Vinted - should I accept a parcel with not enough postage?

[Turtleoo]

Anyone any experience of this?
I bought an item on Vinted and have had a note through the door from Royal mail saying the sender hadn't paid enough postage so I need to pay £3.50 to get the parcel.

If I pay this and get the item am I likely to be able to get it back from Vinted or should I tell RM to return to sender?

For the RM receipt it will accept any photo. I once posted a really small item via Large Letter from the postbox at the end of the street and put a photo of the post box. I was not that bothered if it didn't arrive (think £1 child's t-shirt with £1 postage).

I sell and buy a fair amount on vinted but actively avoid buying anything that is Royal Mail postage, and have taken it off as an option for my own items for sale too as for some reason the postage costs were always around 50p less than the stated royal mail parcels.

OP I'd let them go back to the sender unless you're desperate for them

I have this problem at the moment. I have an underpaid item of mail waiting and I suspect its a vinted item that hasn't arrived. Unfortunately where its held is only open 8am to 10am nowadays. I am waiting on a vinted item and seller only offered royal mail. I much prefer evri or yodel. Anywayi messaged seller as the number on the receipt ( collect from home) wasn't working. Seller advised item was sent as letter not small parcel. If seller had gone to post office, it would have been obvious it was too thick to go as letter post ( despite being small and very light). It's also a discounted rate if you buy post online. No doubt seller will say they used vinted guidance. However vinted guidance doesn't work when it comes to RM. I really don't feel I should be down £3.50 just because seller took a cheaper option and chose not to go to post office. Vinted are no help. I was overcharged about £5 before as seller said " that's what vinted guide says". She refused to reimburse me and vinted did nothing. They really need to advise sellers to check RM website if buyer or indeed seller wants to use RM.

This is why I’ve turned off RM as an option on Vinted and accept that I’ve reduce my customer base. I had an item to post, took it to the post office and realised it would be even more than I had listed as the item was small but an awkward shape. Luckily the buyer was lovely and I cancelled the sale and relisted with the correct postage and she bought it again, otherwise I’d be paying someone £2 to have my £1.50 item! Royal Mail pricing and sizing is so out of kilter with the other couriers.

I don't understand how they can send the parcel without paying the correct postage? Don't you have to take it to the post office and the worker tells you how much it costs to send?

I'm another one who has turned off Royal Mail on vinted. It's costing me a fortune in extra postage. Vinted estimates the postage. I've just sold 3 items, all £2.80 postage, and yet it's been almost £4 per parcel! If it was cheap items in the package, it would not be worth sending them. It seems like the seller has only purchased postage for the price the buyer (OP) has been told it will be.

Hi there is the option to collect from home. Its usually about 50p I think but sometimes is free for a short period in some areas. You simply print your label off online ( at a discounted rate from post office counter) and your postie collects it. Where I am its collected at same time as your regular mail is dropped off. I assume they don't have size guides and scales with them to check. So easily open to abuse and manipulation unfortunately.

Yes unfortunately a couple of sellers have been caught out. Some cancelled and let me choose another method. One was happy to let it go. Unfortunately the person who over charged was not so accommodating. I have already told vinted they need to advise sellers to consult royal mail. If the price is too low on royal mail, I won't select it. Someone will always lose out.

You can also drop a parcel in a parcel box (I found out about these during lockdown) and if it's small enough to squeeze in the postbox you can just use that.

I've whittled down my postage options when selling on Vinted. Royal Mail are totally and utterly more trouble then they're worth.