I still have the first dust bag I ever received from an order I placed in 2016. It was a crisp, fall afternoon, and I had spent three weeks obsessing over a vintage Gucci Jackie bag that was listed for a price that seemed too good to be true. When the box finally arrived, featuring that signature branding, I realized that the luxury resale market wasn't just about buying used clothes—it was about accessibility.
That single purchase kicked off a seven-year obsession where I transitioned from a nervous buyer to a full-time seller, moving over $40,000 worth of inventory through the platform.
For a long time, the platform felt like the best-kept secret in the fashion world. While everyone else was digging through disorganized bins or fighting lowballers on eBay, this specific marketplace felt curated, safe, and surprisingly easy to navigate. But as we all know, the landscape of resale shifts rapidly.
Quick overview The Tradesy website has officially ceased independent operations and migrated to Vestiaire Collective as of late 2022. While you can no longer access the original site to buy or sell, understanding how it functioned offers a masterclass in luxury flipping, especially regarding authentication and shipping logistics.
The golden era of selling Tradesy handbags
When I first started selling, the interface felt lightyears ahead of the competition. If you have been in the game as long as I have, you remember how clunky Poshmark felt in 2015.
The Tradesy website had this incredible image cleanup tool. You could take a photo of a bag on your messy bedspread, and the algorithm would isolate the item and slap it onto a stark white background. It made my amateur closet cleanout look like a professional boutique.
I remember listing a beat-up Balenciaga City bag in November 2017. I bought it at a local consignment shop for $200. It had worn corners and a missing zipper pull. I used the cleanup tool, wrote a description that was honest about the flaws, and listed it.
It sold in four hours for $550.
This was the magic of Tradesy handbags. The buyers there weren't looking for garage sale prices. They were looking for specific, authenticated luxury, and they were willing to pay for the assurance that they weren't buying a fake.
Navigating the Tradesy app versus the desktop
For the longest time, I refused to use the mobile version. I am a creature of habit, and I liked having my spreadsheets open on one monitor while I listed on the other.
But eventually, the Tradesy app forced my hand. They started rolling out features that were mobile-exclusive, or at least much easier to access via phone. The notification system was aggressive, in a good way.
I recall sitting at a dinner party in 2019 when my phone buzzed. It was a "Price Drop" alert for a pair of Chloe boots I had liked six months prior. They had dropped from $450 to $175. I excused myself, went to the bathroom, and bought them in two minutes flat.
The app was designed to create urgency. As a seller, I learned to leverage this. I would intentionally price my Tradesy bags about 20% higher than I wanted, just so I could trigger that specific notification for "likers" when I dropped the price later.
The specific economy of Tradesy purses and pricing
Here's where it gets interesting regarding the math. The commission structure was always a point of contention. For a long time, they took a flat commission of $7.50 for items under $50, and 19.8% for items over $50.
To the uninitiated, nearly 20% sounds steep. But you had to factor in what you were getting. They handled returns in a way that protected the seller (mostly), and they provided a shipping kit.
I cannot overstate how much I miss the shipping kit.
When you sold Tradesy purses, they would send you a box, a dust bag, and a pre-printed label. You didn't have to weigh anything. You didn't have to measure dimensions. You just waited for the kit, stuffed the bag in, and dropped it off.
I once sold a massive Louis Vuitton Keepall 55. If I had to ship that on eBay, the dimensional weight would have cost me $60. On this platform, it was covered. That convenience kept me loyal long after other platforms lowered their fees.
Finding the elusive Tradesy coupon code
If there was one thing that drove traffic to the site more than anything else, it was the aggressive marketing.
Buyers were constantly hunting for a Tradesy coupon. The site was famous for its "Save $50 on your first purchase of $400+" offers. As a seller, this was brilliant because the discount didn't come out of my pocket—it came out of the platform's cut.
I remember a specific week in 2020, right at the start of the pandemic. Sales had flatlined. I was staring at a shelf of inventory that wasn't moving. Then, a Tradesy promo code dropped for Memorial Day.
Suddenly, my phone blew up. I sold five items in one weekend.
However, this created a specific type of buyer psychology. I noticed that tradesies (as some of the forum users affectionately called themselves) rarely bought full price. They would "heart" an item and wait. And wait. And wait. They were waiting for that tradesy coupon code to hit their inbox.
This taught me patience. I stopped panicking when a new listing didn't sell in 24 hours. I knew the buyers were just waiting for the right email from corporate.
The high stakes of selling Tradesy Louis Vuitton
The bread and butter of the platform was always Louis Vuitton. If you searched for Tradesy Louis Vuitton, you would find thousands of results.
But this is also where I experienced my first major failure.
In early 2018, I sourced a vintage LV Speedy 30 from an estate sale. It looked perfect to me. The date code was correct, the stitching was yellow (not bright yellow), and the hardware had the right weight. I listed it for $600.
It sold, but then the platform's authentication team flagged it. They claimed it was a "super fake."
I was mortified. Not only did I lose the sale, but they also charged me a penalty fee. I was convinced they were wrong. I paid a third-party authenticator (ProAuthenticators) to review it, and they confirmed it was actually authentic, but from a very specific production year that had slight variations.
It took me three weeks of emailing support to get my account standing back to normal. It was a harsh lesson: even the experts get it wrong sometimes, and when you are playing in the Tradesy bags arena, you are at the mercy of their authenticators.
(I still have that bag, by the way. I couldn't bring myself to sell it after that ordeal.)
Making the transition: Where the website went
Now the tricky part for anyone trying to visit the Tradesy website today. If you type in the URL, you get redirected to Vestiaire Collective.
