pristine condition) that I bought for around $400 only to get paid $17.

I should have gone to poshmark or eBay to sell my money's worth. Such a scam and a disappointment. Definitely deleting my account.

After 12+ years of placing hundreds of orders and purchasing thousands upon thousands of dollars of merchandise from them, I was unceremoniously dumped and BANNED FOR LIFE with no previous warning or notification from them. I found out about this when I went to place another order in January of 2023.

The "issue" is that we had more than one email address for our household which is apparently a violation that is in the hundreds of pages of fine print. That's it. The last order I was able to place was 12/29/22 (with one exception described further down in this comment) and it's now 5/12/23. I've spent 4-1/2 months and hundreds of hours dealing with their so-called customer service people and was assured several times by various people that (after doing and submitting everything they'd requested in order to resolve this issue) my access would then be reinstated. I have documented the many pm's, phone calls, emails, text messages, etc.) Per their request, I submitted several requests to delete all data associated with anything for anyone in my house which was confirmed completed by someone at TRR.

It was only after commenting on social media that someone reached out to me online. I was FINALLY able to place an order on 4/29/23 with no problem. On 5/11/2023, Ironically, the same day I had responded via pm on social media to belatedly thank them for straightening things out (or so I thought at the time) when no one else had, I placed or attempted to place another order when SURPRISE! I wasn't able to and the order wouldn't go through. I reached out again to the person on social media who said they would "check into it" only to receive a curt response of "Unfortunately after review, this was indeed only a one-time pass for one more order on our site. We apologize for any confusion caused in our teams previous email!"

When I requested contact info for someone at TRR (besides the customer service email loop you repeatedly get churned through), I received the "We apologize as this decision was made by our internal team. A one-time pass was issued, you are no longer permitted to use our site or services" message back from them. I've repeatedly asked for contact info for ANYONE there and this response is just copied and pasted over and over and over again,

They REFUSE to give a customer any info. They (an inexperienced low-level account manager with a little bit of power to wield) make arbitrary decisions to permanently ban someone, in this case, ME, who lies to you for 4-1/2 months and then REFUSE to even talk with you about it. I've worked as an Executive in the corporate world for decades and any company that refuses to let you question something and stonewalls you when you ask to speak to someone (anyone) is highly suspicious.

In addition, what does it say about them when they just dump long-time customers with no previous issue besides having more than one email per household? They're refusing to let someone spend money with them? Goodness. According to the many articles online, they haven't turned a profit since they went public a few years ago and they're operating at a loss. (Just do an internet search for TRR financials and TRR customer complaints) The email response I received on 4/25/23 when I asked about a $25 credit that they'd also removed from my account is below.

Apparently the "one-time exception" was that they let me place an order on 4/29/23 which has proven to be the only order they'll ever allow me to place. EVER. I can't help but think that anyone in upper management or corporate at TRR is unaware of how their low-level customer service and Account Managers are operating and willfully losing and stonewalling customers and refusing business. This is not a sustainable business model for any company. Customers are the ONLY reason you're in business. This "using a jackhammer to kill an ant" mentality and zero-tolerance policy of theirs is beyond anything I've ever seen or experienced.

This response and many others like it are the only info or response I can get from them. Again, this "violation" was having more than one active email address per household. Despite how poorly they've treated me, I believe in sustainability and pre-owned so I would like my account and ability to purchase reinstated.

Stay away from the real real. Ever-lowering seller commissions, disrespectful and low-intelligence employees, and faux merchandise abound on their website.

Undervalued my items that were in excellent condition. They don’t answer e-mails, the worst customer service ever!

Besides that, I found that 2 items( h stern jewelry and a LV bag) that they undervalued and sold very quickly are now on the site w/ a much higher value, weird….

Worst experience ever

After hearing from a friend how successful her consignment experience was, I submitted multiple items for consignment two days before Thanksgiving. A rep came to pick them up and assured me they would take 2 to 3 weeks max to be live on the site.

To date several still haven't made it to the site at all and they appear to be missing. I tried to email the 'concierge' who came to pick up the items - Nina Korn - but no response whatsoever. I notified them by txt and also in a phone call to customer service and was given a reference number and that I would hear back. When was not disclosed!

Now the worst part: among them was an unused new shawl by Hermes for quick high end resale and when it was finally listed (that took nearly a month), it was marked down nearly 50%! I asked The Real Real to return it. They said it would take 30 days to get from New Jersey to NYC. At my insistence I told them to expedite the shipment.

A tracking number was created and UPS delivered it BUT when the box arrived, out came two pairs of old Gucci shoes instead of what was supposed to be my returned Hermes shawl! Now no one can update me as to what happened and where it happened. Was it in a warehouse or did Nina Korn decide she liked it?!

