Vinted vs The RealReal: peer sale vs consignment
The real difference between Vinted and The RealReal isn't a percentage point — it's who gets billed, and for what. Vinted is a peer-to-peer marketplace: the US seller pays $0 and keeps 100% of the item price, and the buyer pays a Vinted fee — usually 5% + $0.70 — that varies by order. The RealReal runs consignment: the buyer pays the listed price, the item passes through The RealReal's authentication intake, and the consignor receives a seller-share payout, with the clothing Trendsetter band running 20%–70%. One model bills the shopper for an unauthenticated P2P sale; the other bills the seller a share that buys authenticated handling. This page maps both rulebooks, runs one $250 clothing item through each model, and shows why the two can't be collapsed into a single percentage.
Last updated . Vinted figures follow the fee pricelist in Vinted's US help center, which the marketplace itself last updated 10/08/2026; The RealReal figures follow Feebrief's commission research, with the full price-tier table living at the RealReal seller-commission parent page. United States, USD throughout. Worked figures model the item price by itself — shipping and applicable taxes are excluded.
Feebrief is independent and unaffiliated with either marketplace. Feebrief has no live calculator embedded on this doorway page, and no live calculator for The RealReal; the full Vinted fee guide, including the buyer-fee pricelist detail, lives at Vinted fees. Where a figure below is derived rather than quoted, cents are rounded half-up, so a live invoice may differ by a penny. Rates move — confirm on the linked fee pages before pricing a listing.
At a glance: the fee sits on opposite sides of the sale
The whole gap fits in one sentence: Vinted bills the shopper, The RealReal bills the consignor. Vinted's single compulsory charge is a buyer-side fee on a peer-to-peer sale, while The RealReal's commission is carved out of the consignor's payout and bound up with its authentication intake. All figures are United States, USD.
| Cost item | Vinted (US, peer-to-peer) | The RealReal (US, consignment) |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Peer-to-peer marketplace — sellers list and ship directly to buyers | Consignment — items enter through The RealReal's intake and authentication, then sell on its site |
| Seller cost | $0 — no commission withheld; the seller receives 100% of the item price | Seller-share commission: on clothing, the Trendsetter band pays consignors 20%–70% of the sale price |
| Buyer cost | Vinted fee, usually 5% + $0.70 — the exact calculation varies | The listed price |
| Authentication | None — peer-to-peer, no authentication step | Included — intake and authentication by The RealReal |
| Who pays the platform | The shopper — the fee is added to the buyer's total at checkout | The consignor — the platform nets its share out of the sale before issuing any payout |
How Vinted fees work (US)
What sellers pay
On Vinted's side of the table the answer is $0. The US fee terms contain no seller commission and no seller-side processing line, so payout and item price are the same figure — all 100% of it lands with the seller. Nothing is earmarked for authentication either, because a peer-to-peer sale has no intake desk verifying items for either party. To see that $0 line unpacked in plain language, start at does Vinted charge sellers?
What buyers pay
On Vinted the charge lands on the shopper: usually 5% of the item price plus $0.70, applied at checkout. Vinted states plainly that the math varies — item characteristics, order value, and single-item versus bundle all move the number. The fee schedule bears a 10/08/2026 update stamp. Because the charge rides on the buyer, a Vinted seller is really competing on all-in cost: see how the Vinted buyer fee works for the pass-through, and the complete schedule at Vinted fees.
How The RealReal commission works
The RealReal is not a listing marketplace — it's consignment. The consignor hands the item over, it passes through The RealReal's intake and authentication, and when it sells, the consignor receives a seller-share payout. On clothing, the Trendsetter seller-share band pays consignors 20%–70% of the sale price, with the exact share depending on the item's price band — the full tier table is deferred to The RealReal seller commission rather than restated here. What the commission share buys is the part of the story a flat comparison misses: authenticated intake, so the buyer is paying a price that already carries The RealReal's verification.
Two uplifts can raise a payout. The RealReal's Rewards program can add +1/+2/+5% on $200+ items — the tier varies — and taking the payout as site credit adds +5%. Both are hedged in the source record: they layer on top of the base seller share, and the exact uplift varies by tier and payout choice. When the money actually arrives matters too — payout timing is covered at The RealReal payout time.
