New York—Unsurprisingly, as Americans lost jobs or moved during the pandemic last year, they were consigning more goods via companies like The RealReal.
From the first half to second half of 2020, the average monthly volume of new consigners on the luxury resale site rose 28 percent.
Of those, the largest percentage, 35 percent, were in the Gen Z or millennial demographic, according to the company’s annual resale report, which shares insights from the year prior and makes predictions for the current year.
French brands garner consigners the most bang for their buck, the report shows, providing the highest resale value of all items consigned, meaning the closest to the item’s original retail price.
The top fine jewelry brand per resale value in 2020 was Van Cleef & Arpels, which ranked as the second highest brand in terms of resale value across all categories.
The No. 3 brand overall was Louis Vuitton, No. 4 was Hermès, and at No. 5 was Chanel.
While these brands may have fine jewelry, high jewelry and/or watch collections, they boast large handbag and other accessory sales, so their results can’t be attributed to the jewelry and watch categories alone.
However, other jewelry- and watch-specific companies also made The RealReal’s top 10 list.
No. 6 was Rolex, followed by Patek Philippe at No. 7. Cartier, meanwhile, ranked No. 9.
The RealReal noted that Patek Philippe made the largest jump on the list this year, moving up three spots.
As the graphic above illustrates, proven, classic jewelry and watch items that are widely recognizable are in highest demand at the secondhand seller.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Alhambra” collection sells for 86 percent of its original retail price on average, and 90 percent of pieces sell within 30 days.
The Cartier “Love” collection sells for 78 percent of its original retail price on average, while the Tiffany & Co. “T” range earns 69 percent of its original retail price.
But contemporary independent brands are also gaining recognition amid the company’s savvy network of consigners and shoppers (53 percent of consigners also shop at The RealReal).
Suzanne Kalan’s average sale price has increased 25 percent year-over-year. Mizuki’s has increased 15 percent year-over-year, and Temple St. Clair’s has increased 12 percent year-over-year.
Foundrae is one of the company’s hottest contemporary fine jewelry brands, the report shows.
One-hundred percent of Foundrae pieces sell within the first 30
