Clearing out your wardrobe? A guide to selling clothes on Vinted

This guide to selling clothes on Vinted contains affiliate links.

Ebay used to be the place for buying and selling on unwanted second hand clothes, but in more recent years it became saturated with cheap Chinese tat. With all the fees, scammers and cheeky buyers pushing their luck, I just couldn’t be bothered with it any more. I either sent clothes straight to the charity shop (after they had, of course, spent a few weeks or months living in the boot of my car), tried my luck with the chancers of Facebook Marketplace, or just kept them; I had been living on my own with three double wardrobes to myself so lack of space wasn’t really an issue.

When I moved house we had merely three double wardrobes between us, two of which I took up, but it still wasn’t enough to store all the clothes I’d brought with me. Given that half of the stuff was too big or small anyway, and moving house is expensive, I looked into selling clothes on Vinted to make a bit of money and you know, save the environment and stuff.

I’ve been using it regularly now for a while and am very impressed with how easy it is to use, so I thought I’d share my tips for selling second hand clothes on Vinted.

What is Vinted?

Vinted is an app for Android or Iphone which makes selling your unwanted clothes and home items really simple. As a Vinted seller you don’t pay fees, and postage is all paid for by the buyer and sorted out in the app. All you have to do is list your items, pack them and send them off – you don’t even need to print postage labels.

I’ve not used it to buy many clothes, because I don’t need any more (so I’m told) but I know loads of people who use it a lot and love it for getting a bargain. There is a lot of barely used childrenswear selling for pennies. If you’re looking for tips for buying clothes on Vinted, my friend Emma has written this guide.

But I’m getting ahead of myself!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with selling your unwanted clothes on Vinted

Create a Vinted Account

First, you need to download the Vinted app from your device’s app store. You can do it on your computer via the Vinted website (www.vinted.com) but the app makes it so easy as you can take pictures with your phone and upload them directly – so definitely do it that way.

You can sign up for a new account using your email address, or in seconds by linking your Facebook or Google account.

Set Up Your Profile

After creating your account, set up your profile. Add a profile picture and write a brief description about yourself; maybe a bit about your style, what you’re selling etc. A personal touch can help build trust with potential buyers who will tend to check it out before they buy off you, particularly if you’re new and don’t have a lot of feedback.

Select Your Notifications

Unless you want to go absolutely barmy, I would suggest turning off ‘favourited’ notifications, which tells you when someone has liked an item of your clothing on Vinted. People do this for all sorts of reasons – to come back later, or just so that Vinted gets an idea of what they like and shows them similar items. Some Vinted sellers like to reach out to those that favourite their items and offer them discounts, but I’ve not done this because it seems a bit cringeworthy, and I wouldn’t be receptive to it as a buyer.

If you’re not going to do that, then your phone pinging every ten seconds telling you someone likes something is fairly useless, not to mention annoying.

However, you will want selling push notifications set to on so you’re notified when someone buys something and you need to post it.

Then go to ‘sell’ in the centre bottom of the screen to start selling your clothes.

Here are some tips for selling your clothes quickly on Vinted:

Take Clear Photos of Your Clothes

Find a spot with good, natural lighting and a clear background to take pictures of the clothes you want to sell. If you’ve got a lot of clothes to sell, you might consider investing in a cheap ring light like this one if your lighting at home isn’t up to scratch. (They’re also good for selfies and taking good photos of the dog. If you don’t have one already, what are you doing?).

You can have up to 20 pictures on each listing so you might as well use them; pop it on a hanger over a door to show how it falls, front and back, maybe a flatlay, and don’t forget to add close ups of the labels, any unique details, patterns, or flaws (if any) to give potential buyers a clear idea of what they’re purchasing.

If they fit you, then a good tip is model them yourself, or find pictures of you wearing the clothes to use. I’ve had much better results selling clothes that people can see how they fit. It’s a bit embarrassing, maybe, but they do sell well (and you can always chop your head off. In the photo I mean). Alternatively, if you think it’s worth the investment, you could get a mannequin like this one for £40ish to model the clothes for you.

