Over the last year, like so many others, I’ve had a good declutter. Most of the focus was on the kitchen and larder organisation. But I’ve also been going through my wardrobe and drawers too. A clothes declutter was really needed, and this time I’m actually doing something with the clothes, decluttering my preloved clothes and selling on Vinted.
Table Of Contents
- Options for selling preloved clothes
- How does Vinted work?
- Selling on Vinted
- A guide to selling on Vinted
- 1, Set up your account on Vinted
- 2, Upload items to sell
- 3, Waiting for buyers
- 4, Once an item is sold
- 5. Withdrawing money from Vinted
- Other tips for selling clothes on Vinted
- What’s the feedback like on Vinted?
- Have you had any selling issues?
- How to deal with issues?
- Is selling on Vinted worth it?
I’ve been piling up N’s old clothes he’s grown out of since March ast year. Usually I pass them on to my best friend for her son, but we’ve not seen them for 15 months and not sure when we’ll see them. So I’ve decided to just sell them on.
As I’m back losing weight again, I’m determined to get rid of all the clothes as I lose dress sizes. Hopefully it will prevent me from putting weight on again. I also have clothes I’ve never worn – either they didn’t quite fit, or I ended up not liking them. So I’ve a lot of wardrobe to go through and sell on. If I can make a bit of money then I might treat myself to some nice clothes when I’m at target.
Options for selling preloved clothes
Selling unwanted clothes isn’t really something I’ve done much of before. I’ve used second hand dress shops but they do tend to take a long time for items to sell, and our local one closed a long time ago.
I’ve used ebay for more expensive pieces like smart dresses but got frustrated with them always siding with buyers, even though the buyers can be in the wrong.
Facebook local groups I’ve not had much success with. Mostly because I live too far out and people aren’t willing to travel (even when giving stuff away for free).
How does Vinted work?
Vinted has been bombarding me with tv adverts over the last few months so I thought I’d give it a go. If things don’t sell then I’ll send them off to the Bags2Schools collection the next time we have it at school.
Vinted is an international selling site all about connecting wardrobes, and making online selling safe. Or swapping, because there are also options to offer clothes to swap.
Buyers are the ones who have to effectively pay the fees. They pay the price asked by the seller, and then a buyer protection fee on top. This means they’re protected if items don’t arrive, aren’t sent, or there’s an issue with them. Sellers get to list for free.
Selling on Vinted
When I asked around, I only had 2 people respond that they’d used it but their experience was positive. I had nothing to lose as it’s free to sell items on there. Yes, free. No fees, and no double fees because payment is via the platform rather than being via Paypal. That’s a big bonus. The downside is that there are a few adverts on the site, but they’re not too intrusive and most people are used to either seeing these or blocking them out on other websites.
What I’ve been surprised about it how fast it is to get set up and then start selling. Within hours of putting clothes up for sale I’d had a bundle and another item sold. Over the first week of using Vinted, I’d sold 11 listings, mostly N’s old clothes, but some ladies clothing too. I mentioned it on twitter, and someone else signed up on my recommendation, to find 30 minutes later she’d sold something.
In contrast with ebay, there’s no timings, no auctions. Just a price (which can be haggled over), and you can leave them for sale, swap or remove as you want.
So far so good. I’ve got balance in my account which I’ve now withdrawn to my bank. And more money pending waiting for delivery confirmation. So it’s going well, and worth trying out.
Lots of people have asked me about it, so here’s my guide to selling preloved clothes on Vinted. Mainly as a seller, but with a little buying experience too.
A guide to selling on Vinted
1, Set up your account on Vinted
Use my invite link and start selling, and I’ll get a voucher
Set up your profile – you can add links in your bio, a photo, and check the account settings, and security. I worked through all the FAQs and settings. You verify your account via google, facebook etc. I didn’t originally set up my banking details, but to withdraw balance, you need to do that at some point. Here’s my Vinted profile.
Postage – you can turn off any methods you don’t want to use. I’m not a Hermes fan (now called Evri) and for me it’s a 14 mile round trip to my 3 nearest Parcelshops. So selling 1 item doesn’t make it worth the trek to drop off. But I was recommended to keep Hermes, as many buyers like it because it’s cheaper than Royal Mail. So far the split has been 50/50 across Hermes vs Royal Mail chosen.
