Technology

THE REALREAL ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2026 RESULTS

Published

on

Company Raises Full Year Guidance Following Second Quarter Results Above the High End of Outlook with Record Quarterly GMV and Meaningful Margin Expansion

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The RealReal, Inc. (Nasdaq: REAL)—the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods—today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Second quarter 2026 gross merchandise value (GMV) and total revenue increased 22% and 17% compared to the second quarter of 2025, respectively. Consignment revenue grew 15% compared to the prior year period, and Direct Revenue grew 26% year-over-year in the second quarter. During the quarter, gross margin of 74.4% improved 10 basis points compared to the same period in 2025. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA margin was 7.0%, an increase of 290 basis points versus the prior year period.

“The RealReal delivered a standout second quarter, with an all-time high quarterly GMV of $617 million, up 22% year-over-year. That marks our fourth consecutive quarter of GMV growth above 20%. Revenue grew 17% and we delivered nearly 300 basis points of Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion versus last year,” said Rati Levesque, Chief Executive Officer of The RealReal. “We’re upleveling the customer experience, deepening trust and compounding our advantages. Our buyers are spending more, our sellers are more engaged, and the platform connecting them gets smarter every quarter.”

Levesque continued, “Entering the year, we said 2026 would be the year our advantages begin to compound, and we’re delivering on that commitment. Given the continued strength in our supply trends and the durability of our growth, we are confidently raising our full-year outlook. We are entering the second half of the year from a position of strength, with a flywheel that is gaining real momentum.”

Second Quarter Highlights

GMV was $617 million, an increase of 22% compared to the same period in 2025Total Revenue was $193 million, an increase of 17% compared to the same period in 2025Gross Profit was $143 million, an increase of $21 million compared to the same period in 2025Gross Margin was 74.4%, an increase of 10 basis points compared to the same period in 2025 Net Loss was $(27) million or (14.1)% of total revenue, compared to $(11) million or (6.9)% of total revenue in the same period in 2025.  Second Quarter 2026 Net Loss includes a $(18.6) million non-cash adjustment as a result of the change in fair value of warrant liability.Adjusted EBITDA was $13.5 million or 7.0% of total revenue compared to $6.8 million or 4.1% of total revenue in the same period in 2025GAAP basic net loss per share was $(0.23) compared to $(0.10) in the prior year period and GAAP diluted net loss per share was $(0.23) compared to $(0.13) in the prior year periodNon-GAAP basic and diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders per share was $(0.01) compared to $(0.06) in the prior year periodTop-line-related MetricsTrailing twelve months active buyers was 1,107,000, an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2025Average order value (AOV) was $659, an increase of 13% versus the same period in 2025

Q3 and Full Year 2026 Guidance
Based on market conditions as of August 6, 2026, we are raising our full year guidance. Additionally, we are providing guidance for third quarter 2026 GMV, Total Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, which is a Non-GAAP financial measure.

We have not reconciled forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP measure, because we cannot predict with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of certain components of such reconciliations including payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions that are not within our control, or other components that may arise, without unreasonable effort. For these reasons, we are unable to assess the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could materially impact the amount of future net income (loss).

Q3 2026

Full Year 2026

GMV

$610 – $620 million

$2.535 – $2.565 billion

Total Revenue

$194 – $198 million

$788 – $797 million

Adjusted EBITDA

$13.5 – $14.5 million

$66.0 – $69.0 million

Webcast and Conference Call
The RealReal will host a conference call to review the company’s second quarter  results beginning at approximately 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).  A live webcast of the conference call and accompanying materials will be available online at investor.therealreal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same location. To access the conference please register using this link:
https://the-realreal-earnings-call-q2-2026.open-exchange.net/registration.

About The RealReal, Inc.

