The ultimate guide to selling on Vinted

To put it simply, Vinted is an online marketplace for buying, selling, and exchanging new or second-hand items, mainly clothes and accessories. But you probably already know that. What you might not know, is the very humble story of how it all began.

In 2008, Milda Mitkute, a young Lithuanian woman, was moving house and had too many clothes to take with her. Her friend Justas offered help solve the problem by building a website where she could list and give away her clothes to friends. Its popularity spread across Lithuania and soon enough the media wanted in too and the duo knew they were on to something.

From a common problem, a simple solution was born. Since then, Vinted has expanded across 16+ countries and grown into a community of more than 100 million people around the world who use the online platform to buy, sell and trade second-hand items.

Vinted is Lithuania’s first “unicorn”, a term that refers to private startups with a valuation of over $1bn. Whilst the growth has been exponential, the mission has remained the same: “To show the world how brilliant second-hand can be”.

In a time when fast-fashion dominates and up to 73% of all clothing manufactured globally ends up in landfill or is incinerated, Vinted is rapidly becoming a key part in changing that.

Who owns Vinted UK?

The business is still owned by its co founders, Milda and Justas, alongside other partners and investors. And the company is backed by four of the biggest global investing firms. With the demand for the platform growing rapidly, the company was recently valued at EUR5bn, and sales increased by 61% in 2023. Which, in short, means it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

In the UK, Vinted has 16 million users – nearly a quarter of the population – and is taking on more established rivals, including Depop and eBay.

How does Vinted work and is it safe?

It’s simple. You set up an account, get verified as a real person and you’re ready to go.

If you’re selling, you then list your items with at least 5 clear pictures. You can ‘bump’ your items to boost the number of people who see them, and you can offer a discount to people who favourite it. Once the item has sold, pack it, ship it and get paid after two days of delivery.

If you’re buying, set up the preferences on your account so that you see what’s most relevant for you. For example, you could select women’s clothes, size M and children’s clothes ages 4-6. Then browse away and when you find something you like, ‘favourite’ it. When you’re ready to buy, contact the seller with any questions or an offer. Confirm the order then wait for it to arrive within 5-7 business days. Once you receive it, Vinted will ask you to select ‘Everything is okay’ or ‘Something is wrong’. If there’s a problem, there’s a fairly simple process to report and sort it.

Is Vinted safe?

In a word, yes.

As a seller, getting paid is simple. Once delivery tracking shows it’s been received and the buyer clicks ‘Everything is okay’, you get Vinted credit, which you can withdraw to your bank account or spend on Vinted. If the buyer does nothing, you automatically get the cash two days after delivery.

As a buyer, you’re covered through buyer’s protection. You pay a fixed fee of between 30p – 80p plus a range of 3% and 8% of an item’s price agreed between you and seller (before postage. It guarantees a refund them if one of these three problems occurs: ‘item is significantly not as described’, ‘doesn’t arrive’ or ‘arrives damaged’.

What makes Vinted a good choice?

The business is on a mission to ‘show the world how good second-hand can be’. It’s the antidote to fast-fashion, and the simplicity of the platform and the benefits of it being a secure, easy way to make money are helping to enable a mindset change all over the world.

The meaning of ‘second-hand’ is slowly changing from being negative (hand-me-downs, not being able to afford new items) to positive, smart and even aspirational (helping to reduce fashion in landfill, championing resources and respecting craftsmanship, a creative display of self-expression).

What makes Vinted a good choice for sellers?

There are a few reasons.

No seller fees. Scrapped a few years ago, Vinted is the only platform that doesn’t charge the sellers. Instead, it charges buyers. It’s a huge benefit, with all competitors taking a fee and some taking a cut of the sale price too.

Millions of potential of buyers. With 16 million people browsing from the UK alone, you can be sure there’ll be a lot of eyeballs on your items with minimal effort. The more people, the more people interested.

Simple, integrated postage system. Vinted has deals with all the major delivery services – Evri, Yodel and Royal Mail. When you list the item tick the ones most convenient for you. Then once your item has been sold, the app generates a postage label, which can be used to drop off or collect items from newsagents or lockers.

No returns fees. It’s also the buyer’s responsibility to pay for returns if needed so there’s no hassle for the seller aside from reselling the item.

Selling: A simple guide to selling on Vinted

Step 1: Take photos that help your item to stand out

Pictures are the most important part of the post. The first one needs to help the item stand out amongst thousands of other similar items listed. Make sure to have a range, the more photos good quality photos there are, the more likely people will be to buy it.

