The best luxury fashion resale sites

Sellier

Founded in 2019, Sellier specialises in rare and curated collections and represents best-in-class brands such as CHANEL, Hermès and Dior, in both their physical stores in Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Monaco as well as through their successful direct-to-consumer e-commerce site and app. The resale brand receives stock daily with luxury items consigned from a combination of high-net-worth individuals and leading fashion stylists.

Each product goes through a rigorous authentication process which includes a detailed examination by the team of inspectors before being scanned by microscopic authentication technology. In fact, Sellier is so confident in the authenticity of its resale items that it offers a full money back guarantee if the product is found to be anything less than 100 per cent authentic. To sell your designer goods through Sellier you simply follow the application form on its website and can expect payment on the Friday of the week your piece is purchased.

Sellier takes 50 per cent commission fee on items up to £1,250 and 30 per cent on those priced at £2,500 or over.

Reselfridges

As part of Selfridges’s pledge to find a more sustainable way forward for retail, the heritage department store launched Reselfridges, a pre-loved shopping initiative, in 2020. Since, the resale site has showcased archive and vintage pieces throughout its stores and even has an in-house pre-loved specialist in Selfridges London. The now permanent online resale platform allows customers to choose from a curated selection of pre-owned pieces and offers the chance for you to own a piece of fashion history — whether it be a vintage CHANEL brooch or an iconic Lady Dior bag.

Through the brand’s scheme you can also resell designer bags in exchange for store credit. Simply upload pictures of your item through the Reselfridges platform and the team will value it within four days, then you can arrange a collection time (UK mainland only) and they’ll take care of all the rest.

Consigned Sealed Delivered

“Pre-owned and vintage luxury items are of the highest quality and made to be worn for decades, not discarded in the back of someone’s closet,” says London-based resale platform Consigned Sealed Delivered (or CSD to those in the know). “Luxury fashion is simply too beautiful to go unused”.

After launching in November 2020, on the back of lockdown and a realisation they all had too much stuff, CSD was born to take luxury consignment to the next level by providing consignors and customers with the same level of exquisite service expected from luxury brands on the first hand market. The team of high-end consignment specialists, headquartered in Battersea, offer virtual shopping appointments to create a totally bespoke resale experience that can even include a white-glove pickup service of your pre-owned items. You’ll find a treasure trove of luxury items, from vintage Alaïa and used Gucci at CSD’s new Marylebone store and even more on offer online.

Vestiaire Collective

One of the original luxury resale websites, Vestiaire Collective was co-founded by the Parisian businesswoman Fanny Moizant in 2009. In November this year it banned fast-fashion brands. Vestiaire is known for its epic flash sales, where you can find wish-list items for a fraction of the original price; you can sign up to receive an email alert as soon as your favourite designer pieces come up for sale.

It is a peer-to-peer service, with sellers listing the items online themselves and shipping them to an authentication team. Once the items have passed rigorous quality-control checks at one of the authentication centres, the seller manages the sale from their account (it lacks the seller anonymity offered by consignment services). Items are shipped within seven days of the purchase being made, in the condition and packaging in which they were received from the seller.

Prioritising quantity over quality, Vestiaire offers one of the less high-end resale experiences. However, with 25,000 new listings each day, it has an unrivalled array of designer pieces (Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Hermès, Dior, to name but a few) as well as an extensive range of one-off vintage.

Vestiaire Collective takes a 15 per cent commission fee.

Reluxe

A recent addition to the world of resale, Reluxe was launched this year by Clare Richardson, a contributing fashion editor at WSJ, and British and Italian Vogue. Richardson’s mission is to make resale an easy and elevated experience. The carefully curated edit is exactly what you would expect from an industry insider, with clothes from the wardrobes of some of the world’s most stylish women. Brands include Vivienne Westwood Couture, Jil Sander and Phoebe Philo-era Celine, and in the short time since its launch the brand has partnered with Bella Freud and Self-Portrait (to resell stock on their behalf).

Sellers can arrange a virtual consultation (if they’re selling less than ten pieces) or request an in-person concierge appointment (for a more mammoth wardrobe clear-out). Items are then authenticated, priced and photographed, and shipped to the buyer within two to three working days (they arrive perfectly packaged and dry cleaned).

Reluxe takes a commission of 50 per cent for pieces under £500, 45 per cent for items between £500 and £2,000, and 35 per cent for those above £2,000.

The RealReal

The RealReal is the world’s largest authenticated online luxury resale site, with more than 28 million members. As one of the first luxury resellers to launch its business online, it cornered the market early. It is US based, so UK shoppers have to pay import taxes, but with an extensive selection of Hermès, Chanel and Prada bags and tastefully curated edits, it might just be worth it.

Like many of its high-end resale competitors it is a consignment service, with sellers posting their items to the RealReal team to manage the sale on their behalf (their commission rates range from 20 to 70 per cent for clothing and up to 80 per cent for bags, depending on the sale price). In the US sellers can drop off their items in person at a number of physical locations (these stores have a small edit of items for shopping in person with the express aim of converting sellers into buyers). Due to its scale, the RealReal offers a less bespoke experience, with sellers having to ship items using FedEx and grapple with automated authentication processes. However, with its substantial selection of designer goods and huge online presence, it remains the resale platform of choice in the US.

Look for classics such as vintage Chanel handbags on Farfetch, the RealReal or Vestiaire Collective

BELA BORSODI/TRUNK ARCHIVE

Farfetch

Farfetch was ahead of the curve as one of the first of the online retailers to launch a pre-loved section on its website, in 2010. It is now a highly reputable name within the field of resale, setting the bar for other e-tail giants such as Matches Fashion and Net-a-Porter.

With the ‘‘pre-owned’’ tab on the Farfetch homepage, you can shop new and old side by side — AW22 Prada adjacent to an incredible curation of second-hand Chanel, Cartier and Burberry. To sell a bag you fill in a form online with pictures of the item, and the team will get back to you within three days to organise collection if it passes muster with the authentication team. For clothes, Farfetch sends you a “refresh bag” to fill with your unwanted items. You can schedule a collection or take it to your nearest drop-off point. Once Farfetch has received the clothes it will decide what is fit for resale; the remaining items will be given to charity or recycled.

Instead of charging commission, Farfetch offers credit for its website, or you can donate the funds to a charity of your choice.

Hardly Ever Worn It

Co-founded by Tatiana Wolter-Ferguson in 2012, Hardly Ever Worn It aims to integrate resale into luxury customers’ everyday lives. Its immaculately designed, user-friendly website has something for everyone (Under £500 for Him or Under £250 For Her), as well as an elegant edit of designer items in the Today’s Favourites tab.

It offers VIP “white-glove” services to its sellers, advising them on what to sell from their wardrobes and managing the entire process on their behalf. It teamed up with Vogue in June 2020 to organise a sale from the wardrobes of 23 supermodels including Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid to raise money for NHS Charities Together and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). It partnered with Sotheby’s to host its first luxury handbag and accessories auction in March 2020, totalling £600,000. Hardly Ever Worn It offers resale services in the personal shopping lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5, too.

Hardly Ever Worn it takes a fixed 18 per cent commission fee.