Does The RealReal Charge a Consignment Fee?
Yes. The RealReal does not charge consignors a flat consignment fee — it pays you a commission of the Net Selling Price. Commission = Net Selling Price × Commission Rate; your rate is banded by category and sold price, and the platform keeps the residual. That residual is, in effect, the consignment fee. This page shows the mechanic, one proof table and one worked example. Static guide, not a live calculator.
Rates verified 2026-11-01 on The RealReal’s Earnings Guide (therealreal.com/seller/commissions) and the resources article on how to sell. The consignor terms could not be loaded directly that day (403), so any wording drawn from them is attributed as indexed. United States, USD.
Feebrief is not affiliated with The RealReal and has no live calculator for this platform. Commission rates and bands change; confirm on the linked RealReal pages before consigning.
Short answer: yes — a commission model, not a flat fee
Yes — in effect. The RealReal does not charge consignors a flat consignment fee; it pays you a commission. Commission = Net Selling Price × Commission Rate, where the rate is your seller share, banded by item category and sold price. The platform keeps the residual of the Net Selling Price after your share — and that residual is the consignment fee in practice. On Clothing & More the seller share runs 20% to 70%, so the platform’s residual runs 80% down to 30%. Verified on the Earnings Guide, 2026-11-01.
How the commission model works
The Earnings Guide (captured 2026-11-01) states the mechanic plainly: Commission = Net Selling Price × Commission Rate. Your seller share is a percentage of the Net Selling Price, read from a chart that bands the rate by item category and the price the item sold for; the platform’s take is the residual — 100% minus your share. There is no flat consignment fee anywhere on the commissions page.
One term matters more than the rest: Net Selling Price, the base the split is calculated on. Its exact definition — what is deducted before the split — lives in The RealReal’s consignor terms, which returned a 403 when we tried to load them directly on 2026-11-01, so this page does not paraphrase specifics we could not read. Generally the sold price is the starting point; confirm the exact wording on the live terms page before consigning.
Proof table: Clothing & More seller share vs. what The RealReal keeps (United States, USD)
One category is enough to prove the answer. Below is the Clothing & More tab at the Trendsetter tier (the base rate), as printed on the Earnings Guide, with one added column: the platform’s residual, which is 100% minus the seller share. The residual column is our derived arithmetic, not a published figure — but it is the number that answers “what does The RealReal charge me?” band by band. Clothing & More covers women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, accessories, unbranded jewelry, home & art, and kids.
| Sold price band (Net Selling Price) | Trendsetter seller share | Illustrative platform residual |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $99 | 20% | 80% |
| $100 to $149 | 30% | 70% |
| $150 to $199 | 45% | 55% |
| $200 to $299 | 55% | 45% |
| $300 to $749 | 60% | 40% |
| $750 to $4,999 | 65% | 35% |
| Over $5,000 | 70% | 30% |
Bands shown for one category as proof of the answer. The full ladders — Handbags, Branded Fine Jewelry, Watches and Men’s Sneakers & Collectibles — are on the The RealReal seller commission page.
Worked example: $250 Clothing & More sale, Trendsetter
| Line | Charged on | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Selling Price | Base for the split (definition per the consignor terms, as indexed) | - | $250.00 |
| Your commission (seller share) | $250.00 | 55% (Clothing & More, $200 to $299 band) | $137.50 |
| The RealReal keeps (residual) | $250.00 | 45% | $112.50 |
A clothing item sells at a $250 Net Selling Price and you are a Trendsetter consignor. The Clothing & More chart puts $250 in the $200 to $299 band at 55%, so 55% × $250 = $137.50 to you and The RealReal keeps the $112.50 residual. The residual is derived arithmetic shown for clarity; it is not a published fee. US consignor, USD. See how Feebrief estimates seller fees.
RealReal Rewards can add up to 5 points on $200+ items
Rewards members may add percentage points to the chart rate on items of $200 or more: Influencer +1% (annual Net Sales of $1,500 to $4,999), Tastemaker +2% ($5,000 to $9,999) and VIP +5% ($10,000+); Trendsetter is not eligible. Verified on the Earnings Guide, 2026-11-01.
What this page is not
This page answers one question. For the full category-by-category ladders — Handbags, Branded Fine Jewelry, Watches, Men’s Sneakers & Collectibles — see the The RealReal commission tables. For the broader fees landscape, see The RealReal fees explained; for the overall take, how much The RealReal takes; and for payout timing — the 15th-of-month cycle, which is consignor-terms wording and stays soft here — see The RealReal payout time.
Official RealReal pages and as-of dates
Open each RealReal page before you consign. The Earnings Guide is the controlling source for every rate on this page.
- Earnings Guide: The RealReal Earnings Guide (captured 2026-11-01; every rate on this page; confirm on the live page)
- Consignor terms: Consignor terms (could not be loaded directly on 2026-11-01; wording as indexed where referenced, confirm on the live page)
- How to sell: How to sell on The RealReal (fetched 2026-11-01)
The RealReal consignment fee FAQ
Does The RealReal charge a consignment fee?
Yes — in effect. Consignors are not charged a flat fee; The RealReal pays a commission: Net Selling Price × a commission rate set by category and sold-price band, and the platform keeps the residual. That residual, typically 30% to 80% of the Net Selling Price depending on the band, is the consignment fee in practice. Rates verified on The RealReal’s Earnings Guide, 2026-11-01.
What percent does The RealReal keep?
On Clothing & More at the Trendsetter tier the platform’s residual runs from 80% on a $0–$99 sale down to 30% over $5,000 — the mirror of the seller-share bands in the table above. Other categories band differently; the full Handbags, Branded Fine Jewelry, Watches and Men’s Sneakers & Collectibles ladders are on Feebrief’s The RealReal seller commission page.
Does the rate change with the item’s price?
Yes. The commission rate is banded by Net Selling Price: on Clothing & More a $99 sale pays 20% to the consignor while a $100 sale pays 30%, rising to 70% over $5,000. Whether a discounted sale is banded on the pre- or post-discount price is consignor-terms wording we could not load directly, so confirm on the live page.
Is the “up to 85%” ad claim the handbag rate?
No. Some RealReal marketing copy has shown “up to 85%” for bags, but the Earnings Guide’s Handbags tab tops out at 80% on sales over $7,500. The 85% figure appears at the top of the Watches tab; the full ladders are on Feebrief’s commission page. Confirm any marketing claim against the Guide.
Do I pay anything upfront to consign?
The Earnings Guide describes a commission model — you are paid a share when an item sells — and prints no upfront fee. Anything beyond that page, such as return shipping or unsold-item handling, is governed by the consignor terms, which could not be loaded directly on 2026-11-01; confirm on the live terms page before consigning.
Related fee guides
- The RealReal seller commission: the full category-by-category tables (Handbags, Branded Fine Jewelry, Watches, Men’s Sneakers & Collectibles).
- The RealReal fees explained: the broader fees landscape.
- How much does The RealReal take?
- The RealReal payout time: when consignors get paid.
- Resale marketplace fees compared
Disclaimer
Commission rates, bands and Rewards tiers change and can vary by category, status and promotions. Feebrief is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by The RealReal, and has no live calculator for this platform; this page is a static guide. Terms we could not load directly are attributed as indexed and may differ on the live site. Always check The RealReal’s official pages and your own consignor statement for the amount that will actually be paid. Examples exclude sales tax, shipping or pickup costs and any optional add-ons unless stated.