The "investment piece" concept isn't new among those who enjoy shopping as sport, but its meaning increasingly extends beyond
cost-per-wear formulas. Many consumers of luxury goods are thinking about the return on their investment should they tire of an item. (Indeed, 42% of
Cassandra Report respondents said they consider resale value when considering a big purchase.) Enter a new crop of luxury resale marketplaces where those who've moved on to next season's trend can peddle their fancy wares.
Hello La Mode: Designer items abound on eBay and, though the auction site
does its best to weed out the fakes, it can't police listings of counterfeit goods assuredly.
Hello La Mode, a new resale marketplace
launched by three French entrepreneurs, now offers high-end fashion collectors a safe place from which to stock their closets. "The first luxury fashion certified resale marketplace" employs fashion experts who conduct meticulous investigations of each potential item's authenticity and quality before its listing goes live. In addition to peace of mind that they're not dropping major cash on a
Canal Street special, buyers receive handwritten notes describing each item's origin and its authenticating features.
The RealReal: Shopping at a designer consignment store can be a surprisingly demeaning experience, with sales assistants sometimes treating potential buyers with the courtesy seen in
Pretty Woman's
Rodeo Drive scene.
The RealReal, an
online secondhand shop that specializes in luxury brands, gives the label-conscious a friendly place to score discounts on wares that would typically bankrupt them. The members-only site delivers its insiders five three-day-long flash sales every week, with a different designer featured each day. Regular membership is free, but for $5/month, a premium First Look membership provides subscribers with access to the sales a day before they go live to the masses.
ReFashioner: Clothing swaps work when the wares are last season's H&M castoffs, but when it comes to more expensive duds, most shoppers want to recoup some of their initial investment. This is why
ReFashioner pivoted its luxury swap model to an online consignment community. Former magazine editor and lifelong clothes horse Kate Sekules launched the site to give sellers a place to unload their wares while giving her members a new way to explore their interest in fashion. Enhanced social features, like the ability to follow other users' closets, make for an unparalleled storytelling component that may be the tipping point in driving purchases.