Generally it’s been fine using Hermes for me. Vinted organise the parcel labels so all you do is print it off once the buyer has chosen Hermes, and then drop it off. It also gets automatically tracked through Vinted. The cheapest option does mean you have to wait once it’s delivered to a parcelshop for the buyer to pick up. The alternative to Hermes is Royal Mail 2nd class, and you just either buy the postage online and do a drop off, or go to the post office to buy. You then upload the proof of postage to confirm it’s been sent. The seller gets the postage back alongside the selling price once the item is received.
Since June 2021, UPS is now a shipping option for buyers. Unfortunately Vinted won’t give this as a switch off option for buyers (presumably UPS are paying to have a good deal so it’s included by default). UPS isn’t really used by non-businesses in the UK, so it’s frustrating we can’t turn it off. If someone requested that from me, I’d have a 14-15 mile round trip by car, would have to pay for parking, then walk some way to get to the drop off shop. There’s no way that’s worth it. They were priced higher than Royal Mail so I initially wasn’t worried, but now they’re not far off the Hermes prices.
When I queried the fact that UPS couldn’t be switched off for sellers with Vinted, they suggested that if people buy using UPS and sellers can’t use them, then the seller needs to cancel the transaction. Then agree with the buyer to use a different shipping service. They also recommended noting you don’t take UPS shipping on your profile. I’ve done this, but people don’t look at profiles – I might need to mention it in listings as well. All a bit of a faff but I’ve only had to cancel 2 transactions so far because people chose UPS.
Bundle discounts – you can set bundle discounts in your settings, e.g different % off, the more items someone buys.
Holidays – set when you’re not available so buyers know.
Privacy – you can turn off letting Vinted use your photos for marketing.
2, Upload items to sell
Vinted is mostly about clothes, but under kids, you can also sell toys and books. You can also sell home textiles and accessories.
There’s not many steps to go through to sell, and it’s a fast process to get items uploaded and on your profile to sell. I use the desktop version, but it’s easy enough to use the app as well.
Decide if you’re selling bundles or single items. I’ve found more success in selling single items, then people can add more than one item to make their own bundle. But it depends on the item being sold. I sold 3 similar themed GAP long sleeved kids t shirts straight away in a bundle. But school trousers and shorts, I’ve had to reduce them from bundles of 4 to 2 – I found lots of people were favouriting, but no-one was buying initially. With baby clothes, you might find people are more willing to buy bundles.
Upload photos. I usually upload the front and back view, label/tag, then any other details. You can drag and drop them to reorder, and rotate if they’re not the correct way up.
Then write a title, describe the item (include size, colour, condition, fit if it’s not standard, any issues with the item, brand etc).
Choose the category, condition, colour from the drop downs and then set your price.
When setting the price, it gives a guide showing what similar items sold for previously. If you put in a price that is over the typical selling price for the same types of item, it will flag it in case you want to amend it. I always think about whether the item is new, the brand, and age. Once you’re in older children’s sizes, they cost more than the same item that’s for a 3 year old, so check the sizes of the examples they give. Cheaper items will obviously sell faster.
It’s easy to amend the price and edit anything on your listing, so you can always put the price down if it doesn’t sell. I tend to look at how many times the item has been favourited. If you’ve got lots of favourites but noone buying, it’s worth dropping the price a little.
Choose the postage size – they provide a click through for each pricing option to show the size and weight of the parcel allowed. It can be a bit frustrating as Royal Mail small parcel is basically large letter which is under 2.5cm, vs Hermes for a small parcel which is for the whole circumference so much bigger. It means you need to really check your postage – I’ve had one occasion where I’ve risked the small size and they’ve opted for Royal Mail. I’m now hoping the jiffy bag will still fit the large letter check! Most items will be medium post I’ve found unless they’re a small child’s t-shirt, or small thin vest top..
3, Waiting for buyers
Buyers can favourite items they want to track, and can also follow a seller. I’ve found that adding items gradually every couple of days must boost items higher to be seen, because I’m regularly selling items.
On each item you see the number of views and numbers of times they’ve been favourited. If you see items favourited you don’t have to do anything. But if you see lots of favourites on one item, but it’s not bought, either there’s lots of similar/the same item for sale, or it’s priced too high.
