Vinted has become a leading name in the world of purchasing and selling second-hand clothing and accessories. If you’re wondering why, we’re here to give you the lowdown on Vinted and how easy it is to use.
Are you wanting to earn a bit of money on unwanted closet clutter, or after some cheap clothes for your next holiday? We’re here to teach you all the tips and tricks on how to get the most out of Vinted.
In about five minutes you’ll be a pro on:
- What Vinted is and how it works
- How to buy and sell on Vinted
- Lots of tips to help you be a savvy-saver
What is Vinted and how does it work?
Vinted is a free app where you can buy and sell clothes, accessories and a wide range of household items. Simply download the app and join over 16 million users in the UK buying and selling their unwanted things.
Unlike eBay and Depop who often charge selling fees and/or processing fees, Vinted doesn't charge its sellers. This means you can make more profit using Vinted than other selling apps and sites.
Buyers are charged a buyer protection fee of between 3%–8% plus 30p–80p on their purchase. This small fee entitles the buyer to a refund if there’s an issue with the sale. The buyer pays for postage costs too, meaning all you have to worry about as a seller is shipping your items out.
Why do people use Vinted?
There are many reasons why people use Vinted:
Eco-friendly
Easy way to make money
Good way to de-clutter your closet
Can get affordable clothing
Can get unique/vintage pieces
I personally use Vinted as buying and selling second-hand clothing is eco-friendly. It helps me limit my spending with fast-fashion brands and stops me throwing old clothes away.
As a student, I’m constantly on a budget, so Vinted allows me to make a bit of pocket money on my old clothes, but also get new clothes without breaking the bank like I might buying from high-street stores.
What you can and can’t sell on Vinted
Vinted isn’t just for selling clothes. There’s a wide range of items you can sell on Vinted to make yourself a bit of money.
What can you sell on Vinted?
According to Vinted, you can sell the following items:
What can’t you sell on Vinted?
Vinted do have a few restrictions on what you’re allowed to sell. You can’t sell the following items:
Check out Vinted’s full list of what you can and can’t sell on their site.
How to sell on Vinted
Have you got a wardrobe full of clothes that haven’t seen the light of day recently? Why not make your old clothing cha-ching?
It means your unwanted clothes aren’t cluttering up your space and earns you a pretty penny too. It’s a win-win!
The process is simple:
You can use Vinted on desktop but we've found the mobile app a lot easier to use.
You can either use the money you earn on Vinted to buy items within the app or connect a bank card to your account to transfer the money to your account.
I personally leave my sold item earnings in my Vinted balance which I then use to buy new clothes from Vinted. This allows me to control my impulse buying as I’ll only buy an item if I have enough in my Vinted balance.
It makes the purchase feel free when I don’t have to see the money leave my bank account!
Tips for making the most money on Vinted
As we’ve just shown, uploading items to sell is easy and takes a matter of minutes. But how do you guarantee that people will see your items or that you’ll make sales? Follow our golden rules to make sure you sell your items quickly:
Use good images
Make sure to include images that are clear, show your entire product and have good lighting.
It’s good practice to include a photo of the item’s label to prove the brand and the size and to take photos of any faults so people get a clear idea of the quality.
Photos of the item being worn or on a hanger tend to be more eye-catching than photos of the item being laid out.
Make sure your items are clean and ironed so they look their best.
Include detailed descriptions
When people search for items, the title and description play a big part in what listings come up for them.
The more detailed your description, the more likely your item is to come up for more people. Try to and avoid typos as they will affect your item’s visibility.
For example, if you’re selling a floral dress from New Look, try including the dresses features and an in-depth description such as:
'Red and white floral maxi dress from New Look. Size 10. Has pockets and adjustable straps. Only worn once so in amazing condition. Would be a perfect summer dress for a holiday.'
This means anyone searching for broad searches like ‘summer dress’ will see your item, and anyone looking for something specific like ‘New Look floral maxi dress’ can narrow their search with the filters and your item will still come up for them.
Set realistic prices
When you select a price for your items, you’ll be given a suggested price bracket based on what other similar items are priced at.
It’s always good to stay within the suggested price bracket, especially if other people are selling the same item.
Be sure to do a search for similar products before you list your item so you know what it could be worth.
Use hashtags in your descriptions
To give your item a better chance of reaching potential buyers, use hashtags in the item description. It’s good practice to use hashtag words that include the item’s brand, size, colour and style.
