The RealReal has a rating of 2.4 stars from 5,304 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about The RealReal most frequently mention customer service, good condition, and final sale problems. The RealReal ranks 8th among Discount Clothing sites.
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I have been a big seller and buyer on The Real Real since the beginning of the company in 2015! I have made about $400,000 selling pieces that I was not going to wear again. Also, I am a buyer of mostly "pristine" and "excellent" items on consignment. There are so many people who buy things and not wear/use them at all, and sell them new in the box with tags!
Therealreal is a scam. They take high-value items for consignment and list them at ridiculously low prices, allowing their internal employees to steal them from online clients' carts or even after payments have been made. They cancel transactions and resale the items to their friends, who then post them on eBay for a profit. Please do not consign with this company; you will receive almost nothing for your high-value stuff. The company has no control over their employees, so employees do whatever they want, including defrauding their customers and running a side business for themselves
I have been an avid online shopper for years, and once I find a place, I tend to stick with it in terms of consistently shopping on maybe those 2 or 3 said favorites. With that said, TheRealReal has become in my official top 2 I would shop through. I have bought roughly 7 or 8 items (not simultaneously) but 7 or 8 different orders at different times, and every package looks EXACTLY as advertised on the website. This is really important to me, because far too often have I bought something and it arrive a completely different color, shape, odd size, etc. But everything fits as described, and they do a fantastic job of letting you know if there IS some minor defects with it (fabric pulls, marks, and so forth) right there in the description. Never had any issues over the past several months, so will keep coming here!
Date of experience: June 6, 2018
Hi I visited the site to purchase a Christmas Gift and found an amazing selection. Located a pair of extremely attractive white gold and diamond hoop earings
In great condition and very budget worthy price. Clicked add to my cart and followed up with the credit card info and they arrived about a week later.
Stay well my friends. Thanks
Date of experience: January 12, 2021
I have received wrong items multiple times. These issues are complicated and difficult to resolve. The most recent issue took me through 3 customer support and 20 emails and still unresolved! I sent back the wrong dress but TRR still have not refunded me the dress I never received. This had taken a lot of my time and effort and has created a terrible negative experience for me. TRR still owes me $52 for the missing dress! Please have a senior person reach out and resolve this issue before I consider consigning and purchasing in the future.
Date of experience: July 1, 2021
Having been a customer since it's inception, I have to express my disappointment in this company the last few years.
Pricing has gone up significantly, to the point that I have chosen to buy full retail over this platform more often. The "hunt" for a great deal or piece is no longer exciting. Also, pricing is way off for some items. I'm a former retail buyer, and prices often seem askew to me. To validate my suspicions, it only takes a quick Google search to find the same item and do a price comparison. I have found that items are often mislabeled and unfairly priced. I recently filed a complaint on an item that I found brand new online for half the price, and they told me they would address my issue with a supervisor but that was a week ago. Still waiting to hear back.
That being said, RR can be a nice platform for consigners who just want to get rid of stuff without the hassle of shipping and returns. I do both buying and selling there, so my feelings are mixed.
Date of experience: September 1, 2021
Hi Michelle, thank you so much for providing us with this feedback, we truly appreciate it. We're always more than happy to answer any questions you have, and we're sorry for the delay in response from our team. DM us on social media if there's anything more we can do for you in the meantime.
I very much enjoy shopping on TheRealReal, but lately the pricing has gotten much higher. I also ordered two sweaters and had them sent to my second home with expedited shipping. One arrived and the other is delayed and now I am not at that home to receive the package.
Date of experience: November 1, 2021
Hi Suzanne, we appreciate you sharing this feedback with us and we're so sorry to hear your second sweater never arrived to you. Please reach out to our team at customerservice@therealreal.com so we can help right away.
I bought three pairs of Louboutin's. They described the condition as very good but wen they came, they were in excellent condition. So far I have had positive experiences. I don't want to deal with eBay. I'm afraid of the whole is it real and I find eBay too expensive.
Date of experience: September 27, 2015
Purchased multiple items. One of them was listed as a girls size 8, and arrived smaller than a size 6, so I'm assuming it had been shrunken in the dryer at some point. It was inconvenient to return, take photos, and get in touch with customer service overall. Clothing needs to be checked and measured to avoid this happening in the first place. Another sweater had visible loose threads pulling out of it, which I was able to fix, but not great to receive it that way. Both items were listed in excellent condition which was not the case. I want to support TRR and the recycling of clothing, but I do find the prices to be high for what is received and the recent level of quality control has been an issue.