Worked example: one $250 clothing item, both models
Same item, same $250.00 price, two entirely different fee events. United States, USD; the item price is modeled by itself, with shipping and applicable taxes excluded.
| Line | Vinted | The RealReal |
|---|---|---|
| Item price | $250.00 | $250.00 |
| Seller-side charge | $0.00 — the seller keeps the full $250.00 | Seller share: the consignor payout on a $250 clothing item is $137.50; the remainder is The RealReal's commission |
| Buyer-side charge | Vinted fee, usually 5% × $250.00 + $0.70 = $13.20 — the calculation varies | None beyond the listed price |
| Optional uplift | None on the fee side | Site-credit payout adds +5%: $137.50 × 1.05 = $144.38; Rewards can add +1/+2/+5% on this $200+ item — the tier varies |
| Authentication | Not included — the sale is peer-to-peer | Included — the item passes through The RealReal's authentication intake before it sells |
This table is where the not-apples-to-apples rule becomes impossible to miss. Vinted's $13.20 is paid by the buyer, for a peer-to-peer sale with no authentication. The RealReal's commission comes out of the consignor's side and is what buys authenticated intake. Comparing "usually 5% + $0.70" against "20%–70%" as a single percentage is meaningless, because the two numbers are charged to different people for different services. The honest framing is: on this example, the Vinted seller keeps $250.00 with no authentication in the transaction, while The RealReal consignor keeps $137.50 — up to $144.38 in site credit — with The RealReal's authentication standing behind the sale. The right share depends on the item's price band, not on a universal rate.
Vinted or The RealReal: how to choose
- Everyday clothing and you want the full price: Vinted's $0 seller line means the item price is the payout. Price with the buyer's all-in cost in mind, since the buyer fee usually lands on the shopper — see how the Vinted buyer fee passes through.
- Designer or luxury item where authenticity is the buyer's main worry: The RealReal's consignment model puts authentication inside the transaction. Accept the clothing seller-share band of 20%–70% as the cost of verified handling — the band detail is at The RealReal seller commission.
- Payout timing matters: a consignment payout doesn't land at the moment of sale — the schedule is broken down at The RealReal payout time.
- Want the uplift: if you'd shop The RealReal anyway, the +5% site-credit payout and tier-varying Rewards (+1/+2/+5% on $200+ items) raise the effective share — only worth it if you'll spend the credit.
Common questions
Does Vinted charge sellers?
No. In the US, Vinted's seller fee is $0 — the seller's payout equals the full item price — nothing is withheld. The Vinted fee in the transaction is paid by the buyer. Full walkthrough: does Vinted charge sellers?
What percentage does The RealReal take?
On clothing, the Trendsetter seller-share band pays consignors 20%–70% of the sale price, so The RealReal's commission is the remainder — and the exact share depends on the item's price band. Rewards and a site-credit payout can raise the consignor's side. The full tier table lives at The RealReal seller commission.
Who pays the fee on Vinted — the buyer or the seller?
The buyer. The Vinted fee is usually 5% + $0.70 and the exact calculation varies by order. Mechanics and pass-through: the Vinted buyer fee explained.
Can I compare the two platforms as a single percentage?
No — that's the trap this page exists to flag. Vinted charges the buyer a varying fee on an unauthenticated peer-to-peer sale; The RealReal charges the consignor a share that includes authenticated intake. Different payers, different services: the honest comparison is net proceeds per model, as shown in the $250 worked example above.
Sources and last updated
- Vinted fee pricelist, Vinted US help center — seller fee $0; buyer Vinted fee usually 5% + $0.70, calculation varies; pricelist last updated by Vinted 10/08/2026.
- The RealReal consignor commission — clothing Trendsetter seller-share band 20%–70%; Rewards +1/+2/+5% on $200+ items (tier varies); +5% site-credit payout — per Feebrief's commission research, with the full tier table at The RealReal seller commission.
- How Feebrief researches fees and Feebrief's disclosure.
Last updated . Non-clothing categories and shipping-cost handling are not covered in the source record for this page and are not guessed here — see the parent guides.
Disclaimer
Feebrief is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Vinted or The RealReal. Fee names, rates, and rules change; the figures on this page were checked on 2026-11-02 against the sources above, and derived amounts are rounded half-up. Nothing here is financial, tax, or legal advice — confirm current terms on each marketplace's own fee pages before pricing an item.