Buyers can haggle by sending a message. Or they can ask to buy a bundle of items. You can accept this by confirming the postage for the bundle which they can accept or decline. Usually I decline a request for a price drop because I’d rather decide when I drop it, especially if it’s only just gone online. One person requested a drop of 60% for a newly listed item which was just a cheek for a brand new item with tags. Others may be acceptable to you.
4, Once an item is sold
When an item sells you get a notification/inbox message, and an email. The email gives all the instructions on what to do next, which type of postage to use, and walks you through it. You have 5 days to post the item out.
The buyer pays for postage too. If it’s for Royal Mail the seller pays, but gets the postage fee back on completion of the transaction. Once you’ve posted the item, you can let the buyer know (upload the proof of postage for Royal Mail, with Hermes it automatically tracks but it’s nice to let the seller know separately – sometimes the Hermes tracking takes a while to show). Buyers also pay a small protection/transaction fee. So it’s great for sellers.
Buyers then leave feedback which you can respond to, and sellers can also leave feedback. These appear on your profile as reviews.
5. Withdrawing money from Vinted
The money sits in your pending balance, and once the buyer has marked the item as received and all ok, you’l get the money released into your account. You can use your balance to either buy items on Vinted, or withdraw it to your bank account.
To withdraw money, the first time you need to be verified. You’ll need to add your bank details and upload photos of an item of ID verification like drivers licence or passport. It will take a few minutes to approve the verification, but you can do this early on.Mine didn’t approve first time round – I think because the name and address didn’t match exactly what I’d added to Vinted. I amended those in my account, and the next time it got approved fine. Adding my address to Vinted was the most painful part of getting set up on Vinted, because it wouldn’t bring up my address. There’s no manual entry option, so it’s not quite perfect for my address. Worth checking when you’re writing out postal labels.
Vinted withdrawal can take 5 days for the money to reach your bank account, but mine has only taken 3 days each time. There’s no minimal withdrawal limit.
Other tips for selling clothes on Vinted
My item isn’t selling?
If it has lots of favourites, check the price compared to similar items and look at reducing it. Or try offering bundle discounts.
If you’re not getting views on items, then you can pay to bump an item, or spotlight your wardrobe. When I signed up I was given a complimentary bump, so you might find the same.
You can always try deleting the item and uploading again at a more appropriate seasonal time, improving the photography or writing more information about it.
I don’t like haggling
If you don’t want to offer discounts then turn them off under your profile. If someone messages you asking for a discount, you can say no to it. I tend to say no when items have lots of favourites. But I have agreed a lower bundle price if the person chose Royal Mail postage, so I wasn’t spending lots of travel to post it.
How fast is it to sell on Vinted?
I sold my first item the same day I’d listed it. Someone I know sold within an hour of listing. Like anything, if you have items that people want or need at that point, then they’ll sell if they’re reasonably priced. Generally I sell a couple of items every other day with between 15-20 items live at once.
How do bundle requests and reserving items work?
If a buyer wants several items, sometime they’ll request a bundle price. Some will request a discount – you can accept or decline. Otherwise will just pay the full price. After there’s a bundle request, you need to confirm the bundle postage size and therefore the cost. This goes to the buyer and they can either buy or ignore.
You can also reserve items if someone’s asked for a discount. If you reserve items, they’ll be reserved for 60 days although you can remove the referral earlier if the buyer isn’t buying.
What preloved clothes sell best on Vinted?
I’ve only listed womens and boyswear. So far, boys items have sold quite well, but I’m also selling ladieswear too. Most of my clothes for sale are 7-8 and 8-9 years and plus size tops and jumpers, although I’ve also had size 12-14 sell too. Many are new items, the rest are generally worn once or twice. There is a real mix of items on Vinted though. My feed is full of items I’d never choose – but I’ve since amended my personalisation to only the sizes that are relevant to us. I’m selling high street items – there’s a real variety on price being asked for so selling cheaper is best if you want to get rid.
Buyers search via the search items bar, scroll their feed, or are prompted to click on popular items, brands or suggested searches.
They can also use the drop downs, so it’s important your items are categorised properly.
How can I communicate with buyers?
Buyers will tend to message sellers. You’ll get an email as well as it appearing in notifications and email at the top of the screen. Everything is communicated through Vinted. Once an item is sold, you used the message thread which updates the progress, so don’t delete the ‘sold’ notification email as you’ll want to refer back to that for the shipping details and tracking etc.