I would say that it’s worth ironing and presenting clothes as well as you can, although I really can’t be bothered to do this (between you and I, I don’t actually know where the iron is, if we have one). It does however make shirts etc look so much better and more saleable even if you know they’ll just get crumpled in the post anyway.

Write Accurate Descriptions

For each item, write detailed and accurate descriptions including brand, size, colour, material, condition, and any other relevant information about the clothing that someone may be searching for on Vinted. You can mention if, for example, it was worn once, or never, or why you’re getting rid of it, but sticking to the facts is perfectly fine. You’ll be prompted to fill out the category, brand, condition and price too.

One thing I would say is be honest about the condition of the clothes; if there are any defects, flaws, holes, marks etc, mention them in the description to avoid any misunderstandings with buyers. If something is in dreadful condition, consider maybe just sticking it in the bin or donating it as rags instead because no one wants your holey t-shirts or manky pants (NB I have heard there are actually places you can sell old pants – but I don’t think that’s Vinted and it’s not my thing).

Under ‘condition’ you can select from ‘new with tags’, ‘new without tags’, ‘very good’, ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ – Personally I’ve always tried to undersell so that I’ll never get a complaint and even when something’s never been worn, I select ‘very good’ rather than new. I’ve not had anyone give anything other than 5* ratings at this point.

Set the Price

When you go to set your price, it will prompt you with similar items that are already on Vinted. Have a good scroll through to see what they’re selling for and to get a feeling for what you can charge.

Be aware that many people will try and come in with an offer, which is the absolute bane of my Vinted existence. I wish I could turn it off to be honest. If one more person messages me with an offer 25p under the asking price on a brand new £40 shirt I’m selling for four quid, I am going to chuck it all in a skip in a rage.

You can however easily decline these offers by hitting a button. If you’d prefer, you can leave some room for negotiation by setting a slightly higher price than your desired amount but this seems counterintuitive to me. I price to sell, take it or leave it. The choice is yours!

You might also be asked to provide a bundle price if someone is buying more than one of your Vinted items. Again it’s up to you to decide whether you want to offer a discount; never feel like you have to if it wouldn’t be worth your time to actually post the blinking thing. It’s so easy and straightforward to use the app, it’ll prompt you the whole way.

Choose Shipping Options

Vinted allows you to choose from various different shipping options when you set your account up.

When selling clothes on Vinted, you can offer standard shipping, or opt for tracked shipping for an additional fee, which the buyer pays at their end. Offer whichever shipping methods are convenient for you, and the buyer will select what they prefer and pay for it when they pay for your item, so you don’t need to get involved in shipping costs. This is great for sellers, unlike Ebay which pushed sellers to swallow the ever increasing cost of postage.

I don’t have a reliable label printer, so I personally have opted to offer only shipping methods which don’t require me to print anything off. Yodel, Evri and InPost all offer a print in store/labeless option which is great if you don’t want the faff.

When someone buys one of my items on Vinted and wants postage via Yodel or Evri, I am prompted to download a barcode or QR code which I scan in or show to a staff member, and the label is printed off in the shop. In the case of InPost, the code is scanned and the parcel goes straight into a locker without a label attached.

The Yodel drop off is just down the road, so this is my favourite, although I’m not sure I’m the most popular customer they have.

When you do each listing, you’ll need to state what size your parcel is – a cheap set of kitchen scales can come in handy for choosing between small, medium and large parcels although you’ll soon get a feel for what is what.

NB – if you are selling designer clothes or other expensive items, make sure you only offer tracked postage option, as scammers target high value items and then claim they didn’t receive them. Most things I sell cost below £10, so it isn’t as important, but I’ve heard of it happening. If scammers on Vinted are a worry for you, there are various Facebook groups you can join where sellers warn others if they’ve had a bad experience.

