Vinted is a popular online marketplace specialising in buying and selling second-hand items. Women's fashion and children's clothing are the most popular categories, making it the ideal place to shop for your wardrobe.
The app offers a diverse range of pre-loved items at very affordable prices making Vinted one of the most affordable place to thrift for clothes. Buyers are encouraged to haggle and sellers will offer bundle deals to make purchases even more enticing.
Vinted has become my favourite place to shop for second-hand clothing. I've bought several items for my capsule wardrobe at a fraction of the cost they would be if purchased new—and for much cheaper than on Depop or eBay!
The app is easy to use, although seller-focused, so learning how Vinted works can take some patience. Follow this guide to buying on Vinted with the best tips for finding bargains.
What You Need To Know Before Buying on Vinted
Vinted is a seller-focused app meaning it's geared towards helping sellers make sales. There are no selling fees or postage costs—because the buyer pays for them! Before downloading the app, these are the things you need to know about buying on Vinted.
Buyer's Beware!
Buying second-hand online always has risks. The consumer rights for items purchased through shopping apps like Vinted aren't as strong as when buying from a shop or even an online store.
Although every purchase on Vinted comes with buyer protection, you only have 2 days to report an issue. Therefore it's advisable to avoid buying expensive items that require authentication and stick to inexpensive purchases instead.
Buyers Pay Postage and Fees
Vinted adds a mandatory Buyer Protection fee onto every purchase as well as a commission and postage costs, which the buyer has to pay. The fee varies and is between 3% to 8%, plus 30p to 80p per transaction. Postage is usually free on a buyer's first purchase and sometimes free when it's a seller's first sale.
Clicking 'Buy' will show you the total amount of a purchase with all fees and postage included. This can make an item feel much less of a bargain than it did on first glance—but you can always haggle!
Buyers Pay Return Costs
Even if an item is faulty, damaged, or not as described; buyers who have to return an item for a refund are expected to pay for the return postage costs. This can feel especially unfair when a seller sends the wrong item or provided wrong information at the time of purchase.
Asking the seller to reimburse return postage costs is an option but they are not obliged to and Vinted won't force buyers to cover return fees. Bare this in mind when making a purchase and scour the listing to make sure what you're buying is being accurately described.
How do I buy safely on Vinted?
Taking a few precautions before making a purchase on Vinted will help you to shop on the app safely and avoid being scammed. By following these tips for buying safely on Vinted, you'll minimise the risks and have a positive shopping experience.
Check Seller Profiles
Make sure to check a seller's profile before making a purchase from them. A seller with a high rating and positive feedback means you'll be less likely to have issues buying from them.
Scrutinise Listings
Read over product descriptions and look carefully at photographs before buying an item. Dishonest sellers will try to hide damage and leave out important information. If something seems too good to be true, it is!
Use Vinted's Secure Payment System
Always make purchases through the Vinted app and never pay for items outside of the platform, such as via PayPal or bank transfer. This puts you at risk of being scammed as there is no buyer protection.
How does Vinted work when someone buys something?
The process of buying something on Vinted is fairly straightforward. Once you've found an item you'd like to purchase and have haggled for a better deal, press the 'Buy now' button. This will take you to a screen with a breakdown of the total price including a Buyer Protection fee and postage costs.
Once you've paid, the seller will receive a postage label. Sellers are required to post an item within five working days of the sale. Depending on the chosen delivery method, you'll receive an update when your order has been delivered or is ready to collect. If delivered to a locker, buyers have only 3 days to collect.
How to Find Bargains on Vinted
Personalise Recommendations
Vinted can be overwhelming but the personalised recommendations section makes shopping a whole lot easier. Let the algorithm help you and you'll quickly start seeing the style of items you like.
When you search for specific brands and use the 'heart' feature to favourite items, the algorithm will start showing you similar items from the brands you like. This makes it easier to shop on Vinted.
Favourite Items
Vinted's favourite feature is a useful tool for not only teaching the algorithm, it also helps you keep track of the items you like. By 'liking' items, you'll receive notifications that tell you when an item drops in price—or sells out!
When you favourite an item by putting a heart on it, the seller also receives an alert. Sellers often use this feature to make offers to buyers with a special discount to encourage a sale.
Filter Searches
After searching for a brand name or item, filter by colour, size, etc. This will narrow down the search field to show only very specific items. This is useful if you're looking for a particular item of clothing that is hard to find or a collector's piece.
By saving these searches, Vinted will show how many items have been added since you last checked. This makes it easier to hunt down your wardrobe 'white whale'!
Save Sellers
If you find a seller who has a style you admire or are selling a lot of items you like, follow them to receive alerts when new things are uploaded. This is especially useful if you're looking to bulk buy items, like children's clothing or toys.
Be Wary of Sizing
Vinted's sizing is odd. Seller's are offered a range of standard sizing options, which are grouped into 'S/M/L' etc. Most sellers don't list measurements, which can make it difficult to know whether an item will fit or not.
Before making a purchase, always check the description for more details on sizing and fit. This is particularly true if the item doesn't have a UK/EU size label! If you're really keen to buy something, there's no harm in asking a seller for more information.
Shop Out of Season
The best way to find bargains when thrifting is by shopping out of season. Want a swimsuit? Search for it in winter. Want a new jumper? Look for it in summer.
Seller's are more likely to lower the price on out of season items because they're harder to sell. When everyone is looking for summer dresses, rain boots get overlooked—and that's how you can haggle for a better deal!
Check Feedback
Before making a purchase, always check a seller's feedback. Be wary of accounts with zero feedback or a lot of negative reviews. It would be risky to purchase something expensive from these sellers as there's less chance what you're buying is legit.
Although having no reviews doesn't mean a seller is bad—we all start out with zero feedback!—it's wise to be wary. However, if a seller has a lot of negative feedback, it's best to avoid them altogether.
Bundle For Discounts
Vinted has a feature that allows sellers to offer discounts on a multiple purchase order. Bundle discounts are customisable but the standard is 10% off 2 items, 15% off 3 items, and 20% off 5 items.
To request a bundle, click 'shop bundles' and add the items you want. Click 'Request Bundle' (top right) and this will notify the seller who will get back to you with a final price—and hopefully a bigger discount!
Haggle!
Vinted is the best place for finding bargains as it's expected that buyers will want to haggle. The biggest discount you can ask for is 40% and Vinted limits offers to 5 per day.
Messaging sellers directly to politely ask for a discount is an easy way around the haggling limit. Although be aware, cheeky offers—especially on items under £5—will annoy sellers.
Choose Postage
Vinted offers a variety of postage options using various couriers. This includes delivery at home or to a collection point using Evri, Yodal, InPost, and Royal Mail.
When buying an item, Vinted will automatically choose the pricier postage option as standard. When checking out, make sure to select the best postage option for you.
Report Issues Immediately
You have only two days after delivery to report an issue so if an item is damaged or not as described, notify the seller and Vinted immediately.
Unfortunately the cost of returning an item is on the buyer—regardless of the issue! Some seller's will offer to reimburse this cost but don't count on it.
Mark Orders as Received
Most buyers aren't aware that sellers don't receive the money from a sale until the buyer confirms their order has arrived safely and everything is OK.
It's good etiquette for buyers to mark an item as received as soon as possible so the seller receives their payment quickly.
Pin This Post:
