Evangeline Li is a high-net-worth curator based in London, who loves to shop luxury resale. Li spends anywhere between $70 to over $6,800 on clothing, accessories, leather goods and jewelry in a single session, and typically uses higher-end online platforms for her purchases — as opposed to less curated apps, such as Vinted or Depop. “What I value most is global access to rare finds, alongside reliable authentication services that provide reassurance when purchasing high-value items,” she says. Right now, her favorites list on luxury antique platform 1stDibs includes a Chanel 1996 Gripoix melted-glass necklace, currently listed at $8,000, and another resin design from the spring 1994 collection, at $3,600. She has also used Vestiaire Collective to sell fur coats — “traffic is really good, and usually, [the items are] sold within a week” — or to snag Bottega Veneta and Dior handbags.
Li is just one of many luxury shoppers enjoying the taste and acuity increasingly available through online and IRL vintage services, with resale companies keen to capitalize. Just days ago, the cult Paris-founded resale platform Resee announced an exclusive online service tailored to its high-net-worth (HNW) clients. Named The Circle, the subscription-based club provides members with early access to newly stocked vintage designer goods and faster shipping times for roughly $416 per year. Or, all of that and the option to reserve items, extend return times, and enjoy private sales, invite-only events and masterclasses — say, examining vintage jewelry with a gemologist, or learning about Hermès’s leather classification with a craftsman — for $710.
The move is exemplary of a shift now underway across the luxury resale market, servicing an appetite for sustained, year-round access and proximity to exceptional pieces. “In luxury, loyalty is rarely transactional; it is relational,” says Resee co-founder Sofia Bernardin. “In primary luxury, [HNW shoppers] are accustomed to cultivating long-term relationships with sales associates who understand their taste, preferences, and purchasing rhythms.” Initiatives such as The Circle take away the fragmented and opportunist elements we might associate with resale, adding value through consumer experience and editorially streamlined product.
As for extra-high-value items, such as Hermès handbags, Li prefers auctions or specialized private boutiques that allow her to inspect the condition in-person. Global Boutique on Bond Street, for example, will share a WeChat with preliminary photographs of a Kelly bag, detailing its stamp and year, plus a quoted price. Li can then book an appointment to view the product. “It’s very time-efficient,” she says. Additionally, Li relies on personal shoppers — often recommended by friends — who maintain consistent rapport with her, often via Whatsapp or email, providing speedy responses and alerts that feel “genuinely tailored” rather than broadly promotional. It’s clear that a sense of value in service, as well as vintage goods, is integral to Li’s consumer journey. “Curated salon events and private access are among the most compelling aspects of contemporary resale,” she explains. “These settings can also lead to unexpected discoveries: items one might never have purchased online, or pieces that would otherwise require significant waiting lists in primary retail.”
Resale has matured, to provide that level of service. At first, explains Bernardin, growth in the sector came down to access and price advantage alone. Now, as clients have become better informed and more discerning, expectations have shifted. As well as curation, platforms such as Resee craft content around their goods, cement a point of view, highlight provenance, and demonstrate rigorous quality control through cleaning and restoration protocols on a par with primary luxury maisons. After all, these clients — Resee’s average order value is $1,800 — are not ostensibly price-sensitive, but “value-sensitive”. Bernardin puts it as such: “They want to understand why a piece matters — historically, aesthetically, culturally. Context is important and confidence in condition is essential.” This hyper-personalized clienteling has gone digital, too. “Being online does not justify impersonal service,” says Bernardin. “It’s about pairing the efficiency of a digital platform with the depth and intimacy of human connection.”
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To progress and increase average ticket value, platforms like Resee will need to level up. The benchmark for this kind of clienteling is high. As well as traditional boutiques, institutionally esteemed services, such as auction houses and antique resellers, have long been privy to the needs of VIP customers, and have adapted accordingly — albeit via a less formally structured framework. “We do cater to VIPs who are looking for specific items and actively go out to find pieces for them,” says Kerry Taylor, founder of the eponymous fashion, costume, and textile auction house. “We only do this when we have a longstanding relationship with a client — be it a wealthy individual or a museum collector — where we know they will follow through quickly on the payment side and that they are willing to pay a premium for this exclusive access to a piece.”
For other platforms tapping in, the expectation of fast payment and consistent shopping must be matched by experience and guided discoveries. Fflur Roberts, head of luxury at market research firm Euromonitor, underscores the importance of building “high-touch” (close and involved) client relationships in contemporary resale. This type of white-glove treatment, now growingly available, enraptures shoppers. Take Melody Chan, a Hong Kong-based brand consultant, who invests roughly $8,000 to $9,000 per year on resale and vintage. She uses The RealReal (which also offers a tiered membership granting early access to items, secret sales, and speedy delivery) alongside Vestiaire, 1stDibs, and tightly curated boutique-platform hybrids, such as Baraboux — London’s by-appointment showroom and rental service frequented by Kylie Jenner.