When txting, the same bot has been giving me canned messages how bad I must feel. Shocking! I submitted a police report and an insurance claim. Meanwhile, this has taken me at least an hour a day to work on. Some items have sold for pennies on the dollar and I hope to see those funds in my account at some point in time. Bottom line: DO NOT CONSIGN WITH THEM!

Hello, I was the victim of their scam and took them to NY State Supreme Court. Case pending. I am confident I will prevail. Over 200k worth of items sold WITHOUT A SIGNED CONSIGNMENT AGREEMENT: I just wanted price quotes before moving forward or not, lost, returned damaged. I was always unable to log into the account they set up for me.

We are seeking other victims to start a class action lawsuit. We are 7 so far. We need to be at least 25 to start a class action lawsuit.

Wish I had never sent an expensive item into the RealReal for consignment. The item supposedly went missing. It was a vintage expensive item that was never out of the original box.

IMHO it was employee theft. I have read numerous other reviews of so called "Missing Consignment Items." Go with another company is my advice. Beware.

Further The RealReal never followed-up with me when they closed the case, no email, no phone call, no customer service.

Customer Service at the RealReal is poor. They need to check out Nordstroms who once offered to take back a shirt that I bought elsewhere and give me a $150 credit. I declined Nordstroms generous offer, but they indeed have the right attitude when it comes to Sales and Service.

Stopped selling at TRR since summer 2022, period.

Undervalued my Designer luxury items in like new condition, some w/tags! Deep discounted & mismanaged all my consignment items.

Just received a couple of items that they have been in search of for months! Really?

Would I EVER consign w/them again? The response is a HARD RED LINE No!

As a buyer I hesitate to purchase anything unless it is deeply discounted!

Caveat emptor! I have received wrong items, sizes not as described, clothing that smells horrible or is in complete disrepair! Once I received a rug that was not what I purchased!

And let’s talk about UPS Intercept shipping where UPS will hand off your purchase to USPS where undoubtedly the item will go into mail hell never to be seen or heard from again! And by the way TRR won’t credit your purchase because UPS claims it to be delivered!

Operationally TRR has a lot of work to do to recover their reputation.

The CEO has stepped down as well she should have, she drove the company into the ground just as she did her previous company. Too bad because it was a fabulous company & concept at the beginning!

For all consigners with The Real Real: please think twice if you care about your preloved items. My previous experience with them was not good. They sold my items 50% off without my consent. I didn’t realize it until I saw my much smaller payment one month later.

Recently I decided to give them a second chance when their account manager Cristin Hisey reached out. She promised me that it won’t happen again with my Hermes bag. On the very next day she came to my apartment to pick up the bag. Two weeks later, my bag was still in process in the warehouse and Cristin became irresponsive.

I sent the requirement to their general customer service and started the bag return. They promised me that I would get my bag back in 12-15 days, which is a lie. One week later I sold my bag myself, but the deal fell apart because I couldn’t get my bag back till 3 weeks later.

When I received the package, my bag was a bit deformed because they removed the bubbles that supposed to be in the bag and the angle was wrong. I also sent them the original receipt because I think it can boost for higher value. However, the receipt was gone.

I reached out to Cristin Hisey again because she agreed to the idea that original receipt would help their expert value the bag better. No response again. Then I used general customer service line, and they told me the internal team will email me 7-10 days later. I will never trust them again. Horrible company.

If you are buying, it's a great site. They offer 20%-40% discounts right up front.

If you are selling, BEWARE!!! You will be paid pennies on the dollar you have spent for your clothing, bags and shoes. You might make back 10-15% of what you originally paid for your items. This site is convenient, yes. But they are crooks - they price items at unbelievable prices and give you a minimal amount back.

I returned a Bracelet 14K 3.24ctw Diamond Tennis Bracelet Price: A$4,934.59 to The RealReal, received by them mid April 2022.

After many emails with their customer service I have not received my refund. They have the bracelet and my money.

They are not behaving like a reputable company. Don’t trust them particularly if you live outside USA.

I am very unhappy. TRR had wasted a lot of my time on this one. I just bought a small bucket bag and, when it arrived, I discovered it has that sticky lining issue. It can't be fixed and makes it a junk bag.

The description stated it was "pilling" which I thought meant peeling. Peeling is a far cry from sticky. Sticky comes off on whatever it touches and makes the bag unusable. TRR experts know this and it should have been clearly stated in the description; the price should have been lower.

This is the absolute worst customer service I have ever seen! I received an email saying my sales would be paid to me via direct deposit on 5/15. It was not.

