In this day and age of sustainable consumption, "anything goes" design, and truly excellent online commerce it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the bevy of options available at our collective fingertips—especially if you're looking to go beyond Craigslist basics and venture into the world of higher-end goods and antiques on the cheap. Well, relatively cheap.
For the uninitiated, The RealReal (TRR) is a luxury resale site with a few IRL outposts across the country. It's highly selective about the brands it'll take and even more selective about the goods it'll accept from those brands. Spending time on the site just browsing (and oh, browse you shall!) is a great way to get acquainted with brands, artists, and eras of furniture. It's also great to have someone else vouching for the quality and cleanliness of an item if you're new to the secondhand game.
The Home section is chock-full of delightful finds, from this midcentury table (Only $95! Someone buy this, please. It's so fun!) to this expensive and gorgeous Maira Kalman print. You can find things you may not even be looking for, like this Supreme sake set or registry classics like these Tiffany & Co. crystal Champagne flutes.
Save a search on something they may not even have in stock and TRR will alert you if it becomes available, or heart an item you want to keep your eye on (things are frequently on sale). If you're not on the hunt for anything particular, you can just set the max amount of money you would like to spend and begin to browse. If you do end up selecting something that's massed-produced (usually for smaller items), it's always good to do a quick check against eBay or Amazon, which sometimes have lower prices (but don't guarantee quality).
Depending on your purchase, the shipping can take it from a steal to something more pricey, but you are saving time and effort on figuring out a shipping or pick-up situation on your own. You can also pick up from the brick-and-mortar stores in New York and Los Angeles if logistics and shlepping are your thing. Either way, buying used furniture and decor not only makes sense for your wallet, it's also an easy way to adopt a more eco-friendly approach to furnishing a home so you get a warm feel-good glow with every purchase. Let the secondhand shopping begin!