The RealReal is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods, trusted by more than 40 million members. Our full-service consignment model—offering virtual appointments, in-home pickup, drop-off, and direct shipping—enables consumers to buy and sell luxury across fashion, fine jewelry and watches, art, and home categories with ease. The company combines a rigorous, expert-led authentication process with proprietary technology, including AI and machine learning, to power optimal pricing and processing for our members and to help scale the business. By extending the life of millions of luxury goods, the company is leading a more circular economy, all the while delivering a seamless experience for buyers and sellers.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, the future performance of The RealReal that are based on the company’s current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “target,” “contemplate,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future operating and financial results, including our strategies, plans, commitments, objectives and goals, in particular in the context of the recent geopolitical events, and uncertainty surrounding macro-economic trends, financial guidance, anticipated growth in 2026, the anticipated impact of generative AI, and financial targets, goals and projections. Actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, inflation, macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, any failure to generate a supply of consigned goods, pricing pressure on the consignment market resulting from discounting in the market for new goods, failure to efficiently and effectively operate our merchandising and fulfillment operations, labor shortages and other reasons.

More information about factors that could affect the company’s operating results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by visiting the company’s Investor Relations website at https://investor.therealreal.com or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to the company on the date hereof. The company assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our unaudited and condensed financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), this earnings release and the accompanying tables and the related earnings conference call contain certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenue (“Adjusted EBITDA Margin”), free cash flow, non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders, and non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted. We have provided a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in this earnings release.

We do not, nor do we suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors should also note that non-GAAP financial measures we use may not be the same non-GAAP financial measures, and may not be calculated in the same manner, as that of other companies, including other companies in our industry.

Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance measure that our management uses to assess our operating performance. Because Adjusted EBITDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis, we use this measure as an overall assessment of our performance, to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies and for business planning purposes. Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled metrics of other companies.

We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest income, interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation, employer payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions, gain on extinguishment of debt, change in fair value of warrant liabilities and certain one-time expenses. The employer payroll tax expense related to employee stock transactions are tied to the vesting or exercise of underlying equity awards and the price of our common stock at the time of vesting, which may vary from period to period independent of the operating performance of our business. Adjusted EBITDA has certain limitations as the measure excludes the impact of certain expenses that are included in our statements of operations that are necessary to run our business and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period basis and, in the case of exclusion of the impact of stock-based compensation and the related employer payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions, excludes an item that we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. Investors should, however, understand that stock-based compensation and the related employer payroll tax expense will be a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of the compensation provided to our employees. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net cash (used in) provided by operating activities less net cash used to purchase property and equipment and capitalized proprietary software development costs. We believe free cash flow is an important indicator of our business performance, as it measures the amount of cash we generate. Accordingly, we believe that free cash flow provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management.

Non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as GAAP net loss plus stock-based compensation expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes, payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions, gain on extinguishment of debt, change in fair value of warrant liabilities and certain one-time expenses divided by weighted average shares outstanding. We believe that making these adjustments before calculating per share amounts for all periods presented provides a more meaningful comparison between our operating results from period to period.

THE REALREAL, INC.

Statements of Operations

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

2026

2025

Revenue:

Consignment revenue

$     148,216

$     128,620

$     294,109

$     252,434

Direct revenue

25,787

20,495

51,595

40,949

Shipping services revenue

18,568

16,073

36,582

31,838

Total revenue

192,571

165,188

382,286

325,221

Cost of revenue:

Cost of consignment revenue

16,075

13,761

31,522

26,715

Cost of direct revenue

20,407

17,185

40,691

32,420

Cost of shipping services revenue

12,887

11,566

25,537

23,387

Total cost of revenue

49,369

42,512

97,750

82,522

Gross profit

143,202

122,676

284,536

242,699

Operating expenses:

Marketing

18,382

15,548

36,939

31,403

Operations and technology

74,706

68,986

147,425

135,964

Selling, general and administrative

52,397

48,027

104,729

97,988

Total operating expenses (1)

145,485

132,561

289,093

265,355

Loss from operations

(2,283)

(9,885)

(4,557)

(22,656)

Change in fair value of warrant liability

(18,583)

4,537

28,752

47,040

Gain on extinguishment of debt

37,101

Interest income

902

1,109

1,903

2,483

Interest expense

(7,322)

(7,038)

(14,543)

(13,358)

Other income, net

154

357

608

Income (loss) before provision for income taxes

(27,132)

(11,277)

11,912

51,218

Provision for income taxes

101

89

209

184

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

$     (27,233)

