One thing I’ve found since launching my luxury resale business, a little over a year and a half ago, is that as lot of what I end up doing is educating people on shopping luxury resale. So I figured it best that I write a blog post about everything you need to know about shopping luxury resale, and what you should be looking out for when shopping for pre-owned luxury designer goods online.
I hope this helps educate buyers who are considering shopping pre-owned. It is so important to do your research!
Everything You Need To Know About Shopping Luxury Resale:
1. It’s super important to educate yourself (at least a little bit) about the brands you are wanting to purchase. Knowing at least a few ways to tell if a luxury designer piece is authentic is important. For instance with Louis Vuitton, Vachetta is untreated leather, therefore it should overtime patina and depending on how it was cared for it can be darker in some places more than others. If a bag with an older date code still has light vachetta it still can be authentic. Louis Vuitton does replace the vachetta as part of their spa services if someone wants to pay for it. You have to look at the bag as a whole, and not just individual parts to fully be able to authenticate a bag. If you are in doubt, I highly recommend paying to have it authenticated for your own piece of mind. If an item is deemed inauthentic wherever you purchased it from (even if stated final sale) will have to take it back, and issue you a full refund, as it is illegal to sell counterfeit goods.
2. Do some research on the luxury resale companies you are looking to purchase from. Are they registered with the BBB (Better Business Bureau)? Have Need Want Luxury, is registered with the BBB and has never had a customer complaint regarding authenticity or customer service. How long have they been in business? Do they have any major complaints against them. Have they had issues with authenticity?
3. Pay attention to customer reviews. Do they have any negative reviews regarding customer service and/or authenticity? Since launching Have Need Want Luxury, I have been blessed to have some amazing clients, many who are returning, that have been absolutely amazing to work with. They have shared their reviews with me and you can find a few of those positive reviews on my website.
4. What platform/s you purchase on is important. Find out about the platforms policies on authenticity. Are listings reviewed prior to publishing? TikTok shop reviews all listings in the pre-owned luxury category prior to having products displayed. As a business, you must upload a certificate of authenticity with each of your listings to be able to be reviewed. You can tell if a business is a registered business with TikTok shop if they have the shopping cart displayed during their lives. Have Need Want Luxury is a verified business on TikTok shop and is one of the main platforms we sell on, besides our website and app.
5. Make sure your luxury designer items come with a certificate of authenticity from a legitimate authentication company. Have Need Want Luxury, authenticates in-house and third party and is an Entrupy verified business. All items purchased ship with a complimentary COA, as we see it as a cost of doing business, and want to provide that extra assurance that the items purchased via our website, or on any platform we sell on, is guaranteed 100% authentic.
6. If you find a luxury reseller online that you have had a positive experience with it is always greatly appreciated to share that with your friends and family. Even if you’re not in a position to make a luxury designer purchase sharing the business with others is a free way to show your support and can help a small business expand. I know that I truly appreciate each and every person who supports my business no matter if it’s with their spending or if it’s liking and sharing my content on social media, or sharing my business with others who are lovers of authentic luxury designer goods.
As always, thank you all so much for your support!! It means the absolute world to me!!
