The Best Resale Sites for Selling Luxury Handbags
A Goal-Oriented, Research-Based, Unbiased Guide
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Luxury handbags are investments. And investments need paths to be monetized. That’s why we built this definitive guide for reselling your handbags, backed by research and organized according to your goals.
If You Want to Make the Most Money
To capture every dollar possible for your handbag (makes sense to us!) eBay is your best bet. eBay currently takes a 15% cut of sales that are $2,000 or less, and 9% of sales that are over $2,000. This simple commission structure beats out every other major resale site at every price point, with only one exception: If you have a handbag to sell at or below $500, Vestaire will provide the same payout as eBay.
Important Considerations
More than any other resale site, eBay caters to businesses doing high volume sales vs. individuals selling one-offs. While eBay provides plenty of resources to help you need to optimize your listings, the fact that these resources are described as “courses” gives you a sense of how dense they are, and how fierce the on-site competition can be.
If You Want to Put Forth the Least Effort
Free up space in your closet without lifting a finger using ThredUP. Fill out a short form and ThredUP will mail you a “Clean Out Kit” to send in your handbags (though they frequently seem to be out of these kits and email a mere shipping label instead). Upon receiving your handbag, ThredUP will price it, photograph it, list it, and ship it to the buyer. You’re paid 14 days after the buyer receives it (which is when the return window closes). For items over $200, ThredUP takes a 20% cut.
Important Considerations
Two big asterisks here: First, ThredUP takes forever. I do not say that lightly. We are talking months before your handbag will even list, let alone sell. And when it’s (finally!) time to be paid, you better have a PayPal account ready to go. Second, ThredUP’s sweet spot is mid-market and diffusion brands vs. luxury brands, which could be a plus or a minus depending on what you want to sell. The most expensive handbag on the site right now is $8,700, marked down from $10,000. In comparison, eBay has bags listed for $300,000.
If You Want to Use an Old Handbag to Fund a New Handbag
We’ve all got a handbag or two in our closet collecting dust. If you’re ready to trade in one of those for something new (to you), Fashionphile is the answer. They buy most** bags outright and offer two payment options: a flat rate for cash or a 15% bonus above that rate for a site credit, which you can then use toward your new handbag.
Important Considerations
** If your dust-collector happens to be an extremely high-ticket handbag, such as a Hermes Birkin or Kelly, Fashionphile will likely consign vs. pay you upfront. Not only are Fashionphile’s commission rates among the worst in the industry (30% up to $3,000 plus an additional 15% on any amount over that), but also you’ll have to wait until someone buys your handbag before you can put your site credit to use. Rebag offers the same 15% site credit bonus and doesn’t place limitations on the types of handbags it will buy upfront.
If You Have a Lot of Handbags
If you want to monetize a boatload of handbags, The RealReal is the way to go. While The RealReal doesn’t win on commission rates, speed of sales, or ease of use, it’s passable on all three and it treats sellers who can move $10,000+ in one year to better economics. If you fall into this category, The RealReal will cap its commission rate on any individual handbag at 30% regardless of the sale price — which can creep as high as 80% otherwise.
Important Considerations
Unlike some of other consignment resale platforms, The RealReal does not let the seller set the price or decide on price drops — even if that price drop puts you in a different (i.e. worse) commission bracket.
If You Need Cash Now
Get thee to a Rebag store. While Rebag is not the only reseller to offer upfront payment for handbags, it pays the fastest — if you live in a city where a Rebag retail store exists. Bring your handbag to the store and walk out with cash in your pocket in as little as 60 minutes.
Important Considerations
There are no take-backs. Once Rebag has paid you for your handbag, it’s gone for good. If you change your mind after you’ve been paid, you will have to buy it back (at a loss). When you consign on other sites, you have a lot more flexibility to take down the item as long as it hasn’t already sold.
If You Want to Build a Rep
If you aim to establish a reputation as a seller, we recommend Vestaire, which allows you to build a rich, customized profile and is set to implement a robust seller rating system, based on a 5-star scale. While Vestaire is middle of the pack on individual metrics, it is an increasingly recognizable name — especially in the U.S., where it is planning to expand via its acquisition (and forthcoming shuttering) of Tradesy.
Important Considerations
Because every transaction will receive a rating (whether the buyer rates it or not), you must take care to follow all of Vestaire’s guidelines to a T, or you risk unnecessary dings. Example: Cancelling a sale for any reason triggers an automatic 1-star rating. Also, I personally found their puppet-people campaign terrifying. But that’s me.
If Shopping Is Your Cardio
Poshmark is your gym. The peer-to-peer app (there’s a website too but it’s a hot mess) is an easy place to spend hours upon hours. An intensely socialized marketplace, this one works best when you are invested, logging on frequently, and consistently communicating with other buyers and sellers. This is what my inbox looked like two hours after I downloaded the app.
Important Considerations
See screenshot above. Also, for very expensive handbags (think $15,000+) Poshmark’s commission rate is among the worst — tying with The RealReal even though you, the seller, have to do much more of the heavy lifting to complete the transaction.
Have other tips or tricks for where to sell your handbags? Comment below!