To think Vinted were wrong to side with the seller

I’d say here the issue is the fact you can’t really prove they’re faulty. I like Vinted because buyers can’t just return things Willy nilly. I got burned using eBay a few times by buyers who would claim something wasn’t as described when it definitely was, they just had clear buyers remorse so then I’d be out of pocket.

Vinted don’t generally let you return an item unless it’s significantly not as described I.e damaged in some way or the wrong item has been sent. In this situation, it’s kind of difficult to prove they’re NAD because it just looks like they don’t fit.

It very much is the Vinted way that you physically pay for an item. It is taken from your bank account and the seller can then decide days later not to go through with it as happened in this case. I didn't get my money back for a week. I was invited by the seller to bid again at a higher price. Which bit of this are you querying? I have the online Vinted dialogue if you doubt it.
Imagine buying an item from a shop and paying for it and then the shop deciding to keep the item and re list it at a higher price. Plus the shop keeps your money for a week whilst giving you the opportunity to buy the item at a higher price.
Also until the item is received you cannot give feedback on Vinted.

@clairelouwho
It wasn't the fact that the seller couldn't deliver on time but the fact that she couldn't be bothered to post it. She also decided that she would relist it at a higher price and told me I could bid again at a higher price. I had already paid by this stage so it would necessitate me paying twice.

This isn't how Vinted works at all.

The seller doesn't receive their money until the buyer receives their item. It sits in "hold" until the item is confirmed as delivered and everything ok by the buyer-or it will automatically release the funds once the courier confirms delivery has been made-after a certain time period-allowing the buyer time to confirm receipt and if everything is ok.

So, it's not the seller you had difficulty getting the money off. It was Vinted. Also, if you are wanting something by a certain time-I'd always recommend to message the seller first and query when they can deliver before placing an order.

I had a similar issue but luckily my seller was nice and said she had bought them herself on Vinted but never even tried them on and just re-sold as per the original description. She offered me a refund and to keep the trousers (£15 so less of a loss) but as she was so nice about it I just kept them and re-sold with the correct measurements

Your argument seems to be that the trousers are shorter than expected. That could be regarded as subjective. Can you clearly tell that the trousers have been altered? It just sounds like you've made the wrong argument, Vinted could never determine the original trouser length to prove either way.

Maybe I've been lucky but use Vinted fairly regularly as a buyer and seller. I did have an item arrive damaged due to awful packaging. The seller asked me to return for a refund but I followed Vinted process and they refunded me and never asked for the return.

I also had an item that was never marked as sent. Contacted the seller and it appears there had been some mix up in labels. Nothing arrived and seller refunded quickly, it was clear the tracking that thought was my item was not the label linked to the purchase and going to a completely different postcode.

Is the item still for sale on the retailer's site? Can you contact them to ask the actual leg measurements (so you can send Vinted a photo showing yours are way out) or find a stock image to show the item you've purchased isn't the same? Often if trousers have been shortened, the new stitching & finish looks different to the original.

Can you challenge Vinted saying the onus on the buyer to ask if alterations have been made doesn't make any sense?! Because also where does it end, if I bought a ladies size 12 dress, tailored it to fit my 5yr old and then re-sold it as a size 12 dress, would that also be the buyer's fault for not checking?!

Personally I never buy anything second hand online without measurements as have received too many in the past that have been altered.

As others have said Vinted offers no buyer protection and the ‘Buyer Protection Fee’ is a joke. I brought an item that turned out to be a size smaller than advertised by the seller and Vinted still asked me to pay the return postage which was more than what the item was worth. I do wonder how this is legal and hope the loopholes in consumer law that allow it are closed.

Not helpful to the OP but I would never spend any amount on Vinted that I'd be annoyed about losing. For me the limit is about £20. Also check the seller reviews carefully although those are misleading too as you can't leave a review if the sale is cancelled (which may be the very time you do want to leave a bad review, to warn other buyers!).

I hope Vinted's terrible approach to protecting consumers will be investigated one day. Yes they are not the seller but they still have responsibilities under consumer law to buyers and sellers, including when determining disputes and setting fair policies.