Date of experience: April 14, 2021
I just want to ask you to please start specifying whether the size is for men or women. I have had to send back shoes that came up for women and they were a man size. Same w clothes. Also, please add male female onto the refine choices. Thank you
Date of experience: September 1, 2021
Hi Lisa, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and for sharing this feedback with us. You have the option to filter by gender both on our website and app -- send us a DM on social media if you need any help.
The title says it all. My shopping experience went smoothly and I got my shoes without any problems.
The listing said there was going to be a dust bag included. It should have clarified that it will not be the same brand. Other than this, I love my new shoes.
Date of experience: March 10, 2017
Very easy to select an item pay for it and get it within 5 to 7 days I was very happy! I had been looking for these Chanel boots for two years there they were barely worn, wonderful condition, at a price that I really appreciated. Love love real real!
Date of experience: June 29, 2020
I sent 15 items and 5 are missing. Literally 1/3 of the items I sent. It's been 6 weeks, 7 customer service attempts (email, text and calling), 2 investigations and nothing has been done. I get the same answer I have to wait and for more than $3K of money stolen from me. Still waiting with no resolution. I've provided tracking, videos, packing slips etc. It's a scam, beware!
Tip for consumers:
I sent 15 items and 5 are missing. Literally 1/3 of the items I sent. It’s been 6 weeks, 7 customer service attempts (email, text and calling), 2 investigations and nothing has been done. I get the same answer I have to wait and for more than $3K of money stolen from me. Still waiting with no resolution. I’ve provided tracking, videos, packing slips etc. It’s a scam, beware!
Date of experience: November 17, 2022
I now have a beautiful wardrobe of beautiful clothes, in stunning colours and fabrics for the same price as buying everything from H&M.
I think I've decided to never buy new clothes again. This is the right sustainable thing to do anyway, and I look fantastic for it as well
Date of experience: February 1, 2022
Had a high end pairs of shoes and shipped them to the NJ receiving department. It was mismanaged from day one to the bitter end. They failed to properly document the receipt and status of the shoes. I called twice and was told tearing on one call and the heel was broken on a second call, why would I send in a pair of high end shoes with a broken heel. I asked to speak with a manager and no one will call me back, I received a email three months later stating they are shipping them back broken. They are still not properly documented online in my account. Zero customer service and beware that they might/could/will damage your goods in the back receiving warehouse in NJ. Take pictures of your items before you ship them with a date stamp because they don't hold employees accountable for mishandling items or breaking them.
Date of experience: February 13, 2021
Nice way to purchase upscale items at a discount. Have used site this past year, what I am learning is to stay away from final sale items that cannot be returned. I've purchased 2 shoulder bags that had small tears in the leather shoulder straps that got larger, a mink hat that is too small and another purse that I thought was perfect in the photos but once I received the actual purse, I don't like. I've also had a few pairs of shoes damaged that I was able to return, but I wondered why no one at TRR saw the damage prior to accepting the item to sell or during shipping!
Have been more successful with jewelry items! Shop with caution!
Date of experience: January 1, 2022
My last three orders from this site were all terrible. They messed up- sent me prescription sunglasses when not noted that they are prescription; sent the wrong sized shirt from what I ordered; sent me another pair of sunglasses that were so incredibly scratched on the lenses, missing a nose piece, completely unusable and ultimately just total trash that I threw out as I couldn't return them. The first two orders I could return, but I had to pay for the shipping even though it was the company's fault, and their shipping is expensive. Avoid this site, they are complete garbage.
Date of experience: December 1, 2021
Hi Carter, we’re sorry you received your items in these conditions. We promise we’ll make it right if an item you purchase from us doesn’t match the description on our site. Please DM us on social media with your order details and we'll sort this out for you.
They are super helpful before you send your item in, but once they have the item it is almost impossible to get any customer service. I deeply regret consigning my items with them. They said they would sell my product on their homepage but by mistake the returned it and they returned it to the wrong address. Now I have called them tree times - last time they just let me wait for 30 minutes and then hung up the phone. So unprofessional! The item is worth USD 250 and they promised to pay me back three weeks ago but so far nothing happened and they do not respond to emails.
Tip for consumers:
Stay far away from this company!
Date of experience: March 31, 2022
I scheduled a drop out for 10:20 September 5 at your Atlanta location. Received a confirmation for my reservation. Arrived on time, was greeted rudely and told the store didn't open until noon. When I asked if I could just drop off things was rudely denied. Returned at 1:00 they just counted my things I do not yet have confirmation.
