Earn Extra Cash by Selling on The Real Real
How to make extra money reselling on The Real Real
Since I decided I am no longer sending items to sell on Thredup, I wanted to find another company to sell higher-end and designer items online. There are a few other online sites that do offer online consignment and some smaller local companies but they take a much higher percentage. So, after doing some research, I committed to sending items to sell on The Real Real.
The reselling community online is filled with mixed opinions about The Real Real (and all the other reselling sites) but I thought I would give it a chance. If for nothing else to share my experience with all of you.
One major reason I decided on The Real Real is that they accept Women, Men’s, Jewelry and Kids items. These are all items I have to sell online and not all of the consignment places take men’s items or jewelry. They do have a specific list of brand names they accept for each category. You can find the comprehensive list of brands here on their website.
How to Consign on The Real Real
I submitted a request online to have a virtual consignment appointment. Because I live near a major city (NYC), they have consignment consultants who would normally come to your home. Due to the pandemic, they are offering virtual appointments only.
It only took a couple days to get my call scheduled with my consultant. Her name is Gina Giannone. During our appointment I was afraid she wanted to do a video call and I have seen better days with this darn covid and being at home all the time. But, we were just able to speak on the phone and that worked out perfectly.
I gave her a rundown of all the things I had ready to send in. It was nice to speak with her about their company and how the program works. She also provided guidance on what to send in to them and what to keep for another reselling site, like Poshmark.
After our call, a van was scheduled to come pick up my items only a couple days later. You can also get a prepaid label from them to send your items for consignment. And, if you live near New York City, you can even schedule an in person consignment appointment.
What Happens After you Consign
While I’m not done with reselling, I’ve been scaling back what I sell myself and what I can send into other places to do the work for me. I thought ThredUp was going to be a great option for me, but then they changed all their policies and ultimately the changes made me decide to stop selling with them. You can find more about my decision on my recent YouTube video.
After the van collected my items, they were up for sale within 10 days and some items sold right away. Some of the items they declined to accept suprised me. The items were declined due to “style” and some due to issues with the garments like blemishes I missed. I will say it has been a month and I’m still waiting on items of mine to be sent back to me. This is slowing my ability to list these items myself, which doesn’t make me a happy camper.
As the items were listed, I noticed the pricing on many of my items was extremely low. Much lower than I would sell them for, which means I earned even less for selling on The Real Real, rather than selling them myself. Ultimately, I requested back several items I felt the resale price wasn’t fair to list on Poshmark, Ebay and Mercari.
What are the Commission Rates?
To get a full understanding of The Real Real’s commission chart, you can see it online here. The Real Real operates on a sliding scale, the more you sell, the higher your percentage to earn. It also resets after 1 calendar year of the anniversary of your selling date. For instance, if you start selling on February 20th, on February 19th the following year your earnings chart will reset back to zero. You then need to send in enough stuff to resell to get back up to the 70% commission.
- Items under $145 – you earn 40% of the sale price
- Items priced $146-$195 – you earn 50% of the sale price
- Handbags priced $995-$4,994 – you earn 70%
- Watches priced $995 – $2,494 – you earn 70%
- Jewelry priced $995 and up – you earn 70%
- Art pieces priced $195 and up – you earn 70%
- Home items priced $995 *excluding furniture – you earn 70%
- Handbags priced $4,995 and up – you earn 80%
- Men’s sneakers priced $195 and up – you earn 80%
- Watches with a resale price of $2,495 and up – you earn 85%
Then you have the Levels and the Annual Sales
- INSIDER – Sell up to $1,500 – Earn 55% of the selling price
- ICON – $1,501 to $9,999 – Earn 60% of the selling price
- VIP – $10,000 and up – Earn 70% of the selling price
Summary of my First Month Selling on The Real Real
It’s been a month since I started selling on The Real Real. They payout on the 15th of the following month. I set up direct deposit on their website and it is really easy to get paid. I only made $134 the first month, despite sending quite a few things into them. It fluctuated a lot because The Real Real does allow returns. Several items sold were returned already within the first month. Many of the items that sold were lower priced and only had the 40% commission.
I was also pleasantly surprised to get site credits for consigning with them! I was able to get earrings to match the Christmas necklace I got from my husband this year.
You can see some of the items I chose to send into them on one of my YouTube videos. I am also keeping a detailed list on a spreadsheet of everything I am sending to them and what I get back. There are some horror stories of these types of companies losing items and I want to be sure I know exactly what is coming and going.
Start Consigning with The Real Real Today!
You can use my contact at The Real Real for any questions or interest in sending in items. She has been extremely responsive to my questions and providing information. If you have specific items you aren’t sure about or would like pricing before sending into The Real Real, you can ask her too.
Consign with The RealReal and be empowered to extend the life cycle of luxury brands and keep fashion sustainable. But also make money and have fun !! Reach out to my luxury manager Gina who can help you maximize your RealReal experience. You can book an appointment with her at http://therealreal.com/consignwith/ginagiannone
Email: gina.giannone@therealreal.com
Or call her 203.218.0289 to set up a virtual!
The Real Real has an extensive FAQ section on their website if you have any additional questions.
Do you have experience selling on The Real Real? Please comment below! I love to hear about other people’s experiences.
Until Next Time,
Rebecca
The Bexa Boss Lady
