A woman’s video warning shoppers about a used clothing website has gone viral, exposing a pattern of overpricing.
TikToker Nicole Best (@nicoleebest) starts her video by calling out luxury consignment website The RealReal before explaining how the shop is upcharging its clothing.
“Someone at The RealReal is delusional,” Best says in her video.
Best, who often makes videos about thrifting and second hand clothes, explains that while scrolling on the store’s website, she noticed a dress from fashion company Rat & Boa for sale. The dress is being advertised as 20% off its price of $465, making the total $375.
“I think ‘OK wow, 20% off that must be a good deal,’” Best says in her video. “This must be a rare style.”
@nicoleebest @The RealReal u good bro?? #style #fashion #clothes #therealreal ♬ original sound – Nicole Best
However, she was quickly proven wrong, as she showed that she found the exact same dress on the Rat & Boa website for $175, less than half the cost of the dress on The RealReal.
“And no, they’re not selling it at that price because it’s almost sold out and they need to get rid of stock,” Best says, as she shows that every size of the dress is available.
She then shows herself pointing to the dress on both companies’ websites.
“So you can order this stunning Rat & Boa dress for $175 and get it brand new from the website,” Best says. “Or you could go to The RealReal and get a used Rat & Boa dress for $375.”
She then reiterates that the store was originally trying to sell the dress for close to $500.
“Just another reason to do your research before buying on The RealReal,” Best says.
People in the comments have shared similar findings about the online consignment store charging more for its items than the original designers do.
“They ALWAYS do this,” one user wrote.
“They do the SAME thing with the Staud beaded handbags!! It’s absolutely ridiculous,” one user wrote.
The comment prompted a follow-up video from Best in which she compares the price of a Staud handbag on the original website to the price from The RealReal. Although the price difference for the handbag was $5 dollars, Best shows that other items that people mentioned in the comments, such as blouses, have a bigger difference.
One example she shows is a top from Rat & Boa that’s for sale for $180 on their website, but $355 on The RealReal.
@nicoleebest Replying to @Oh.my.sosh @The RealReal we need answers 👀#therealreal #clothes #fashion #scam #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Nicole Best
“These makeups are absolutely insane and this just feels like the biggest scam that they’re running across multiple brands,” Best says.
The Daily Dot reached out to Best via TikTok direct message and The RealReal on both email and direct message.
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*First Published: Sep 26, 2023, 6:30 pm CDT
Jackie Ibarra
Jackie Ibarra is a former intern for the Daily Dot. The San Antonio native was previously a podcast host for the Drag. She has previously reported for Latinitas magazine and the Daily Texan.
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