For example #size12, #hollister and #summerdress would be good words to hashtag if you were selling a size 12 summer dress from Hollister.
Price items slightly high to allow for haggling
Vinted is renowned for bargains, and people will haggle their way to secure the best deal. Vinted allows people to offer up to 40% less than the seller’s asking price meaning someone could bid £6 on your £10 item. It’s a good tactic to price your item slightly high to give bartering room.
For example, if you’d be happy to sell your item for £8, list it for £10 so people can make offers and you can reduce the price but still sell for a number you’re happy with (and the buyer will feel like they’ve got some money off).
Post seasonally
You’re more likely to sell summer clothes when it’s not –3°c outside and everyone’s thinking about woolly hats and winter coats. It’s best to put up your seasonal clothing just before the season starts when demand will be higher.
Turn on bundles
On your profile settings, you have the option to turn on bundle discounts which give a buyer a percentage off when they buy multiple of your items at once.
This encourages people to look at your other items and purchase multiple things. It also saves you several trips to the post office!
Discount items that have a lot of favourites
In the same way you get a notification every time someone favourites your item, the people that have favourited your listing will get a notification every time you discount it.
I had 40 favourites on a bikini top I was selling for £5 that had been up over a week. Within a minute of reducing the price to £4, it sold.
Message people who are interested
In the same way as above, messaging potential buyers with a lower price offer or just to let them know any extra details will give them a notification and get their attention. This is a great way to encourage a sale.
List little and often
If you have 20 items to sell, it’s best to upload a few items every couple of days rather than all at once. This keeps you at the top of the new item feed and gives your shop more visibility.
Leave reviews
Leaving reviews for people who buy your products will encourage them to leave you a review too. The more reviews you have, the more reputable your shop will be, which will give people the confidence to purchase your items.
Increasing your visibility on Vinted
There are a few features on Vinted to help you increase your visibility and chances of selling your items.
What does ‘bumped’ mean on Vinted?
Vinted’s bumping feature allows you to pay to increase how often individual items in your shop are seen in searches. The purpose is to increase your chances of a sale. You’ll also be able to track how much attention your item is getting.
You can bump an item for either three or seven consecutive days, or until the item is sold if it doesn’t take the entire length of the bump. The bump cost depends on the price you’ve listed your item for but starts at £1 for three days and £1.55 for seven days.
Is bumping an item on Vinted worth it?
Deciding whether to spend extra money selling your items is a difficult one. We've tried it so you can decide whether it's right for you.
Becca from TopCashback shared her experience of bumping on Vinted:
"I bumped a listing for a Zara jacket because I knew it was the kind of item likely to sell on Vinted. The bump cost £1.59 for seven days, and the listing gained hundreds of views and more than 30 likes in just four days. I had two offers in the first few days but they were far too low for me to accept them. I then received an offer I was happy with and sold my item."
Bumping is a great feature if you have a designer item or a brand new item that you’re trying to get a higher sale price for. However, if you're selling something for £3 and it's costing you a minimum of £1 to bump, it may not be worth it.
What does spotlighting mean on Vinted?
Vinted’s wardrobe spotlight is basically a bump for your entire shop for seven days.
For £6.95 (99p per day) your items will get increased visibility and will feature more on the home pages of those who are interested in the types of items you’re selling. You’ll also be able to look at your performance statistics.
Is spotlighting your wardrobe on Vinted worth it?
I spotlighted my shop for seven days which cost me £6.95. In that time, I managed to get 344 item clicks, 56 favourites and sold four items which earned me £41.
I definitely noticed an increase in views and favourites of the more recent items I'd uploaded, but a lot of my cheaper items that I advertised four+ weeks ago didn't gain many views. I do feel like the items I managed to sell would've sold quickly regardless of the spotlight as they were branded and some of them were new with tags.
I probably wouldn't spotlight my shop again as it is quite expensive and I didn't get as much attention on my items as I'd hoped for.
I do think spotlighting your shop would be worth it if you have a lot of similar and branded items to sell as I did notice users tended to favourite more than one of my items.
I don't think spotlighting your shop is worth it if you don't have a lot of items in your shop or are only selling cheap clothing. £6.95 is a lot to spend if you are selling items for £2, and you may struggle to make any profit.
How to buy on Vinted
If you’re on a budget and want to bag some clothes from your favourite brands for a fraction of the price, Vinted is for you.
Buying from Vinted is an incredibly easy and affordable way to keep your wardrobe fresh without spending a fortune.