How do I start selling on Vinted?
Just use my guide above, and go and sign up – if you go via my invite link and start selling items within 7 days, I’ll get a voucher back from them.
If you need mail bags or envelopes for sending out preloved clothes, check out my affiliate links below
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Can buyers return items on Vinted?
I’ve so far not experienced any requests for returns, but buyers can only return items they don’t like or they don’t fit if the seller agrees to a refund. To avoid return requests, make sure you take good clear photos, a decent description. It’s also good if there’s any damage to mention it and show a photo. I have sold a jacket with a white mark on, and there were no quibbles – because I’d show it on a photo and mentioned it in the description.
What’s the feedback like on Vinted?
I have to admit to being a bit rubbish about leaving feedback. There’s not much you can say other than thanks, no hassle etc. And with the amount of feedback I was having to leave at first, it was taking a while to do. But so far I’ve found everything fair and positive. I’ve only had (and given) 5 stars. One person gave me 5 stars but mentioned a bit of bobbling on a jumper although she still liked the jumper – I didn’t mention that because I’d not noticed it, as it was a relatively new jumper, decent brand, and I’d not thought to check it. Usually I would mention any issues and share a photo.
Have you had any selling issues?
So far, I’ve only had 2 issues. One was my own fault. I shouldn’t have trusted the parcelshop and Hermes but I was feeling rushed to post within the deadline but the parcelshop had run out of receipts. I didn’t want to drive another 21 mile round trip to find another parcelshop. But there was a pile of parcels left; the staff member assured me she’d make sure they got all the barcodes tracked when the driver turned up. But it mustn’t have been tracked because no tracking turned up on my item, and I couldn’t prove I’d sent it.
When it didn’t arrive I checked at the parcelshop that everything had been picked up. Mine seemed to be the only one they’d had questions about. If Vinted see you’ve not got tracking info uploaded for Hermes, after 7 days they cancel the purchase, refund the buyer. Annoyingly it was a more expensive top so I’m out of pocket, and the buyer may still have got the item (other than hoping they’ll let you know and repay, there’s nothing as a seller you can do). But it was my fault for trusting the post! Otherwise, there have been no issues.
The only other problem was an undelivered item that never turned up. The buyer asked for a refund because it hadn’t arrived for when they wanted it, and had bought something else. But as a seller I couldn’t refund an item that I’d fulfilled my part of the agreement because someone changed their mind. Once the ‘delivery’ allowance date is passed, Vinted assume it’s been delivered. Then the buyer has 2 days to click the button and say either all’s ok, or there’s an issue. That kicks in the refund process. My buyer got stressed out because they didn’t know what to do, but it’s all automated. You just have to wait for the correct notification, click the issue button and Vinted sort it. They checked the tracking, the item was missing during delivery, so the buyer was refunded thanks to buyer protection, and I as a seller still got my payment for the item too.
How to deal with issues?
Everything is automated on Vinted. It makes it really easy to sell and sort out any issues. However, the downside is nothing can be overridden by the people working at Vinted. They are responsive on chat, but expect to have to just work through the automated steps.
Is selling on Vinted worth it?
A couple of my friends suggested it was just too much effort for them. But if you want to get rid of clothes that are immaculate or in good condition and make some cash, it’s a nobrainer.
Like anything you need to try Vinted to see if it works for you. One friend said after 4 months they’d only sold 1 item. I’ve had no problems selling fast (making nearly £300 in 2 months), and know others who sell fast too. If you’ve got lots of good quality clothes to sell then yes it’s worth it. I’ve had no issues selling boys clothes ages 7-8 and 8-9. And womenswear of a variety of sizes from 12-20 have also sold well. All of mine have been high street clothing, hardly worn or new items. And standard styles – from day to day, casual wear to smarter or more dressy tops. If you put enough items up, they’ll get seen. I recommend uploading a few items every couple of days so your items are regularly seen.
Really it’s all a bit of a test – it’s worth adding items to sell given it won’t cost you anything. But you might just need to edit listings to amend prices, or change bundle items if they’re not selling.
Have you used Vinted to sell preloved clothes? Let me know how you get on with Vinted.