Date of experience: September 7, 2021
Hi Lou Ann, thank you for taking the time to provide us with this feedback. We're truly sorry for your experience with our team and we've passed your note along so we can further address this. Please reach out to us on social media if there is anything we can do to help.
TheRealReal offers shoppers great deals on designer "clothing with experience" at a wide variety of price points and for a huge number of designers. Everyone should be buying quality clothing, as is offered at TheRealReal, rather than wasting money purchasing throw-away clothing.
Date of experience: February 5, 2020
I started off with this company in 2016, and they were amazing at the beginning. I received 70% of the sold value of my items because I sold over a certain amount. Recently, they have lowered your share to 40% of the sale. They price your items really low without any approval (unless it's over $1K). I recommend using anyone but this company! Tradesy has also been a much better experience since you control 100% of pricing. Sad to see the company's greed take over. I will no longer be using their services.
Date of experience: March 18, 2019
TRR is a great company for buying designer good at a low price, but has bad customer service reviews.
But it is people like you I call the 1% of the world, I felt you went above and beyond to try to help me and also you even wrote a follow-up email below. I was laughing and had fun with you during our two phone calls. I am 100% sure if I got someone else on the phone instead of you, I would not have the same fun experience, thank you so much and continue being great with customers it really makes a big difference.
Date of experience: April 7, 2018
Hello Judi,
We thank you for sharing your experience. We are glad that you enjoyed the service you received.
We appreciate your business and look forward to you shopping with us again soon!
I've been a TRR customer for several years and I have seen a dramatic decline in service recently. The description of the items, especially items that are not "Excellent" or "Pristine" have inconsistent ratings and are not detailed with flaws. I just received a bag (all bags on TRR are non-fundable, so u are judging only from photo and description) with significant creases and wear to leather however it was described as "light scuffing". Customer service said photos i sent was consistent with what was on the site, but this is not the case. $1,700 down the drain as I would be embarrassed to wear bag in public. Additionally, I am confident some bags/jewelry and even high-end homeware purchased in the past were fake.
Tip for consumers:
Watch for fakes. Especially bags/jewelry/home goods.
I ordered dishes once and 15% of them were broken during shipment and was offered $40 because items were final sale. So now I have a “8 place setting” set with only 4 dinner plates :/.
All bags are non-refundable.
Customer service has declined.
Products used:
There are great products, however only purchase items that are Pristine or Excellent condition to be safe.
Date of experience: March 18, 2021
I love shopping at the Real Real. Shopping is made easy, prices are reasonable, product is fabulous and I don't have to leave my home. Having an easy way to return items is also a big win for me during this pandemic. Great job!
Date of experience: June 19, 2020
I ordered overnight shipping or 2-day shipping for my last 3 or 4 orders and nothing ever arrives on time. I was also a few hours late after my window closed for a return and I emailed someone to request and cash refund and they would it give me anything but a store credit. After years of loyal purchasing, this left a very bad taste in my mouth. I will definitely think twice about continuing my relationship with TRR
Date of experience: December 1, 2021
Hi Belynda, thank you for sharing this feedback with us and we're so sorry to hear these were your experiences with us. We've passed your note along to our team regarding the shipping delay, but please don't hesitate to reach out to us on social media if there is anything more we can do to help.
Their commercials say 90% off name brands, but there is no way anything on their site is 90% off. $12,000.00 for a purse? Maybe if it's made of solid gold. But that's besides the point. Point is, these items are not discounted as advertised.
Date of experience: May 14, 2022
I purchased a pair of sunglasses and this is what they are asking::
Thank you for shopping The RealReal. Additional information is required before we can complete the processing of your order. We are requesting that you submit the following:
1) A photograph of your government issued identification card
2) The authorization code for this transaction from your bank OR
3) A screen shot of your most recent bank statement where this charge is displayed
No scanned copies will be accepted.
After we have confirmed this information, your order will be processed.
Thank you,
TheRealReal.com
*******893
Is this a scam? I have never in my years of ordering online anything like this before? Can someone explain?
Date of experience: June 9, 2016
The RealReal is the leader in authenticated luxury consignment. With an expert behind every item, we ensure everything we sell is 100% real. As a sustainable company, we give new life to pieces by brands from Chanel to Cartier, and hundreds more. Exten...
Hi Ashton,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback!
We appreciate your business and look forward to you shopping with us again soon!