Is Vestiaire Collective legit and is Vestiaire Collective authentic? Is Vestiaire Collective a good deal?

Did you know that you can find many of the same items that are available as second-hand at Vestiaire Collective on italist, brand new, for way less than retail? Read on for examples!

Vestiaire Collective is a peer to peer sales platform, so all of its items are sourced from individuals rather than directly from brands or retail partners.

italist is U.S.-based but rooted in close relationships with the best independent Italian luxury boutiques, along with many Italian team members. 

italist sells only new, unused merchandise, and verifies its product sourcing with strict contractual agreements and individual invoices that prove the authenticity of any single item. Any item listed on italist is backed by a contract and an invoice with the brand.

Additionally, italist offers free express shipping on every order, a broad catalog of over 1,500 brands, a strong social media following, and two-way communication with all our shoppers, even when there’s a problem.

Is Vestiaire Collective legit?

We can’t answer the question is Vestiaire Collective legit, but italist is legit and has been since 2014, operating from offices in Los Angeles and with extensive documentation of its legitimacy, including a 50-point partner checklist and good standing with the Better Business Bureau of Los Angeles.

Vestiaire Collective has been in business since 2009, as one of the early online platforms for peer-to-peer fashion and luxury resale, but it also has a massive customer service problem, outlined by this Reddit thread.

Is Vestiaire Collective authentic? Many users have complained that the company’s customer care is lacking, that its buyer protections are suboptimal, and that there are lots of opportunities for scams.

Is Vestiaire Collective a good deal?

Because Vestiaire Collective deals in luxury resale, meaning the goods have come from individuals, some of the pricing is lower than retail, but italist still has lower prices on many items, even though italist’s goods are brand new and unused. Isn’t that crazy?

italist sells at the Italian price, which is lower than anywhere else in the world for high-end and designer luxury goods.

See below for examples of italist’s price beating Vestiaire Collective’s price, even though italist’s goods are brand new and Vestiaire Collective’s are often used or without tags.

So is Vestiaire Collective legit? We cannot say, but here is a quick comparison of italist vs. Vestiaire Collective:

italist vs. Vestiaire Collective

	italist	Vestiaire Collective
Free Express Shipping	4 business days, always	Varies by location
Product Sourcing	Brands and Retailers	Individuals
Brand New, In-Season	Yes	No
Certification	From the brand (contract + invoice)	Internal Team, costs $15
Rating on Trustpilot	4.5	3.4
Rating on Sitejabber	4.1	2.5

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About the Author

Alex English is the Head of Content Marketing at italist.com, building on a lifelong passion for fashion and luxury. After publishing a lifestyle blog for nearly ten years and obtaining an MBA in Milan at SDA Bocconi, one of Europe’s top business schools, he joined the italist team in 2019. His work since then has focused on upper-funnel messaging, brand storytelling, establishing italist as a thought leader in the space, and enriching the customer experience on the platform. Find him on LinkedIn.