How does Vinted work?

Operating in over 16 countries, with a community of 75 million and counting, Vinted is fast becoming the go-to online selling platform for everything from clothes to homeware. But how does Vinted work?

Yodel had the opportunity to speak with Vinted directly, giving you a full insight into how to get the most out of the platform and the benefits of buying and selling online.

Partnering with Vinted to offer tracked deliveries, our store to store and store to door services help make buying and selling on the platform easier than ever. Once you’re ready to create your own Vinted account and start selling, our parcel quote calculator shows what your customer can expect to pay when posting individual or multiple packages you’ve sold.

How did Vinted begin?

Vinted started out as a conversation between two friends, Milda Mitkute and Justas Janauskas. Initially conceived as an online site for Milda to give away the clothes she no longer wanted to keep after moving house, Vinted has grown dramatically in the last 15 years.

How can you use Vinted?

One of the great appeals of Vinted is that you’ve got a choice of ways to use it, and make both buying and selling simple.

If you prefer using a laptop or desktop, there’s the website itself, which is designed for simple and straightforward browsing. However, most users will be more familiar with the Vinted app, which you can download to iPhone and Android devices.

If you’re selling as well as buying, the mobile app steals the show. Using the mobile app means that you can snap product photos on your phone and upload them to your product listings quickly and easily.

Is Vinted safe to use?

Security when selling online is essential to help customers feel safe and secure when they make a purchase. Thankfully, Vinted has made sure that buyers and sellers are https://www.vinted.co.uk/safety.

Vinted has an effective buyer protection policy in place, which covers buyers if an item:

• Doesn’t arrive (once a buyer pays for an item, it needs to be posted to them within a five-day window, otherwise their order will be automatically cancelled)
• Arrives damaged
• Arrives differently to how it was described or depicted

Similarly, sellers are covered too in case anything happens outside of their control. These include:

• Your parcel being damaged in transit
• Your product never arriving with your buyer

For extra security, once a parcel has been delivered into the buyer’s chosen Yodel Store, your customer will receive a collection barcode to show the shopkeeper. Once their item has reached the store, they can use this collection code to pick up the correct package safely and securely. Tracking deliveries via the Yodel App lets you know once your parcel has left the Yodel Store, with their new owner.

If there are any concerns outside of these listed above, Vinted has a dedicated customer service team who’ll help you settle any issues or solve any problems that may arise. This way, neither buyer nor seller loses out on any funds.

Are there any charges associated with Vinted?

One of the common questions people have about Vinted is: how much does Vinted take in terms of fees?

Unlike similar online platforms, Vinted is completely free to use, and will not charge you for listings or earnings you make.

Alongside this, buyers pay for postage as well as the product itself. This is included within the total price of their product order from you, meaning you don’t need to worry about separate postal fees.

If you want to give your items a higher chance of selling, Vinted does offer paid features, however, these aren’t at all necessary to sell your product quickly and easily. 'Item Bumps’ allow you to boost your product visibility once a day, for three days. This means your item is displayed higher in the feed, so more potential buyers can see it.

Vinted also offers ‘Wardrobe Spotlight’, which means more members can view your product in the newsfeed and their catalogue search results. Wardrobe Spotlight also makes it easier for members to click through to your entire ‘wardrobe’ or product listings, so it’s more likely that they’ll buy more from you in one go.

How do I create a successful profile?

Creating an effective profile on Vinted takes a bit of time. But it makes a huge difference to your success on the platform in the long run.

After adding basic details to your profile, such as your username, email address and billing details (which are never shared publicly), you need to put together a short bio, sharing why you’re on Vinted.

Make sure your bio is professional and personable. You don’t need to be too formal or informal; just let your potential customers know a little about you, and the types of items you’ll be selling.

Another tip for selling on Vinted is to upload a profile picture. Much like your bio, you want a photo that gives potential buyers confidence when ordering products from you.

It’s also a good idea to verify your Vinted account so potential buyers know that your account can be trusted. If you’ve got either a Google account or a Facebook profile, you can link these directly to your Vinted profile to verify your account.

What can I sell on Vinted?

If clothes are the main products you’re interested in selling on Vinted, then you’re in luck! Vinted was built on selling all kinds of second-hand and vintage clothing and accessories.

But if you have more than just clothes to pass on to a second home, there’s still plenty of other products you can sell on Vinted, including:

• Books (as long as they have ISBN codes)
• CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and vinyl records
• Children’s toys, furniture, and childcare equipment
• Home accessories
• New cosmetics, beauty products and beauty gadgets
• Pet accessories, bedding, clothing, and toys
• Tableware
• Technology accessories such as headphones, smart watches, and phone cases
• Videogames and videogame consoles

What can I not sell on Vinted?

Like many other online platforms, Vinted has a variety of products that you can’t sell, including:

• Items that are unlawful, unethical or don’t meet legal standards
• Potentially unsafe or unhygienic items
• Non-category home electronics
• Other non-category items

A more detailed list of what items can’t be sold on Vinted can be found here.

What’s the best way to package an item I’ve sold?

When you list your item on Vinted, you’re able to pick whether it sits within the small (under 500g), medium (under 1kg), or large (under 2kg) parcel size range. It’s important to make sure you select the correct parcel size and weight to avoid incurring extra charges.

After choosing the right parcel size for your item, Vinted recommends packaging your item in a sturdy cardboard box, as this avoids any damage coming to it while it’s in transit. As an added layer of protection, it’s good to cover your items in a plastic bag (ideally recycled) so moisture doesn’t get to the fabric.

Thick adhesive tape and sticky tape are the best methods for securing your parcel together and attaching the label as well. Check out our packaging guidelines for tips on how to secure, box, bag and tape your parcel so it arrives in the best possible condition.

How do I get the money I’ve made on Vinted?

While you’re putting together your profile, you need to input your bank details to be able to withdraw the money you have made from selling on Vinted.

Once a sale has gone through, your earnings will sit within your ‘Vinted balance’. This is a secure online wallet where your earnings are held before you can withdraw them into your chosen bank account.

The bank details you need to include are:

• The full name of the account holder
• The full account number
• The full billing address of the account holder

As well as these bank details, Vinted requires you to pass an identity check, otherwise sellers won’t be able to withdraw the funds they’ve received. Bear in mind, if you’re based in the UK you can only withdraw your earnings into a UK bank account; you cannot withdraw money to a bank account outside of the UK.

Once you’ve made a successful sale on Vinted, (when the buyer has received their item), the money will appear in your Vinted balance within two days. Any money refunded to buyers or sellers will appear in your Vinted balance, too.

When you do withdraw funds from your Vinted balance into your bank account, they’ll automatically appear in your chosen bank account within five working days .

Armed with our expert advice, straight from the Vinted team themselves, you can be sure to make buying and selling on the platform a huge success. Yodel is there to support your sales by offering the ideal delivery service option to suit your needs.

If you want to take your Vinted sales up a notch, have a read of our expert guide on how to start your own reselling business.