Package Well and Send on Time

As I’m only sending clothing items, then they don’t need to be bubble wrap protected, but waterproof is fairly important. I bought these shipping bags from Amazon; in hindsight I don’t use the smallest one so would probably opt for the 10×14 inch mailing bags next time which are the size I most commonly use for things like dresses and skirts. They are really easy to use and you know they won’t fall apart or let the rain in. If you’re eco-conscious, then you can opt for compostable mailing bags.

As the shipping is managed through the Vinted platform, all tracking information is shared with the buyer automatically however once I’ve dropped it off at the shop, I send a message to tell them I’ve done so. I aim to send them the same day they pay for the item – I like the excuse to go for a walk – but you have a few days grace to do it if you’d prefer to do it all your posting one go.

Don’t forget, if you’re going away and won’t be able to post things then stick it on holiday mode. That way, people won’t be buying your items and expecting deliveries they won’t get, and your reputation will stay intact – and you won’t get angry people shouting at you in your DMs.

Answering Messages

There is messaging on Vinted where buyers or potential buyers can get hold of you. It’s a good system to check things like the sizing if, for instance, it’s not clear in the listing.

It’s up to you how much time you want to dedicate to messaging. I tend to get a feeling; if someone’s asking lots of silly questions I’ve already answered in the listing or they’re being demanding about postage etc etc, I don’t generally reply. I’m not a pen-pal. You’ll probably make more sales if you do, but your time is worth something and don’t forget that.

Leaving Feedback on Vinted

If you’ve had no problems with a buyer, then it’s customary to leave them five stars. You don’t need to go into detail. If you don’t leave feedback then they’ll get an automatic 5* rating from Vinted when the transaction is complete. None of this ‘A+++++++ excellent buyer’ nonsense required. Don’t leave a lower than five star rating unless you have a problem; it’s considered very rude.

Promoting Your Clothes on Vinted

If you want to increase the visibility of your clothes on Vinted, you can promote them for a fee. I’ve not done this myself, but if you have something particularly expensive that you want to sell quickly, then it may be worth exploring.

Getting Paid by Vinted for Selling Your Clothes

Getting paid on Vinted is so much easier than, for example, using Ebay which then charges fees for the listing and being paid via Paypal.

On Vinted, as a seller, the price you set is the amount you will receive at the end. The buyer pays the fees and postage at their end. This does mean you need to take this into account when selling; no one is going to pay top dollar for something second hand, plus fees, plus postage, if it works out cheaper to buy new.

But this is definitely the best thing about selling clothes on Vinted; once your item has been received by the buyer and they’ve accepted it, the price will be transferred to your Vinted balance, which you can withdraw directly to your bank account at any time.

What Happens if my Vinted Item Doesn’t Arrive?

If your item gets lost in the post, which has happened to me once, then it will take longer to get your money but you will get it via the Vinted platform, who will manage it and also refund your buyer for you. This is another reason why I’d much prefer to sell here; there are no horrible Paypal disputes over postage and you won’t have to spend your time chasing couriers for refunds as it is all managed internally.

The bottom line is, if you’re a well rated seller and you post your items out and they get lost, you won’t be the one to lose out, as long as the item costs less than £50. For this reason I would not sell high value items for example designer clothes on Vinted.

What Happens if the Buyer Raises a Dispute on Vinted?

If when selling second hand clothes on Vinted you do your best to create accurate descriptions and be clear about flaws, marks etc, then you shouldn’t run into any problems.

It is not a shop, and buyers do not have the right to change their mind or return something that doesn’t fit or suit them. Although you can offer refunds (and choose whether you pay for the return postage or the buyer does) if you want to, buyers who don’t want to keep an item that was as described are encouraged to re-sell the item (but using their own photographs).

That said, there are always some unscrupulous people who want something for nothing and think they can get it for free by complaining. Protect yourself against this by taking a lot of photos, maybe videoing yourself packaging and posting the item, and keeping proof of postage etc.

