Vinted postage question

[jennyfromthefarm]

Wasn't sure where to post this, sorry.

I'm wanting to sell some stuff on vinted but I only want to use Royal Mail as a postage option. This is because the drop off points/printing options for many of the couriers aren't local to me and the faff it would take to get them there isn't worth the £2 I'd be charging for an old pair of jeans! I don't have a printer so I can't do it myself.

Will this negatively impact sales?

Most people who really want something will buy it no matter who is posting it but you might find some people who work all day and won't be in to collect etc prefer the pick-up locations so might avoid purchases

You can change it in settings.
It might have a small impact as it's a more expensive option and the least flexible usually but it won't have a massive impact. Most people won't notice or care.

Just as an FYI with Vinted and Royal Mail is that make sure you check the sizing for items against guidelines on the website and they will only give you the cost of postage if you pay for it online and not in the post office which is more expensive

I am sometimes out of buying because the postage option doesn’t suit that week. But I think only Royal Mail would be fine. I don’t think many people gave beef with them!

Some people don’t like Yodel due to bad experiences, others prefer Yodel over Evri. It varies!

Though lack of an option to deliver to a store/locker rather than to a home/work address may be an issue for some.

I turn royal mail off as you need to pay for postage yourself and then sort of claim it back. Often you don't recoup the postage.

It wouldn't put me off, but I guess it depends on how inconvenient the other locations are.

I sell on Vinted and allow pretty much everything, on the grounds that they give you 5 days to post.

So if there's one that you could stomach once a week, you could always include that - I take all my Yodel parcels one day, all the Evri ones another, and time another errand around it.

Royal mail puts me off.
Most people charge for a large parcel at £5.49, but when its delivered it got £3.35ish on there. So I've paid extra.
I also have all my items delivered to a parcel shop as it cheaper and more convenient to collect when I want to.

I would suffer royal mail for something I really, really want, but not a small spur of the moment purchase.

As a seller, Royal Mail means they don't provided you with proof of postage whereas the courier companies do. Could be significant for disputes.

I only sell via Evri or Hermes, and have RM and Inpost switched off.

As a buyer royal mail would put me right off, our postman won't leave with a neighbour and our collection office has very restricted opening times so it's a nightmare for me to get parcels.
As a seller I prefer evri as I just pop to the shop round the corner, scan the code, stick the label on and send it off, whole thing takes me 5 minutes

How do you all manage printing labels? Do you have a label printer at home? They're so expensive.

Agree with this - maybe pop some wording on your bio and then towards the top of each listing description with what rough timescales you could work to that way you've been upfront and can manage buyers expectations.

I only ever ship by Yodel - not had many problems and choose the digital label option as I've a few places nearby I can drop off and print at.

I very nearly purchased a printer just for Vinted selling when I started but to be honest it's not affected my sales and I doubt I ever would have recouped the cost certainly not for a long time when you consider the prices items go for.

At home,I just use the normal printer,trim the label and stick it on the parcel.I use the glue stick as well as sellotape on the label to make doubly sure that it doesn't come adrift.

I don't have a printer so only use Yodel and InPost but Royal Mail puts me off as the price is higher, delivery is much slower and I have had a few items not show up but you have to allow weeks for them to come before being able to say the parcel didn't arrive. I'd have to really want your item to accept Royal Mail as the carrier. Also, I find collecting the parcel better than waiting in for it but that's probably just me, there is nothing worse than the doorbell going during nap time and waking my DS.

Ahh so you print at the drop-off place? That makes sense, thank you. I don't own a printer at all.

That's exactly what I was thinking @tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz - I have a load of maternity/baby/toddler clothes to sell, they won't make much each, the whole lot might make me £100 which is the price of the best reviewed label printer on Amazon. Good to know it's not necessary!

The sellers I follow who are especially successful with baby/kids clothes tend to do them as bundles, that could work well?

But yes, using Yodel only and printing in store has generally worked really well for me. My sales are never through the roof however are slow and steady which is fine by me as actually I can't be arsed going to the shop every other day. Try and reuse every piece of packaging you get and that saves you £ too. I've still made just under £200 over a year so I'm really chuffed with that and use it to fund a night away for the three of us in London after Christmas!

The digital label option is definitely a game changer.

The key for me is distinguishing between volume and quality. Sell most things cheap, but make sure you top-end the pricier items, or even go a quid over the estimate.

I only use Royal Mail tracked and I charge for it, it saves a lot of hassle. When you buy the label online they give you a QR code, so if you have a mobile device you can take that to the post office and they'll print the label for you.

Interesting.

I didn't realise that sellers could specify/deselect delivery methods.

My nearest InPost place is 7 miles away, in a town I rarely have need to visit, so this is proving really inconvenient!

Royal Mail is easy, there is a PO down the road, which is open in the evenings. And they give me a proof of postage!

Evri is a short drive away, through a village I go through several times a week. Happy to use it.

Thanks for this guys, really helpful advice. There is also an Inpost drop off box thingy near me. Can anyone tell me how that works? Can you print labels at these? It's outside a shop but I don't think the shop has anything to do with it.

Not sure you need to print labels for them . I only use them for mainstream returns and often find all the boxes are full so you can't use it. Evri print in shop is easiest if you have one near you

I’ve sold on average two things a day for the last month.

I have all the options on because I didn’t know what I was doing at first!

Not ONE person has opted to buy using Royal Mail in all those sales.

With the inpost locker, you don’t need to print anything. You literally wrap the parcel and Vinted send you a QR code that you wave at the scanner on the locker. A door opens and boom, you’re done.

(I tend to Sharpie the name of the buyer on in small writing so I don’t get my parcels mixed up!)

I haven't got a printer so only have my Vinted account set up for Royal Mail. It doesn't seem to put people off as I have sold 4 items this week. I have a post office 5 minutes away but don't drive so can't offer the other options anyway.

Update...I listed a load of bits earlier and have sold 5 items since about 2pm! I'm shocked and very unprepared. Had to nip out and buy a couple of postage bags but then I sold 3 more things! I've ordered some more from Amazon but they won't arrive until later in the week so I'm hoping I can get away without sending them until then.

I think I get the inpost locker thing. I just hope the one near to me has space as it's saying it's often full.

Who'd have thought it!

Whatever you do don’t use Inpost!