Here’s the buying process:
Tips for getting cheaper prices on Vinted
Although many items on Vinted are listed for cheap prices, there are still extra ways you can save money on your purchases.
Use these top tips to avoid overspending when buying on Vinted:
Haggle
As mentioned above, most people price their items higher than they’re willing to sell to provide wiggle room for haggling. Offer a price up to 40% lower than the asking price and see if they accept. It doesn’t work every time and they may reject your offer, but most likely they’ll give a counteroffer that’s still less than the original price.
Compare sellers selling the same thing
You might find an item you love that’s listed at a price you don’t love quite as much. Be sure to do a filtered search for that item to see if anyone else is selling the same thing for less. You’ll regularly find multiple people selling the same thing if it’s an item from a popular brand, and sometimes the price could vary drastically between sellers.
Amy from TopCashback shared her experience of comparing item prices:
"I found a Joanie dress I loved and it was £28. I searched on the official website (for photos of it on a body) and found it in clearance for £26, so I haggled with the seller to bring the price below that."
Pick the cheapest delivery option
You’ll get a choice of several delivery options when you buy something (but this does depend on the seller’s delivery settings). This includes Evri, Royal Mail, Inpost, DPD and Yodel. Certain shipping options are cheaper than others, and delivering to a pick-up point is always cheaper than delivering to your home. Pick one of the shipping methods with the cheapest cost to save your pennies.
Make the most of bundles
If you find something you like from a seller, be sure to look at their entire shop and see if they have bundle deals switched on. You may find multiple items from one seller that you like and can get a percentage off from buying their items in a bundle. It also saves on postage costs too!
Use Vinted often
The more you use your account, the better Vinted’s algorithm will become at showing you what you’re interested in. This makes your ‘Recommended for you’ customised to items you want to see.
Favourite items you're interested in
Even if you're unsure about an item, it's good to add it to your favourites. Often the seller will reach out with a cheaper price than they've originally listed the item for which can help you make up your mind.
Vinted FAQs
Vinted makes money by charging buyer protection fees on all purchases. This fee is between 3%–8% of the item price plus 30p–80p. Vinted also makes money through their bumping and wardrobe spotlight features, along with third-party advertising.
Bumping is a paid feature on Vinted which increases the visibility of your item for other users with the aim of a better chance of a sale. The bump price varies depending on the price of the item listed, but is a minimum of £1 for three days and £1.55 for seven days.
Vinted is mainly used for selling clothing, accessories and shoes. You can also sell homeware, pet care and entertainment items. You can find a full list of what you can and can’t sell on their website here.
There are several ways to contact Vinted. You can contact them via the email address legal@vinted.co.uk. Alternatively, you can get support through Vinted’s help centre. To access the help centre, go on your account profile, scroll to the bottom and you’ll see the help centre page where you can get lots of answers to your questions.
Vinted also has a page where you can log support tickets. You can access this page here.
The postage cost is paid by the buyer and added to their purchase total. Vinted has several postage options available which can be viewed and controlled in your settings.
The buyer will choose the delivery method from the options available and the seller will either print off the label or use a QR code at the correct location to send their parcel. The seller has seven days to post an item after it has sold.
To cancel an order, go on your Vinted account and access the conversation with the other user. Click on the ⓘ icon in the top-right corner and you will be given the option to cancel your order.
It’s time to save in style
Now you’ve had the lowdown on how to use Vinted, you’ll be able to buy some bargains as well as make some cash on your clutter.
Let’s do a run-through of Vinted’s pros and cons:
Easy way to make money quickly
Easy way to purchase affordable clothing
Eco-friendly
Seller doesn’t have to pay Vinted a commission
No returns if your item doesn’t fit
Have to pay a buyer protection fee as a buyer
No guarantee your items will sell
Lots of timewasters offering low prices
Vinted is a great app to sell your old clothes and unwanted household items. It’s also a great way to bag cheap highstreet and designer fashion without breaking the bank. Whether you’re buying or selling, Vinted gives items a new lease of life so is eco-friendly, and is really straightforward to use.
Be sure to use our buying and selling tips so you can avoid missing out on super savings as well as making money.
Looking to find out more about buying and selling preloved clothes? We’ve got a guide covering our favourite platforms for selling old clothes online (which, of course, includes Vinted). You can also find a separate article packed with tips for buying second-hand clothes.
Have you had any great experiences using Vinted? Let us know in the comments.