Once confined to local, often disorganized spaces and carrying a certain stigma, the pre-loved luxury goods market is getting a new lease of life and love online.
Today, buying pre-owned pieces is a luxurious experience that is both convenient and sustainable.
Looking stylish, at a fraction of the cost, while being kinder to the planet? Check, check, and check.
Whether you are on the lookout for a classic Louis Vuitton handbag, on a hunt for a rare vintage Rolex watch, or desperately want a Hermès Birkin and don’t want to wait on their list, luxury resale sites are the new place to be.
With millions of luxury pieces awaiting to be rediscovered and reloved, scoring that covetable Gucci handbag and other unique fashion finds is literally just a click away. Best of all, going through a verified second-hand reseller website helps ensure that you get quality items with proven and genuine authenticity.
We round up the best and chicest destinations to buy pre-loved or past-season designer pieces online.
The most popular luxury resale sites
Looking for the best place to buy pre-owned designer handbags and luxury clothes online with trust? These are the best resale websites.
- Fashionphile
- The RealReal
- Rebag
- Vestiaire Collective
- Farfetch Pre-Owned
- 1stDibs
- Collector Square
- Jomashop
- StockX
- The Luxury Closet
- What Goes Around Comes Around
Beware, there are plenty of luxury fakes and counterfeits sold on online consignment stores too. Sites like Poshmark, for example, are open platforms where anyone can sell anything without a proper authentication. For high-end designer bags and luxury clothes, we recommend that you only buy from online stores who do their own verification. Check the end of this article for a few tips to safely buy used luxury goods online.
1. Fashionphile
The grand-daddy of online used luxury sales, Fashionphile launched in 1999. The team worked hard to become one of the leading and most trusted second-hand stores online for luxury handbags. The site offers pre-owned handbags from virtually all the popular luxury brands, including Balenciaga, Céline, Fendi, and Christian Dior.
Beyond designer handbags, Fashionphile is now also selling second-hand jewelry, watches, and accessories. The resale site also partners with Neiman Marcus to help the brand’s customers easily sell their pre-owned goods and get store credits on their next purchase.
Website: www.fashionphile.com
2. The RealReal
Launched in 2011, The RealReal has physical stores in New York and Los Angeles and is also a leading online luxury resale site. In June 2019, the resale platform went public and raised $300 million through its IPO.
The San Francisco-based ultra-curated luxury consignment site boasts a large selection of second-hand designer items like handbags, shoes, apparel, accessories, and even home goods and fine arts at up to 90% off retail prices.
The RealReal has a team of over 100+ experts that authenticate all the consigned luxury pieces from brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and more.
Scrolling through the consigned goods on The RealReal feels like shopping on a premium e-commerce site, but with the thrill of spontaneous discovery – from archival finds to unworn styles on discount.
Website: www.therealreal.com
3. Rebag
Second-hand luxury website Rebag focuses on designer handbags, clutches, pouches, totes, and everything else in between. You can find pretty much every luxury brand on the site, including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Chanel, and Gucci.
If you like to change bags regularly, this is a neat way to experience many different bags without having to purchase them at full price.
Website: www.rebag.com
4. Vestiaire Collective
Launched in 2009, Parisian company Vestiaire Collective is a seasoned cornerstone in the ever-expanding pre-owned luxury goods market. Boasting an online community of more than 23 million fashion lovers around the world and counting, Vestiaire Collective is the destination for those in the know.
Once you add a luxury product to the cart, the piece goes through a rigorous authentication and quality control process.
Vestiaire Collective’s carefully curated portfolio features a great variety of timeless items (sourced worldwide) from almost every major brand, such as Hermès, Dior and Cartier, as well as contemporary brands such as Isabel Marant, Off-White, and Maison Martin Margiela. 25,000+ of carefully curated pre-owned luxury pieces are posted every day at up to 70% off retail price.
A useful feature is the ability to create alerts, letting you know when a particular item you are hunting for is listed.
Website: www.vestiairecollective.com
5. Farfetch
We all know Farfetch as one of the largest global platforms for luxury fashion. But what you may not know is that it is also one of the best resale websites. Launched in 2019, Farfetch Second Life allows customers to exchange designer bags, accessories, jewelry, and apparel for store credit. (Farfetch only accepts items from its list of designers that are in immaculate condition).
Featuring affluent labels such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton, all pre-loved items are authenticated and assessed by a team of luxury experts and can be found under the Farfetch Pre-Owned section of the site. Considering many of these designer accessories actually increase in value over time, we can say that shopping here is more of a stylish and sustainable investment than a guilty purchase.
Website: farfetch.com
6. 1stDibs
1stDibs was founded by Michael Bruno in 2000 after he visited the Marché aux Puces in Paris, France. Inspired by Europe’s largest flea market, the digital marketplace is reminiscent of wandering through resplendent silks and timeless tweeds—but without the chaos that usually goes with it.
1stDibs features listings from trusted sellers, all of which have been handpicked and authenticated by in-the-know experts. The resale website sells thousands of high-end pieces, from affluent fashion to fine art to designer decor (it is one of the best online furniture stores, may we add). And whether you choose to buy directly or bid at the 1stDibs online auction, you always leave this resale website très excited.
Website: 1stdibs.com
7. Collector Square
Founded in 2013 by a duo of French entrepreneurs, Collector Square is a European leader in the online second-hand market for luxury bags, watches, and jewelry. With the help of an experienced team of curators, Collector Square carefully selects and verifies each and every item sold on its website.
The team can also leverage the help of their partner, Artcurial, to evaluate the quality and value of items put on sale.
