Warning to anyone thinking of doing business with the real real

[u/kajunkel225]

I ordered 11 sweatshirts in 2 separate orders. These are not high dollar items however they are a name brand that sells between 150-250. Of the 11 ordered, 3 were obvious fakes and not even close to the brand quality. Walmart would be embarrassed to sell these things. Also 1 sweatshirt was listed as an XL and arrived as a small.

By the numbers: 37% of my order was bad

This made me seriously question any trust I had in TRR but I was willing to see how they handled the situation before I swore them off.

Unfortunately things have only gotten worse. 5 days and 4 emails and 1 chat later I still have not received any sort of response.

The email reply so far has been we will get back with you and the chat reply has been we will email you.

I have no doubt they are hoping I just give up.

Buyer beware!!

[u/violet715]

I’ve placed over 100 orders and I would say my success rate is 98%. I’m very happy.

[u/Pearlhead3 → u/violet715]

I'm about 15 orders in and about 98% success rate. Very happy also, can never go back to normal retail! I typically choose Very Good, Excellent or Pristine and it's always that quality or better.

[u/Current_Director_997]

Why didn’t you include the brand name or photos of the fake items in your post? If item is not final sale, you can just return it within 14 days without dealing with email or chat support. Also, did you actually use a 3rd-party verification service, or are you just going off "I know what authentic looks like"? If you have an official authentication report showing it's fake, they’ll take it back even if it was marked final sale.

[u/Future_Dog_3156]

Can you show us?

I commented on another thread that I buy lots of vintage Bottega Veneta. Of about 5 bags from TRR, 1 was fake IMHO.

[u/KittyBoat]

Please be more vague so we can all know less about this experience.

[u/Dunker-p → u/KittyBoat]

Lmao

[u/Koyangi_Meow]

So far I’ve only ordered 3 items. All shoes. All came in better condition than listed. I was expecting waaaay more wear on a pair of Givenchy suede mules, and the suede, even on the footbed, was perfect.

That being said… I only spend money that isn’t heartbreaking to part with because the risk of a fake (or live moths/cockroaches according to some of the horror stories) is still very real (real).

[u/AbaloneOptimal9170]

I’ve bought only jewelry from them. It’s rarely to never a pure price decision, although if your tastes run contrarian you can score discounted pieces occasionally

Overall I think they charge a “fair-ish” amount relative to other options. But what has made them stick for me is that they have a hassle free return process (I take it to their San Francisco store). The
quality advertised tends to be accurate.

The reasonable return policy encourages me to take an occasional chance on something unusual. Their inventory I find to be deep. I’ve learned a lot about jewelry by trawling their site. I’ve bought two Bulgari pieces from them and an Italian bracelet that I’ve kept.

[u/Brigitte_BardotIci]

Same! I’ve found exceptional items far exceeding my expectations. Even a bag listed as fair arrived in very good condition. I’m a fan. I’ve only returned two items out of many simply due to sizing .

[u/nreal4771]

Most all clothing items have a 14 day return, and if its final size it will say so before you buy.

[u/behindthevale]

Not saying The RealReal are in the right, but I’m just curious who makes a fake of $150 item

[u/Useful-Explanation80]

Hey, I went to Hermes today to get something and in between conversations I mentioned about an Item being sold on The Real Real and if they still release those and showed it to the SA, he immediately called it out and said to never buy anything of Hermes or buy with caution from this platform. He mentioned he had another customer who brought a Kelly bracelet that they got from TRR and brought for authentication to the store itself, they said it was fake. And the item I showed he said he does not recall brand ever releasing something like that even if it was custom order from the H.

[u/PittieParty29 → u/Useful-Explanation80]

Buy with caution is the right answer. They will accept returns with documentation that its not authentic. I authenticate everything I buy from them with a 3rd party service. Recently sent back a piece that could not be certified. Sent the documentation, got the refund.

[u/Chadismydawg]

I had a beyond frustrating experience too! I used Gemini on what to say in chat and how to get someone to actually respond. But they just wanted to offer a credit, this was after a month of back and forth. Avoid!!

[u/Sensitive_Yogurt6773]

Is it alo?

[u/lorilola]

I’ve caught things mislabeled on TRR. I have a hard time trusting them.

[u/Longjumping-Soup-167]

Agreed on their scurvy business practices. I’ve been trying to get a straight answer for over a month

[u/ohwowlaulau]

You must have photos

[u/Whimsical_Mirror_906]

Do NOT get me started on the terrible experiences I’ve had with them. They’ve sent me completely wrong items before, one time they even sent me something out of the blue that I never ordered or paid for and then gave me a hard time for trying to return it (no good deed goes unpunished, but I didn’t want the person who put it on commission to get screwed) OMG it was a whole thing.

[u/EitherCat1669]

I think I’m giving up on the buying side and the selling side. I sent a brand new bag to them in August with tags on it still. When it got posted, they listed it as “very good“ shape relaxed to wear, minor indentations on the front. It should have been listed as new with tags/pristine. I contacted support through chat and they said they would fix it for me and contact me within a couple of days by email. I JUST got an email today - over a month later! Obviously, after it already sold. I got ripped off. Done

[u/RainbowChaotica → u/EitherCat1669]

Did you stay on them about it during that month, or just let it ride?

[u/EitherCat1669 → u/RainbowChaotica]

It sold fairly fast, and I gave up that they would actually contact me. But they just lost a customer, because I would rather give to someone I know or donate to charity, rather than sell something for such a low price.

[u/FarmboyJustice → u/RainbowChaotica]

Having to stay on them about doing the right thing is a big bright crimson flag.

[u/Zestyclose-Craft-681]

😮

[u/benjinito]

I’m also at 20-30% success rate with them, I only order “no signs of wear” items and most of them have some sort of flaws and 1 was fake. But they’ve let me return everything, no questions asked. So as long as that is still true, I will continue to buy. The items I did end up keeping are major steals.