I had this with a pair of trousers I bought where the seller advertised them as a size 14 (I had the exact same pair already so knew they would fit) and when they arrived they were a size 10.
It wasn't that she's got UK/US sizes mixed up as it had both on the label (H&M).
I raised it with Vinted and they said I could return them at my cost which wouldn't have been cost efficient.
Now I only buy stuff on vinted if I know for sure if it's what I want, and baby bundles.
I don't understand what the buyer protection payment is for if not situations like this!

You were right op. They should have made it clear

That’s really rubbish OP.
I’ve been lucky with Vinted until last week when I received a completely different item to the one I ordered and so far the buyer isn’t responding.

My friend sold a jacket on Vinted. Buyer claimed to have not received it and got a refund. He then attempted to resale the jacket on his own Vinted account. Vinted did absolutely nothing. Shocking company.

I would contact the BBC Watchdog or Rip Off Britain. They often get Vinted etc to back down.

Nah, if OP has had that make/style before and knows the R size fits her, why would she ask? It is ENTIRELY the responsibility of the seller to state if there's anything different to normal sizing about the item they're selling.

I don't understand this. If the label says 34" leg then I'd expect the inside leg measurement to be 34". Are you saying it's labelled that but is in fact shorter? In which case how would anyone know what length it was?

Another one who has had a similar bad experience with Vinted and got stung for £140.00 for a pair of boots which disintegrated within half and hour of me wearing them. Unfortunately, it'd unlikely you'll get anywhere with them. Always buyer beware ...... lesson learned.

Vinted always sides with the sellers. I don't buy anything for more than £10 on vinted; that way I don't lose out on much if something goes wrong. I also only purchase children's clothes which most of the time they're listed as brand new with tags.
I was sold a counterfeit item, paid £60 and vinted sided with the seller despite me providing irrefutable evidence that the item was fake! Had to do a charge-back with my bank which was a lot of hassle. It's ridiculous. Very soon they will start losing credibility.

But does it apply to the online equivalent of a jumble or car boot sale?

I don't know, I'm not a lawyer.

sergeantsalt · 12/01/2024 09:57

CRA doesn't apply to Vinted, they state it in their T&C.

They can say what they like, but they cannot simply bypass national legislation, it's not optional! If they trade in the UK, they are bound by consumer law, whether they like it or not.

Vinted is much cheaper than EBay though, for branded stuff like White Company, Boden, you can pick up some bargains if you know your size and jump quickly, and that's why I carry on using it.

I also buy brand new with tags shoes quite often in brands I already know and this has worked out well (I don't buy second-hand shoes, although I once did have a 'worn once' pair but I always look at the soles pictures to see if this is true and it has been so far).

Interesting to know. I agree with everyone saying don't buy expensive things on Vinted. That said, I've paid up to £50 for brand new shoes and also second-hand more expensive leather bags. One of my dd's items was clearly not the designer brand stated, but in fact she loves the bag and uses it every day so I feel that worked out ok. Mainly I buy brand new with tag jeans in a certain size and cheap tops, I agree with you OP that the seller was pulling a fast one as these things do come in standard sizes and it's not on you to ask for every sale 'have you altered this in any way?' because that's what a standard size is!

Was it vintage? Sizes have changed so much that with vintage items actual measurements are vital. Eg size 8 now appears to be a 26-28” waist, but used to be 22”!

The thing that irritates me is the lack of option to partially refund. One buyer complained to me that the box had been slightly damaged in transit. I hadn’t bubble wrapped it or anything because I didn’t think it would be important for the box to be perfect. She explained she was a collector so the box was important to her. I apologised and offered her £10 off or to return for a refund. She happily accepted the £10 off but we realised the only way to do that was for her to accept the item and me to pay her privately (via PayPal) the £10. On this occasion both myself and the buyer were trustworthy people and kept to what we had agreed but I could easily have just not paid her £10 and she would have accepted that the item was ok and couldn’t do anything about it.