While based in France, the website ships worldwide in 24 hours. It also offers clear and transparent return policies.
Website: www.collectorsquare.com
8. Jomashop
If you are looking for a high-end mechanical watch, Jomashop is a leader in the world of second-hand luxury Rolex watches.
Jomashop has been helping people buy and sell some of the world’s best luxury watch brands (including expensive Rolexes) for years. The online resale site has an extensive inventory of antique, vintage, and contemporary Rolex watches. Each sale is transparent, with the asking price clearly indicated. And critically, the luxury watches sold through Jomashop’s website are all authentic and verified.
With a team of 35 experts exclusively dedicated to Rolex, the site can guarantee the best possible result for both buyers and sellers. Unlike other luxury watch resale websites, Jomashop carries the inventory in its warehouse, ensuring a smooth purchase experience.
Website: www.jomashop.com
9. StockX
StockX is a bit of an outlier on our list of the best luxury resale websites. Unlike all the other sites on our list, StockX functions more like an auction stock market. Buyers place bids, sellers place asks, and when a bid and ask meet, the transaction happens automatically and is live on the website. You can even track price fluctuation history. Buyers and sellers remain anonymous.
The site started by selling high-end and rare sneakers such as retro Jordans, Nikes, and Yeezys. All are guaranteed to be 100% authentic. It now also sells streetwear bags and watches.
Most of the items on sale on StockX are brand new. Indeed, StockX only accepts authentic items in preowned excellent condition. All items must also include a visible serial code, blind stamp or date code to prove their authenticity. They are then thoroughly inspected by StockX’s team to verify and confirm their condition before going on sale.
Sellers offer rare and exclusive pieces from limited collections, such as Supreme drops, to make a profit. It plays on the scarcity of luxury sneakers and other items that are highly popular.
Website: stockx.com
10. The Luxury Closet
Founded in 2011 in Dubai, The Luxury Closet is a leading online boutique in the Middle East for buying and selling pre-loved luxury items. The resale site offers a large inventory of designer handbags and clothes, luxury watches, and popular jewelry brands (Think: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier, Rolex, and more.)
The Luxury Closet can count on its team of 80 experts to provide excellent customer service and build trust with online shoppers. Everything sold on the site is guaranteed to be 100% authentic so you can buy designer handbags for less with confidence. The site even has a dedicated VIP concierge service in the UAE and Riyadh for sellers who would like to sell eight items or more.
Website: theluxurycloset.com
11. What Goes Around Comes Around
What Goes Around Comes Around has been around (pardon the pun) since 1993. It started off as a store in New York City’s Soho neighborhood with a simple mission: elevate traditional vintage shopping into a high fashion experience. The brand rapidly expanded with additional flagship stores in Beverly Hills and online. What Goes Around Comes Around is now an international destination for tastemakers, industry insiders, and celebrities (looking at you, Kim Kardashian and Danielle Bernstein) alike.
The secret? The team behind What Goes Around Comes Around continuously search for highly sought-after fashion items ready to be sold at a discount. They then pass on the savings directly to you!
New discounted designer pieces drop weekly on the site with a huge range of variety to appeal to every style. We’ll be visiting this site on repeat —There are always hidden gems and surprise treasures in their collection. But don’t take too long to “add to cart”, their pieces never stick around long!
Why you’ll love it: Genuine designer clothes at a discounted price.
Website: www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com
Bonus
Many of our favorite lifestyle brands have their own resale websites. Cuyana Revive buys and resells pre-loved Cuyana bags and small leather goods. And Dagne Dover’s Almost Vintage reduces waste by encouraging customers to resell Dagne Dover goods instead of sending them to landfills. In 2023, Gucci is launching a similar concept. Gucci Vault is a concept store for selling the House’s archived pieces, as well as independent designs using recycled Gucci materials.
Where to buy new designer bags for less?
If buying second-hand isn’t your thing, you can still get attractive discounts on selected designer brands online. The best place to find these deals is none other than Amazon. Many high-end designers are selling accessories, shoes, bags, perfumes, and cosmetics on Amazon. You might not find their clothing lines, but everything else can be bought online at a discount if you know where to look.
Brands like Gucci, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Kate Spade all have their own official pages on Amazon. These are genuine products from past seasons but also sometimes brand-new releases.
Here’s a selection of their most popular items on Amazon:
Kate Spade
Gucci
Versace
Dolce & Gabbana
Tips for buying second-hand designer items online
We love the idea of giving a second life to pre-owned items. Particularly for luxury goods that were thoughtfully designed and carefully produced to last a long time. Buying second-hand helps you save money but also contributes to reducing waste for a more sustainable economy.
That said, to have a good experience buying pre-loved items online, you need to be attentive. It’s unfortunate, but there are too many unscrupulous sellers who will try to sell counterfeit goods.
To avoid any pitfalls, here are five essential tips to keep in mind when shopping online:
- Always do your research first and ask as many questions as you want. It’s ultimately your responsibility to make sure that the item you buy meets your own expectations.
- When buying second-hand, favor designer handbags, purses, pouches, accessories, home decor, and high-end mechanical watches. These items tend to age well if properly maintained.
- If you want to buy second-hand clothes, ask for photos of the actual garment to verify its quality.
- You should avoid buying pre-owned shoes online as shoes tend to adjust to their owners’ feet. The only exception is if you buy second-hand shoes from a resale market like StockX, where the previous owner never wore them. They are sold as new in the original box.
- When buying from a resale website, check their return policy and their process to determine the authenticity of the goods they sell.
