This article was also published on the author’s personal WeChat public account.

Recently there has been a Chase Offer at TheRealReal: spend $25, get $25 back. Originally, I was only planning to write about the Chase Offer, but then...

TheRealReal itself is kind of interesting, because you can get items for free even without the Chase Offer. But note: TheRealReal is a secondhand marketplace.

If that bothers you, you can always pick something else. You could also consider:

  • After getting the item, resell it again through TheRealReal or another resale marketplace. That effectively makes your cost basis $0, and at scale you might even make decent money. For example, you might resell on some platform for $10/item.
  • Donate the item after getting it. That’s a zero-cost way to do something nice, similar to donating clothes you no longer want.

See below for details.

About The RealReal

In short, it’s an online secondhand department store. Before this deal, I hadn’t really paid attention to the site, but after a quick look, even without the Chase Offer you may still be able to get some small items for free or very cheaply, such as T-shirts, dress shirts, and other clothing pieces. Secondhand warning applies.

Get $25 when you sign up

This store gives you $25 in store credit just for signing up. You can see it on the homepage:

  • https://www.therealreal.com/

After registering, you’ll get a code. Copy it to the checkout page to use it. To avoid forgetting it later, I suggest picking any item and pretending to buy it so you can redeem the code right away. Then just abandon checkout. That way, the code will be saved to your account.

After that, you can see it on the right side of the webpage or on the Credits page.

The Credits are valid for one week:

If you forget the code, check your email; it’s there too.

The nice quirk with this credit is that it can cover tax and shipping. As long as your post-tax total including shipping is within $25, it’s basically free.

Shopping Portals

At the moment, only Rakuten is offering cashback for TheRealReal (2.5% for new users). For more about Rakuten, please see the companion post from this same issue.

Rakuten sign-up (bonus currently back to $30/3,000 MR):

Chase Offer (not required)

This offer is targeted, so not everyone has it. Some people may have it on multiple cards, while others may not have it at all. That said, if your goal is just to get free clothing from the secondhand market, you don’t actually need this offer. If you do have it, you can get something a bit more expensive for free or close to free.

Offer details:

  • Spend $25 at The RealReal, get $25 back
  • Expires April 8, 2021
  • Screenshot below; image provided by readers from the WeChat group

How to buy

Once you have the $25 credit, it’s hard not to use it. As mentioned above, the credit can cover all charges. If you don’t have the Chase Offer, the simplest approach is to buy one inexpensive clothing item. I’ve already prepared the link for you:

I have no idea what the quality will be like, but buying something priced at $10 or $10.5 can be completely free. For a $12 item, you’d need to pay a little over $1 out of pocket. Be sure to watch the sizing.

1️ Add the item you want to your cart.

2️ Go back to Rakuten (2.5%) and click through to TheRealReal using the portal link.

If it’s free anyway, why bother using a shopping portal?

First, habit. Second, many merchants count store credit toward the purchase amount, which means you may still earn portal cashback similar to a credit card purchase. YMMV.

3️ At checkout, enter a credit card, but you may not actually be charged anything. In my case, the order ended up being completely free.

Then just wait for the order to ship.

If you have the Chase Offer, you can choose an item priced at $40 instead. In this example, the original price is $50, reduced to $40 after the site discount, and the final checkout price is $26.95. After the Chase Offer, your net cost would be $1.95.

If you’re aiming higher and don’t just want free stuff, and instead want to buy more expensive items you actually need, The RealReal also has a recent promotion. Link:

  • https://promotion.therealreal.com/shopmore-earnmore/

The details are shown directly in the image below:

  • Friendly reminder: secondhand item warning!!!