On 5/17 I did Thor recommend “ text for help” useless- a representative who identified himself as Nicholas said “ check you account”…. Seriously? I did- because there has been no deposit- I chose to contact and find out why- he didn’t know and said he’d get someone to help me.

As of Friday the 20th- no one has contacted me and I’m still not paid. I called the phone number a lady answered after a 10 minute hold- I started by giving her my name and said I really need help finding out where where my payment is. She hung up on me. I called back and get a recording to send a text message.

Unbelievable! Will NEVER SELL-WITH THESE THIEVES AGAIN!!! People beware!!! Calling a lawyer next!

Spend your hard earned money with an online retailer who values their customers money and time. It isn't this company. If you're unsure, read the other reviews. Mine is just one of many

As a seller, the service is sub par. My rep told me 5 minutes before our meeting that she wasn't going to be coming. Her boss ended up having to cover for her, which worked out ok.

However, I was also told that once the items were processed, I'd have a chance to review and nothing would go live without me approving it first. Not true. There is no stop point to allow you to review the items. They expect you to just constantly be looking at your account to catch the items they've processed.

If you want it back, you have to reach out to your rep (who is unresponsive and hard to get a hold of) to ask them to manually remove the items for you and ship them back. That's IF you happen to catch the items before they go live and get sold. Which happens without any notification. Again you're just supposed to somehow be constantly monitoring your account.

Finally, their commission structure is a bit deceiving. My sales page says in large font that I have 55% commission. What it doesn't make clear is that that is ONLY if the item is priced over $196. Below that, your commission is less - between 30-50%. So then what ends up happening is most of your items get priced with a cap of $195.

I gave 2 stars because I do think they do a lot of work in processing items, and because of their wide audience, things that get listed seem to get sold pretty quickly (which actually may be a negative if you had any doubts or decided you want some items back - they'll probably be sold before you get the chance to check on your account). I just wish their process and service were better and clearer so that the sellers are made to actually feel valued.

I had a representative come to my home where I gave her 70 plus items. She bagged them nicely and left with a smile. I never received a list while she was leaving but felt I could trust TRR to be a quality business.

Many items were designer and many also from my parents who had passed from cancer. It was hard to give them away but felt it would be best to have someone enjoy them.

This was in Oct. 2021. A few items sold ( which actually arrived to TRR) online in early Dec. 2021 but nothing else appeared on line. I kept checking and nothing. I reached out in Mid Jan. 2022 to my representative and did not hear back from her.

I sent email again and finally another representative said that rep was gone. I asked where are all my things? I was told to wait 7-10 days and TRR would follow up. This never happened and I called TRR contact line which basically had me text. I texted VIP to a number and I said I wanted to talk on phone.

Well come to find out they lost all my things other than a few items that were posted in Dec 2021 and now after all my digging they want to settle with me. THEY LOST MY THINGS and were not making me aware of it.

NEVER use this company due to poor policies to keep your items safe and to be fair. I am so upset that they weren’t even going to contact me. I noted that several items popped up online all the same day 1/31/2022 , no picture, no price and next to it they all said sold. That was their way to handle the lost items.

That is really what began my questioning what is this? They just guessed a price and I guess will pay me a small commission…this company is horrible with terrible handling protocol for items that you actually still love but don’t need. They don’t care about you or if you have issues.

I have to say that my first RealReal experience has been very disappointing. I purchased an Ebel watch that was supposedly in good condition and also evaluated by a horologist and that it met time keeping standards.

Upon receiving the watch I immediately knew something was wrong. It was not keeping time. Took into an Ebel certified watchmaker, they changed the battery, and it still did not work.

I can't return it because the product was "final sale" and it is VERY difficult find a customer service phone # or email and I am left sending a Facebook message.

The watchmaker is now fixing the watch which is going to cost me another $400. I would NOT recommend the RealReal to anyone. It is unreliable and it is hard to imagine that all products are actually evaluated and authenticated thoroughly and by a qualified professional.

I bought a watch at full price. When I went back to the item to send my friend a link, it showed that it was 20% off. The same just happened with a pair of boots. I paid full price. When I went back and looked, they changed it to 20% off.

When I called and asked for the 20% discount, they refused. They offered me a $100 store credit! We're talking about $500 here! Only recourse is to return the items, wait until they are re-listed and hope that I find them before someone else does.

Why do have to return them, try to buy them again, and pay for more shipping? Why is someone else entitled to the 20% discount if I return them, but I'm not? I don't understand, and now I think something fishy is going on. Not only bad business practices, poor CS, but price-switching and as far as I can tell, false advertising.

Terrible customer service, actually really non-existent. The RealReal lost three coats I consigned. When I asked what happened all I got was the run around. I received promises of an investigation but nothing ever happened.