Chan also enjoys “edit-driven” boutiques and “hidden gems” such as Paris’s Nuovo, Les Archives, and Entremains. Coincidentally, the latter store offers a members-only early access club for its monthly online drops, also called The Circle. “What I love about these places is that they’re not just stores, they’re experiences,” says Chan. “You walk in, you talk to someone who knows the collections inside out, and you often leave with something you didn’t know you were looking for.” That same experience matters online. “I love when a platform gives me a sense of discovery, but also the tools to understand the piece,” she says, mentioning the role of editorial content, styling cues, and information on provenance. Like many big spenders in this lucrative market, she enjoys the hunt, but also values the experience of being guided toward something special, “like you’re being let in on a secret”.
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At 1stDibs — a platform built on the playbook of a traditional antique market — discovery and categorized online merchandising serve as the internet’s answer to curated in-store displays. Collections are themed (“The ’90s, Revisited”, for example) and presented alongside written stories (“The William Klein fashion photo that broke the house rules at Vogue”). A private client specialist team works behind the scenes, with each staff member offering expertise in a given sector, be it fine jewelry or fashion. “These in-house experts act as the client’s concierge, providing assistance on all manner of requests throughout the acquisition process — from offering bespoke shopping recommendations, to handling delivery logistics,” says Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director at 1stDibs. Plus, even clients who prefer to shop more independently are never far from added insight. “In addition to our private clients, we are well aware that we have many equally discerning high-volume and repeat customers who prefer to shop discreetly and quietly on their own, following their own passions,” explains Freund. “We ensure these clients have the support of our concierge team if they require it, and enjoy the safety and security that 1stDibs offers as they navigate the site and purchasing process.”
This demand for guided discovery is thriving. Last year, Resee — born in Paris — opened an office and studio in the US, meaning they could source, photo, and list pieces locally. The milestone also meant that its most important client base — the US accounts for 50% and France for 35% — would be better served and more sellers could engage. Since opening, 70% of the items sourced in the US are sold there, again reflecting the hunger and trust underpinning this market. The Circle, in many ways, is a logical next step, according to Bernardin, with its rationale “more behavioral than conceptual”.
She continues: “Over the past few years, we observed that our most loyal clients were already engaging with us in a way that resembled membership. They were purchasing multiple times per year, responding immediately to curated drops, and consistently asking for early access to exceptional pieces. It became clear that we were not creating a new demand, but rather formalizing an existing one.”
Facilitating selling as well as buying
In this circular economy, HNW shoppers are often resellers. Vestiaire Collective has been savvy to this. Last May, it launched a VIP consignment program, alongside its original peer-to-peer model. The selective service — available across much of Europe, the US and the UK — has been designed to reduce hassle and “elevate the resale journey even further, particularly for customers who are not interested in self-listing,” explains Thomas Hezard, chief strategy and people officer at Vestiaire Collective. Individuals apply via a waiting list, and, provided the caliber of brands they have for sale are up to scratch, they will be enrolled. From there, members are assigned a dedicated consignment manager, who guides them through the selling journey. So far, the users of this service include celebrities, content creators, and tastemakers with “enviable closets”. As part of the program, their wares are amplified in targeted marketing, curated sales, and exclusive trunk shows. “We believe that while resale is secondhand, the experience should never feel that way,” Hezard adds. “That belief is what inspired our program, and we plan to expand it [...] as luxury resale continues to grow exponentially compared to the firsthand market.”
Roberts cites ReSelfridges as a case in point. Department store Selfridges’s pre-loved offering and rental service is now available at every door — London, Manchester (Exchange Square and Trafford), and Birmingham — plus online. The circular initiative also includes repair services and consignment partners, such as The Handbag Clinic inside Selfridges’s flagship.
“For HNWIs [high-net-worth individuals], rental and curated resale are not compromises, but extensions of a considered, investment-driven luxury mindset,” Roberts explains. This consumer bracket not only prioritizes quality and the longevity of their items, but also the investment value. The rub? Many HNWIs increasingly err towards minimalist living, lesser consumption, and internationally nomadic lifestyles where long-term accumulation can be a burden. “This reduces the appeal of owning large quantities of luxury goods and possessions, and reinforces the desire for flexible, high-quality access to luxury items via rental platforms rather than permanent ownership.” Resale also thrives in this environment given the smaller, long-term commitment — if it’s being resold now, chances are, it can be resold again.
At its core, VIC resale will always need to feel seamless, exclusive and part of a broader, person-led experience that proves its worth in service, as well as in product quality. The opportunity here is for old guard boutiques to level up online, seizing the knowledge, authority and trust they already have with clients and applying it in a way that feels integrated, rather than siloed, from their already successful physical engagements. Equally, apps and peer-to-peer models should consider tiering their online consumer bases, recognizing that while mass engagement is great, the crème de la crème of luxury demands a bespoke experience, even if that’s digital. In both cases, HNW resellers and buyers must see quality in more than just the client’s final transaction; instead, in the courtship, before and after.
