I am impressed with TheRealReal and Tradesy

Oh! I forgot about The RealReal! I was perusing that site for Burberry scarves (another obsession) just the other day. Haven't tried Tradesy yet, but will check it out.

I've bought a few lesser constructed items for work during my weight loss journey. These (Talbots and Soft Surroundings) can be dressed up or down and only set me back $28 for both.

This jacket was $22.

Dd is obsessed with GG sneakers. Santa brought her a pair the last couple of years...but Santa isn’t onboard for more than that...so dd has gotten a couple of pairs off Poshmark to add to her collection. Seemed like an easy process and the shoes were in great condition! That blue sweater is cute! Congrats on your weight loss!

I've only bought accessories from these sites, but if it still had tags I'd consider clothes. The one thing I'd always ask is if the items has any odor (smoke, mildew). That's all too common.

A new thing to be wary of is vape usage. I’ve gone to an upscale consignment shop and noticed quite a few items smell like strawberry air freshener. It’s from vaping and the smell doesn’t go away.

Don't get me started on that industry. How do these people sleep at night?

@User, sent you a PM with a tailor recommendation in your area.

Thank you so much, Fun! Did you get my reply?

I buy and sell designer clothing (Chanel, Escada, Max Mara, Akris, Michael Kors Collection) on eBay and at thrift stores. I haven't bought from the others. Here's what I know.

1. The RealReal. A friend bought a fake Prada handbag here and had to fight for three months to get them to take it back (it was on sale, so no return unless defective). We even went to their office in San Francisco with the bag and they still took two more months to take it back without ever admitting it was a fake. She ran a thrift store in the City, so has knowledge of designer goods and they still wouldn't believe her. Overall, they are having issues with their ability to scale up and keep the level of authentication they claim to have. It's been in the press. I would not buy anything from them that wasn't 100% returnable and still hesitate to waste my time.

2. ThreadUp - For designer wear I've seen a lot of listings from them on eBay recently. My issue with their listings is a lack of photographs. When you buy anything resale, photos tell the story of the true condition and allow you to research whether or not it's fake merchandise. Their eBay listings typically have 2 photos (eBay allows up to 12 at no additional charge) even for Chanel items that can cost thousands. I would never buy under those circumstances even if the item were returnable. Knowledge is key.

3. Poshmark - I've seen a lot of cross-listings between Poshmark and eBay. Given the chance, I want the protections of eBay.

4. Local thrift - I have personally had poor luck at the national thrift stores (Goodwill/S.A.) in person. Others here have had different experiences. I find that - for example San Francisco and Seattle - they seem to put their best stuff on eBay or the Goodwill auction site now. Smaller, local cause thrift stores in wealthy areas seem to have the best merchandise. Depending on the area, prices can vary from reasonable to high and sizing always seems to lean small.

5. Consignment - Lately I've seen these shops lean high on pricing and quality varies. So I would say search and find some that align with your taste/budget and visit them often. I will say that there is some great consignment in San Francisco, a place I visit frequently. I haven't had a chance to thrift in NYC yet.

6. eBay - This is my personal comfort zone, but I've seen and reported so many fakes where they do nothing. As time has passed, I think there are more scammers here as well. So find your favorite sellers and proceed with caution. One of my favorites is Linda'sStuff.

Linda's Stuff

She's been on eBay forever and sells a variety of - mostly mid and high end designer stuff at good prices, always authentic and accurately described. wink, wink - or you can shop me with a number of Chanel and vintage YSL items for auction listed right now - wink-wink......

One last thing. If you buy online, I think it's best to buy brands you know the fit for your body. Any good seller will include measurements, but sometimes they don't always tell the story.

1929Spanish - thanks for your comments. I have looked at some of those big name sites and often wondered how well they function if you have a problem. So your insight is really valuable.

IdaClaire - that is a beautiful shade of blue and should look great with your coloring too!

@User, got your reply...thanks.

@1929Spanish-GW, I noticed a few ThreadUp listings in my saved searches on eBay and, wow, do they have a lot of negative and neutral feedback. I won't buy from a seller with that sort of feedback. Thanks for the rundown of your experience with other sites.

I have used Ebay and Poshmark as a seller primarily and I find Poshmark a bit easier to use. I also think Poshmark has a lot of sellers like me who have bought high and are selling low (mistakes, etc.) - many new with tags. Many good deals.

As a buyer, I want the strongest buyer protections and cannot really speak to which one is better.

I have heard concerns about the authentication process at The RealReal and that would give me pause on purchasing designer goods. I believe Fashionphile has teamed up with Neiman Marcus and may be a good option to consider.

Marie/Fun - my pleasure. I'm on a shopping moratorium that can only be broken by buying used from my PayPal balance or bras. And I really don't feel much like looking for bras right now.....

1929Spanish, thank you for compiling that helpful list! You bring up some important factors to consider.

I can't think of anything worse than shopping for bras......well maybe swimsuits.

My pleasure Ida!

I do local (ish) thrift and tried ThreadUp. Be wary of smells, even with "like new" items which can pick smells up from other sources. Be prepared to either dry clean or soak in vinegar or baking soda to remove the smells. Smells do not come out of synthetic material, no matter what you try. I bought a very cute polyester top thinking the perfume smell would wash out. It didn't and none of the soaking solutions worked. On the flip side, I deodorized a rayon sweater from the perfume smell with baking soda, no problem.

Forgot to add that sometimes cotton shrinks despite your best washing efforts, so used cotton items tend to run small, and that may be why the original owner is having to get rid of them. I'm on the cusp between two sizes and this has happened to me with some items even after just one washing. Or sometimes hubs finds something and puts it in the dryer by mistake.

I received 5 packages from Poshmark sellers today, 4 jackets and 1 pair of Soft Surroundings jeggings. All absolutely perfect with no weird smells. Two pairs of pants arrived a couple of days ago and unfortunately the fit isn't quite right. One pair may fit with a little more weight loss, but the other are just cut weird, which is strange since they're just regular Talbots slacks . Oh well. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchases.