Kopen
Reading preloved condition grades
“Excellent” means one thing on The RealReal, another on Fashionphile and nothing at all in Vestiaire’s guide. How to read the word, and the photos that matter more.
Het team van Worth the Bag, 31 okt 2026
Dit verhaal is nog niet beschikbaar in uw taal, dus hier leest u het in het Engels.
“Excellent” is not a condition. It is a word, and what it means depends on who typed it.
That matters more than most buyers assume, because a grade is often the only thing separating two listings at very different prices. Here is what the platforms themselves say the words mean. One thing first: this is not an authentication guide. Nothing below tells you whether a bag is genuine, and no grade, box or receipt will do that for you.
One word, four dictionaries
| Platform | Top used grades, in its own words | Who picks the grade |
|---|---|---|
| The RealReal | Excellent: essentially identical to a new version without the tags. Very good: minor signs of wear, clean and presentable. | The platform |
| Fashionphile | Excellent: clean, very little wear, notable flaws stated. Very good: some wear and signs of use. | The platform |
| Vestiaire Collective | Its visual guide shows Very good, Good and Fair, with example photos of defects. No “Excellent” appears in it. | The seller, against the platform’s requirements |
| Vinted | Very good: gently used, minor imperfections. Good: regularly used, shows wear. | The seller |
Read across and two traps appear.
The first is that the ladders do not line up. “Very good” on The RealReal sits below a grade that is nearly new. On Vinted, the same phrase is defined as “a gently-used item in excellent condition”. Vestiaire’s visual guide shows spots and corner defects already at Very good. Same two words, three different bags.
The second is who is holding the pen. Vinted asks sellers to be “as accurate and objective as possible”, and advises that if they are unsure, they should pick the lower grade. That is decent advice, but it is advice. When the person grading the bag is also the person being paid for it, you read the grade accordingly.
When the person grading the bag is also the person being paid for it, you read the grade accordingly.
We deal with the mismatch on this site by translating labels into one scale before computing anything, which is why Vestiaire’s “Very good” counts as our excellent in our resale figures. Our methodology sets out the rule.
What to look at instead
The platforms’ own definitions double as a checklist, and they keep naming the same spots.
Corners. Fashionphile lists slightly worn corners under Very good. Vestiaire shows corner defects at every grade. Corners touch everything, so they tell you about real use.
Handles. Fashionphile mentions slight darkening in handles under Good. Look at the part a hand actually holds.
Hardware. Tarnish appears under Fashionphile’s Very good, and scratches or oxidation under Vestiaire’s Good and Fair.
Leather surface. Look for creases and surface scratches. Vestiaire’s guide also has a category for dyed leather, which is worth asking about directly if a colour looks suspiciously fresh.
Inside and smell. Photos rarely show either, so ask. Vestiaire says any hygiene-related defect leads to cancellation of the sale, and The RealReal says consigned items must be clean and free of stains or smells.
There is one rule that catches people out. Vestiaire’s buyer conditions say a defect that is visible in the photos or clearly described in the listing means the item counts as compliant. In other words, once you have bought it, a flaw in photo six is a flaw you accepted. So read the photos before you read the word.
What box, dust bag and receipt do to price
Here we can offer less certainty than the internet does, and we think that is the useful part.
We found no independent dataset on this. What exists comes from resellers, who have a commercial interest. Rome Station’s article on the subject gives 15 to 40 percent above a bag alone in one place, 20 to 30 in another, 15 to 30 in a third and 15 to 25 in a fourth, with no data behind any of it, and a sister article says plainly that “there is no universal percentage”. Confidential Couture, asked whether a box and receipt increase resale value, answers “For the most part, yes… but not significantly”, and adds that the condition of the bag matters most.
So print no percentage on your mental receipt. A fuller set helps, by an amount nobody has shown us. Grade and set are separate questions as well: Fashionphile notes that an item in any condition might come with all its original components, and its Comes With section tells you which.
Two practical points follow. Ask what “full set” means in this listing, because the phrase has no fixed definition. And do not treat paperwork as proof. Rome Station, which has every reason to sell you on full sets, still warns that a receipt “does not authenticate the bag on its own”.
How to compare two listings
Same bag, same size, ideally the same platform. Line up the photos, read the flaws in the description, then note what comes with each. Our item pages show preloved prices and sample sizes, with the condition mix behind them explained in the methodology.
The grade tells you where to start looking. It cannot do the looking for you.
De Brief
Eén e-mail per week: één tas, één getal, één mening, elke bevestigde verhoging en de beste tweedehands besparing in uw land.