Hunting on Fashionphile

Fashionphile is not really like any other designer consignment shop. Most of the sites I shop on have hundreds of thousands of products. On most sites you can tell that the products are uploaded as quickly as possible, with not a whole lot of care given to photos or product descriptions. This is not so on Fashionphile. No, on Fashionphile bags are photographed in all their crystal clear glory, product descriptions are meaty, and you can actually read the “condition” section to get an accurate feel for the condition of the bag.

When I want to research a new bag I go to Fashionphile, when I want to check average bag prices I go to Fashionphile, when I am having a bad day and need some window shopping therapy I go to Fashionphile!

To date I have spent $440 on Fashionphile… Why so little you ask? I know I have spent over $5,000 on used products on The RealReal. The answer is simple, while Fashionphile has beautiful photos of handbags, and their bag pricing is incredibly competitive, Fashionphile only sells handbags, shoes, and accessories. I purchase the majority of my designer clothing used, and The RealReal is by far the best site for purchasing used or new-with-tags designer clothing. And the second reason? No Affirm.

Okay but unlike The RealReal, Fashionphile with their narrow assortment is easy to shop. But some tips can help you navigate their site.

Tips to Hunting on Fashionphile

1. Shop their Sales

First and foremost- Their SALES. The sales on Fashionphile are to die for. I am not kidding.

“Fashionphile does not offer regular sales events. We discount select items after they have been available for an extended period of time on our website. Items which have been available for 30 days get discounted 10%; at 60 days they are discounted 20% and after 90 days the prices are discounted 30% off of the original price.” –Fashionphile’s FAQs

Okay so you see a bag you like and it hits the New Arrivals page that day, and you obviously know when the bag was loaded that day because you are consistently checking their new arrivals every day (like me ☺). Well mark your calendar because on day 30 that bag is going to be reduced 10%, and so on.

The very first thing to check if you have never been to Fashionphile is their Last Call. These are products that have been there more than 90 days and will increase in percent discount by 1% each day until day 15, meaning you can get up to 45% of their already discounted prices.

Now for their “Outlet” on eBay, I say skip it!! No one has time to get in a bidding war on products, and their eBay page gets too much exposure for you to ever score a killer deal.

2. Check out New Arrivals

This is the best new arrivals page for ogling at gorgeous preloved deisgner items anywhere. I check the page every day, many times multiple times a day!

There is an excellent mix of all kinds of bags, products & designers. The first product on this page actually was the last product to be uploaded. If you are shopping during a weekday you can keep refreshing the page every hour or so to see the newest products! If you catch the perfect bag a the perfect price buy it right away because popular bags will sell quickly.

3. Search What Your Hunting For

So you’ve looked at their new arrivals and “last call” and didn’t see what you are looking for- now what? I say search. Because they have less products than many of their competitors, the names and descriptions of their bags, shoes and accessories are accurate. If you search “Sac Du Jour” you are only going to see Saint Laurent Sac Du Jours and trust me, you will see all of them.

Once you see a bag you want and want to track it to see if it goes on sale, I also suggest foregoing their “New Discount Alert” as in my experience (with many bags) it does not alert you on the first day the bag is marked down. Instead I say bookmark the product you want to buy and check it every day– preferably in the morning.

Alright so now you’ve found the exact bag you want at a price that works, unfortunately unlike many consignment websites Fashionphile does not use Affirm! What they do have is layaway! I have never used it, but you can find out more about Fashionphile’s layaway on their site.

Fashionphile Pros & Cons

Pros

• Reliable authentication– I have never heard of someone seeing a product on Fashionphile that was not real! Check out their authentication quiz!
• Excellent New Arrivals Page– Just come here and stare
• Perfect Photos & Descriptions– The absolute best photos in the industry makes Fashionphile is a wonderful resource for photos to help you authenticate bags
• Layaway?– I’ve never used it but it is an option for you

Cons

• No Apparel– Not necessarily a con, but this is not a site where you can buy clothing
• No Affirm– I love Affirm so the lack of it makes me buy from Fashionphile way less than I would otherwise (probably a good thing for my bank account)

Happy Hunting!