$     (11,366)

$      11,703

$      51,034

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common
stockholders

Basic

$        (0.23)

$        (0.10)

$         0.10

$         0.45

Diluted

$        (0.23)

$        (0.13)

$        (0.13)

$        (0.27)

Weighted average shares used to compute net income (loss)
per share attributable to common stockholders

Basic

121,023,931

114,044,057

120,277,907

113,046,607

Diluted

121,023,931

119,484,716

126,390,826

120,178,570

(1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:

Marketing

$          422

$          424

$          767

$          727

Operations and technology

2,580

2,677

4,557

4,901

Selling, general and administrative

4,573

5,107

8,524

9,939

Total

$        7,575

$        8,208

$      13,848

$      15,567

 

THE REALREAL, INC.

Condensed Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

June 30,
2026

December 31,
2025

Assets

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$       119,132

$       151,231

Accounts receivable, net

20,073

23,822

Inventory, net

35,431

30,843

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

18,682

21,595

Total current assets

193,318

227,491

Property and equipment, net

100,558

96,148

Operating lease right-of-use assets

63,240

64,641

Restricted cash

14,777

14,808

Other assets

6,394

5,945

Total assets

$       378,287

$       409,033

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit

Current liabilities

Accounts payable

$        15,049

$        14,565

Accrued consignor payable

95,062

111,497

Operating lease liabilities, current portion

23,095

24,645

Other accrued and current liabilities

100,274

113,533

Total current liabilities

233,480

264,240

Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion

64,404

66,793

Convertible Senior Notes, net

231,516

230,833

Non-convertible notes, net

144,293

140,980

Warrant liability

74,688

114,353

Other noncurrent liabilities

7,636

7,352

Total liabilities

756,017

824,551

Stockholders’ deficit:

Common stock, $0.00001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized as of June 30,
     2026, and December 31, 2025; 121,666,258 and 118,318,917 shares issued and
     outstanding as of June 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively

1

1

Additional paid-in capital

906,192

880,107

Accumulated deficit

(1,283,923)

(1,295,626)

Total stockholders’ deficit

(377,730)

(415,518)

Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit

$       378,287

$       409,033

 

THE REALREAL, INC.

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$       11,703

$       51,034

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash used in operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

15,917

16,631

Stock-based compensation expense

13,848

15,567

Reduction of operating lease right-of-use assets

8,562

7,943

Bad debt expense

1,342

1,214

Non-cash interest expense

3,227

5,483

Accretion of debt discounts and issuance costs

940

1,060

Provision for inventory write-downs and shrinkage

1,810

1,485

Gain on debt extinguishment

(37,101)

Change in fair value of warrant liability

(28,752)

(47,040)

Loss (gain) related to warehouse fire, net

(353)

Other adjustments

78

(36)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable, net

2,407

(10,020)

Inventory, net

(6,398)

(6,678)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

2,913

6,595

Other assets

(479)

(501)

Operating lease liability

(11,100)

(10,876)

Accounts payable

(266)

2,357

Accrued consignor payable

(16,435)

(13,709)

Other accrued and current liabilities

(14,538)

(14,743)

Other noncurrent liabilities

213

(152)

Net cash used in operating activities

(15,008)

(31,840)

Cash flow from investing activities:

Insurance proceeds related to warehouse fire

2,309

Capitalized proprietary software development costs

(6,837)

(6,483)

Purchases of property and equipment

(11,502)

(12,518)

Net cash used in investing activities

(18,339)

(16,692)

Cash flow from financing activities:

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

308

114

Taxes paid related to restricted stock vesting

(109)

(83)

Repayment of 2025 Notes

(26,749)

Proceeds from issuance of stock in connection with the Employee Stock Purchase
Program

1,018

838

Cash received from settlement of capped calls in conjunction with the 2025 Note
Exchanges

1,499

Issuance costs paid related to the 2025 Note Exchanges

(5,006)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

1,217

(29,387)

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

(32,130)

(77,919)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

Beginning of period

166,039

187,123

End of period

$      133,909

$      109,204

 

The following table reflects the reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated
(in thousands):