• Take photos in good light.
• Make sure the focus is clear, not blurry.
• Show the full item, hanging up or laying flat.
• Take a close-up photo of the label showing the brand and size in detail. And if it’s new with tags, be sure to show those too.
• If it’s clothes, show them on if you can so people can see the fit.
• Have a tidy, clear, plain background so that it’s immediately clear which item is for sale.

*Top tip*

If it’s clothes, always show them modelled if you can as they generally sell for more money than items that look limp on a hanger.

Step 2: Write a great description

• Start with the necessary information: brand, item type, size and colour / pattern.
• Give a little background: year you bought it, how often it’s been worn and why you’re selling it.
• If it’s brand new let people know. Brand new with/without tags. BNWT is a keyword you should add into your listing, people may search for it alongside the description of the item they want.
• If it’s clothing, give people some advice on sizing. For example, is it true to size, a little smaller or oversized.
• Be honest about any damage: describe any marks, stains or flaws in the item upfront. When it arrives people will see them anyway.
• Any interesting features: if there’s anything that makes the item unique or special, be sure to add that in too.

*Top tip*

A story can really help to sell an item. If they understand why you’re selling it and that it’s come from a good, clean home, they’ll be more likely to buy it from you than another seller who has exactly the same item.

Step 3: Know how much to list an item for

Getting the price right the single most important part of selling on Vinted.

Once you’ve added photos and a description, the app will give a suggested amount based on similar items uploaded. But it’s worth doing your due diligence too. You’re going to the effort of selling it so it’s good to know exactly what you can for it.

Vinted is a buyer’s market, which means people expect to pay less and most are hoping to get a bargain. But you don’t want to price your items too low and undersell them. This is especially true if they’re designer, good quality and in good condition.

It’s also worth leaving some room for haggling. The ‘make an offer’ button appears on every Vinted listing, allowing buyers to offer up to 40% less. For that reason, some people price items slightly higher than they actually want, allowing room for discounts so that buyers to feel like they’ve got a good deal.

*Top tip*

Do your research. Search for your item or something similar on Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace to get a good estimation for how much it’s worth second-hand and use that as a guide.

Step 4: Know how long to list an item for

The speed an item sells varies hugely. As a rule though, don’t expect anything to sell within a couple of hours, days, or even weeks. It’s not a get rich quick scheme. Regardless of how popular the item or how good the post, it can take a long time for items to sell.

One reason is because buyers will favourite a lot of similar items and then wait for prices to be lowered before deciding which to purchase. Another reason is that it’s an oversaturated market with hundreds of items uploaded daily. Your item may only be seen if someone searches for terms that match. That’s why making sure your descriptions and titles hit key search words is important to get more eyeballs on your listing.

*Top tip*

If you want to sell quickly, you can follow family and friends or even join a Vinted group on social media to share what you’re selling and get more views.

Step 5: Becoming an established seller

If you’re wanting to sell often and created a trusted profile, there are a few things that will help you build a good reputation quickly.

• List often. When people click on an item they’ll often scroll down to see what else the same seller is buying.
• Sell similar items at the same time. A key feature for buyers is ‘bundle discounts’ which encourages them to buy multiple items from the same seller and save on postage. So if you’ve got lots of sportswear or festival items, it might be worth putting them up at the same time.
• Offer discounts. Message buyers who ‘favourite’ your items either offering them a discount or asking them to name a price.
• Try Vinted’s ‘Wardrobe Spotlight’ feature. For lb6.95, boost the visibility of your items for a whole week. Worth it if you’re listing a lot.
• Sell at the right time. Christmas jumpers and linen shirts aren’t in the shops all year round for good reason. Save items to sell them at a time people will want them. Sounds simple but no doubt they’ll go for more money.

And finally: is Vinted worth it?

As a seller, the biggest benefits of Vinted are no seller’s fees and the slick postage system. These really set it apart in the market. eBay, Depop and Gumtree all take a cut of varying amounts, but Vinted places this fee on the buyer instead. And most competitors leave the seller to sort and buy the postage too.

For most things, Vinted is our go-to. But there are a few exceptions. If you’re selling mostly branded, high value items then consider Depop as the audience is slightly more skewed towards people looking for those items. And if you’re selling big things that can’t be posted easily, like household goods and furniture, eBay and Gumtree are better suited.

Generally though, if you’re a first-time seller, have sold some things but want to sell more, this is probably the platform for you. Pass this guide on to friends and family, and let’s help continue to change people’s perceptions of second-hand, rescue fashion from landfill and make the most of the clothes and accessories we have for longer.

Happy selling!