Brandwave

The RealReal vs Trade Me:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The RealReal had more branded searches than Trade Me among resale fashion platforms in New Zealand. The RealReal had about 1,260 branded searches, while Trade Me had 320. The RealReal made up 1.7% of all resale fashion platform searches we track, and Trade Me accounted for 0.44%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about resale fashion platforms, Trade Me appeared in all five answers and The RealReal in none.

Among resale fashion platforms in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The RealReal, about 4 searches for every 1 for Trade Me

The RealReal 1.3K searchesTrade Me 320 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Trade Me, mentioned in every answer we collected

Trade Me in 5 of 5The RealReal in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Trade Me, the only one of the two named

Trade Me first in 5The RealReal never named

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Top resale fashion platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Trade Me appeared in all five answers. The RealReal did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Trade Me1st
  2. Designer Wardrobe2nd
  3. Depop3rd
  4. Worn Label Society4th
  5. Vinted–
  6. The RealReal–
  7. Vestiaire Collective–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Depop5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Trade Me5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Designer Wardrobe3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Worn Label Society2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vinted0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The RealReal0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vestiaire Collective0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about resale fashion platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is The RealReal or Trade Me more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for The RealReal and Trade Me by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven resale fashion platforms we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

The RealReal and Trade Me among resale fashion platforms in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for The RealReal, Trade Me. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDesigner WardrobeDepopVintedThe RealRealVestiaire CollectiveTrade MeWorn Label Society
Oct 202567.4%24.6%4.9%1.6%0.65%0.53%0.28%
Nov 202567.5%24.7%4.9%1.6%0.53%0.44%0.29%
Dec 202566.3%24.2%5.9%2.1%0.64%0.52%0.42%
Jan 202661.7%27.7%6.7%2.4%0.73%0.48%0.32%
Feb 202658.4%32%6.3%1.7%0.69%0.56%0.3%
Mar 202658.3%31.9%6.4%1.9%0.56%0.69%0.2%
Apr 202662.1%27.9%6.8%2%0.6%0.49%0.21%
May 202658.5%32%6.4%1.8%0.57%0.57%0.2%
Jun 202654.3%29.7%13.3%1.7%0.35%0.43%0.19%
Jul 202655.5%30.5%11.1%1.7%0.44%0.53%0.29%
Aug 202656.8%31.1%9.3%1.9%0.45%0.37%0.19%
Sep 202655.6%30.4%11.1%1.7%0.53%0.44%0.23%

How has the The RealReal and Trade Me comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand resale fashion platforms in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Trade Me in New Zealand fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 320 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The RealReal’s and Trade Me’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

The RealReal

2 branded search terms

  • the realreal
  • therealreal

Trade Me

1 branded search term

  • trade me clothing

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among resale fashion platforms

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