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

2026

2025

Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation:

Net income (loss)

$   (27,233)

$   (11,366)

$    11,703

$    51,034

Net income (loss) (% of revenue)

(14.1) %

(6.9) %

3.1 %

15.7 %

Depreciation and amortization

7,823

8,256

15,917

16,631

Interest income

(902)

(1,109)

(1,903)

(2,483)

Interest expense

7,322

7,038

14,543

13,358

Provision for income taxes

101

89

209

184

EBITDA

(12,889)

2,908

40,469

78,724

Stock-based compensation

7,575

8,208

13,848

15,567

Payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions

263

260

1,036

799

Gain on extinguishment of debt (1)

(37,101)

Change in fair value of warrant liability (2)

18,583

(4,537)

(28,752)

(47,040)

Adjusted EBITDA

$    13,532

$     6,839

$    26,601

$    10,949

Adjusted EBITDA (% of revenue)

7.0 %

4.1 %

7.0 %

3.4 %

(1) The gain on extinguishment of debt for the six months ended June 30, 2025 reflects the difference between the carrying value of the February 2025
Exchanged Notes and the fair value of the 2031 Notes.

(2) The change in fair value of warrant liability for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025 reflects the remeasurement of the Warrants
issued by the Company in connection with the 2024 Note Exchange in February 2024.

 

A reconciliation of GAAP net income (loss) to non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders, the most directly
comparable GAAP financial measure, in order to calculate non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders per share,
basic and diluted, is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share data):

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

2026

2025

Net income (loss)

$     (27,233)

$     (11,366)

$      11,703

$      51,034

Stock-based compensation

7,575

8,208

13,848

15,567

Payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions

263

260

1,036

799

Provision for income taxes

101

89

209

184

Gain on extinguishment of debt

(37,101)

Change in fair value of warrant liability

18,583

(4,537)

(28,752)

(47,040)

Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders

$         (711)

$       (7,346)

$       (1,956)

$     (16,557)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding to calculate
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders
per share, basic and diluted

121,023,931

114,044,057

120,277,907

113,046,607

Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders
per share, basic and diluted

$        (0.01)

$        (0.06)

$        (0.02)

$       (0.15)

 

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided for (used in) operating activities to free (negative) cash flow
for each of the periods indicated (in thousands):

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2026

2025

2026

2025

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

$        1,615

$       (3,570)

$     (15,008)

$     (31,840)

Purchase of property and equipment and capitalized
proprietary software development costs

(7,699)

(11,423)

(18,339)

(19,001)

Free (negative) cash flow

$       (6,084)

$     (14,993)

$     (33,347)

$     (50,841)

 

Key Financial and Operating Metrics:

June 30,
2024

September 30,
2024

December 31,
2024

March 31,
2025

June 30,
2025

September 30,
2025

December 31,
2025

March 31,
2026

June 30,
2026

(In thousands, except AOV and percentages)

GMV

$440,914

$433,074

$503,534

$490,405

$504,105

$519,814

$615,683

$606,359

$617,260

NMV

$329,422

$335,191

$383,447

$370,757

$379,377

$397,062

$466,924

$458,747

$470,392

Consignment
Revenue

$112,714

$116,908

$128,126

$123,814

$128,620

$134,429

$149,014

$145,893

$148,216

Direct Revenue

$  16,724

$  15,623

$  19,524

$  20,454

$  20,495

$  22,928

$  27,214

$  25,808

$  25,787

Shipping Services
Revenue

$  15,496

$  15,224

$  16,345

$  15,765

$  16,073

$  16,216

$  17,823

$  18,014

$  18,568

Number of Orders

820

829

870

869

868

890

960

938

937

Take Rate

38.5 %

38.6 %

37.7 %

38.6 %

37.9 %

37.9 %

36.5 %

36.4 %

35.9 %

Active Buyers

942

958

972

985

1,001

1,024

1,056

1,083

1,107

AOV

$       538

$        522

$       579

$       564

$       581

$       584

$       641

$       646

$       659

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-realreal-announces-second-quarter-2026-results-302845414.html

SOURCE The RealReal

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version