These are the steps you will typically have to go through should a buyer raise a dispute on the Vinted platform:

1. Communication with the Seller: Vinted encourages buyers and sellers to communicate with each other first to try and resolve the issue directly. The buyer may reach out to the seller to discuss the problem and seek a solution.
2. Involvement of Vinted Support: If the buyer and seller are unable to reach a resolution or if the issue is more complicated, the buyer can escalate the dispute to Vinted Support. They can do this by contacting Vinted’s customer support team and providing details about the problem they are facing.
3. Evidence Submission: Vinted Support may ask both the buyer and seller to provide evidence related to the transaction. This evidence could include photographs of the item, shipping receipts, tracking information, and any messages exchanged between the parties.
4. Mediation and Resolution: Vinted’s support team acts as a mediator to review the evidence and determine a fair resolution. The outcome will depend on the specific circumstances of the dispute. Possible resolutions include:
   • Full Refund: If the item was not delivered or significantly not as described, the buyer may be eligible for a full refund, and the seller may have to accept the return of the item.
   • Partial Refund: In some cases, Vinted may offer a partial refund if the item has minor issues but is still usable.
   • No Refund: If the evidence shows that the item was accurately described and delivered as expected, the buyer may not be eligible for a refund.
5. Decision Finalisation: Once a decision is made by Vinted’s support team, it is typically considered final, and both parties are expected to abide by it. If the decision is to refund the buyer, you will not receive payment for the transaction.

Personally I would shy away from selling high value items like designer clothes on Vinted, as these are more likely to be targeted by scammers, and you won’t be covered for more than £50 if the item gets lost (£20 if sent via some postage methods – check first!). If you do decide to sell things that are on the more expensive side then be sure to check out buyer feedback before you send! You can always cancel the transaction if you aren’t sure.

What Can I Sell on Vinted?

On Vinted, you can sell a wide range of second-hand fashion items. The platform primarily focuses on clothing and accessories, but there are specific guidelines and restrictions on what you can sell. Here’s a list of items you can typically sell on Vinted:

1. Clothing: Tops, shirts, dresses, skirts, pants, jeans, jackets, coats, sweaters, hoodies, etc.
2. Shoes: Boots, sneakers, sandals, heels, flats, and other types of footwear.
3. Bags and Purses: Handbags, clutches, backpacks, tote bags, and more.
4. Accessories: Jewelry, scarves, hats, belts, gloves, and other fashion accessories.
5. Beauty Products: Some beauty products like makeup and skincare items may be allowed, but there could be restrictions due to safety and hygiene concerns.
6. Kids’ Clothing and Accessories: Clothes and accessories for children.
7. Maternity Wear: Clothing designed for pregnant individuals.
8. Vintage and Retro Items: Fashion items that have a vintage or retro style.

What Can’t I Sell on Vinted?

While Vinted primarily focuses on fashion-related items, it is essential to be aware of their guidelines and restrictions.

Some items are not allowed for sale on Vinted, and trying to sell prohibited items may result in your account being flagged or even suspended.

1. Counterfeit Items: Selling counterfeit or fake branded products is strictly prohibited. Selling ‘dupes’ of high end products on Vinted will get your account banned.
2. Electronics and Gadgets: Vinted is not a platform for selling electronic devices or gadgets.
3. Home Goods: Furniture, home decor, and other non-fashion related items are generally not allowed.
4. Underwear and Intimate Apparel: Used underwear and intimate apparel are not allowed for hygiene reasons. No worn knickers, smelly socks or other naughty items either, thanks.
5. Promotional Items: Items like promotional merchandise or business-related items are not permitted.
6. Weapons and Hazardous Items: Selling weapons, ammunition, or hazardous materials is prohibited.
7. Digital Goods: Digital downloads, e-books, and software are not allowed.

I hope that this guide to selling clothes on Vinted has helped you.

If you fancy a giggle, here are some of the most unhinged Vinted conversations I’ve seen.

If you enjoyed this and you’re feeling generous, you can buy me a cup of tea or a glass of wine here.

You can also see my Amazon wish list here.