The acquisition happened because the resale market was consolidating. Vestiaire Collective is a massive European player, and acquiring the US-based platform gave them a foothold in America.
The migration was... messy.
I had about 150 active listings when the merge happened. We were promised a seamless transition. In reality, about 20 of my listings disappeared into the digital void. Photos were cropped weirdly. Descriptions were cut off.
The culture shock was also real. Vestiaire is much stricter about condition reports. On the old site, you could be a bit conversational in your description. On Vestiaire, it feels very clinical.
Also, the fees changed. The calculation became more complex, involving processing fees and different tiers based on the item price.
Current alternatives for Tradesy bags
If you are a buyer missing the old days, or a seller looking for that specific audience, you have to diversify.
I currently list my high-end items on three main platforms:
-
Vestiaire Collective: This is the direct successor. The audience is global, which is a huge plus. I sold a Fendi baguette to a buyer in Paris last month. That never would have happened on the old site.
-
Poshmark: For items under $500, this is where the volume is. The authentication service for items over $500 is decent, though slower than I’d like.
-
The RealReal: I use this only for items I am tired of looking at. You send it in, they do the work, but the payout is significantly lower.
And for sourcing? I still hunt for mislabeled items on Mercari or local auctions.
Tools I use to manage the new landscape
Since the "one-stop-shop" days are over, I have to be more organized.
I use Google Lens constantly for identification. If I find a bag without a name, Lens usually finds the model within seconds.
For pricing, I actually use eBay Sold Listings more than anything else. It gives the most accurate representation of what someone is willing to pay today, not what a boutique thinks it's worth.
To keep my sanity while listing across Vestiaire, Poshmark, and eBay, I rely on automation. I use Closo to automate cross-listing my inventory – saves me about 3 hours weekly by letting me draft once and publish everywhere.
And for photos, I use Lightroom Mobile. The old "cleanup tool" is gone, so I have to make sure my white balance is perfect manually.
People always ask me: Was the Tradesy coupon actually legitimate?
Common question I see in forums is whether those old coupons were too good to be true.
They were legitimate, but they were often subsidized by high seller fees. That 19.8% cut I mentioned earlier? That is what paid for the $50 off coupon.
In a way, we (the sellers) were paying for the buyers' discounts. It was a marketing tax. I didn't mind it because it moved inventory, but it is important to understand the economics of it.
Common question I see: Is Vestiaire safe for Tradesy Louis Vuitton buyers?
Yes, but the process is different. Vestiaire has a two-step shipping process. The seller ships to a hub (usually in New York or France), the hub checks the item, and then ships to the buyer.
This adds time. On the old platform, I could get a bag to a customer in 3 days. On Vestiaire, it often takes 10 to 14 days.
However, their authentication is rigorous. After my "super fake" scare years ago, I actually appreciate the extra scrutiny now. It protects the ecosystem.
Why "Tradesies" was more than just a website
There was a community aspect to the old platform that I haven't found elsewhere. The forums were active. People helped each other identify fake Tradesy purses.
I made real friends there. I remember a user named "HandbagHolly" (alias) who helped me identify a vintage Dior saddle bag in 2019. We ended up chatting for years about sourcing trends.
That community feel is somewhat lost on larger platforms. Vestiaire feels very corporate. eBay feels like the Wild West. The old site felt like a boutique run by fashion lovers.
What to do if you still have credits
If you were one of the people holding onto store credit when the site went dark, you should have received instructions on how to transfer that to Vestiaire.
However, I have heard horror stories of credits not transferring correctly. If you are in this boat, you need to contact Vestiaire support immediately with your old account email.
I had a balance of $45 pending when the switch happened. It took three emails and two weeks, but they eventually applied it to my new account.
The importance of cross-listing
If the shutdown taught me anything, it's that you never own your platform. I spent years building up reviews and followers on a site that disappeared overnight.
Now, I never rely on just one. I make sure my inventory is spread out. This protects my income if another site gets acquired or changes its algorithm.
If you are looking to get serious about this, you need to read up on how to professionalize your operation. I highly recommend checking out this guide on the Closo seller hub to understand how to structure your reselling business for longevity.
Conclusion
The Tradesy website holds a nostalgic place in my heart. It was where I cut my teeth as a reseller. It was where I learned that a good photo and a little bit of patience could turn a $50 thrift store find into a $400 profit.
But the industry has evolved. The move to Vestiaire Collective signifies a shift toward a more global, authenticated, and circular economy. While I miss the simplicity of the shipping kits and the thrill of the Tradesy coupon code drops, the new landscape offers access to buyers in countries I never could have reached before.
If you are still searching for Tradesy bags, they are out there. They are just on a different server now. The hunt continues, the platforms change, but the thrill of the flip remains exactly the same.
FAQ
Is the Tradesy website still active for buying and selling? No, the website no longer exists as a standalone platform. It was acquired by Vestiaire Collective. If you attempt to visit the URL, you will be redirected to Vestiaire, where you can find similar inventory and user accounts that have been migrated over.
What happened to my active listings of Tradesy handbags? During the migration in late 2022, most active listings were automatically transferred to Vestiaire Collective. However, you need to log in to Vestiaire using your original credentials to "activate" them. Some listings may have been removed if they didn't meet the new platform's stricter condition or photo criteria.
Can I still use a Tradesy coupon or promo code? Old coupons and promo codes are no longer valid. However, Vestiaire Collective frequently runs its own promotions, offering discounts for first-time buyers or during specific holiday sales events. You will need to look for codes specific to the Vestiaire platform now.
