To not understand how some people have so much bad luck on Vinted

[123autumn]

A couple of disclaimers: 1. I know most people on Vinted are fine, and it’s mainly the bad stuff that people talk about online, and 2. Even if people have a mainly positive experience, they might have the occasional one or two problems here or there.

However, I sometimes come across people saying that about 50% of what they buy turns out to be covered in stains, or that several items arrived in the wrong size, or that they’ve bought multiple designer goods that all turned out to be fakes etc, or that most things on Vinted are awful and why would you buy anything there at all etc.

Sorry but how are these people having such a high level of bad luck? I sometimes wonder if people really think properly before buying. If I see an item with only one blurry photo then I won’t buy it in the first place. If I see something I’m unsure about, I’ll keep scrolling. If I don’t see a size label, I’ll probably keep scrolling or I might send a question to the seller to check.

Once again I’m not talking about the average person who’s been mainly fine but had one thing they were unhappy with. I’m talking about certain people who say that a huge amount of what they’ve bought has turned out to be rubbish. Maybe just stop and look a bit more before deciding to buy something.

I like Vinted and normally it's ok. However when it goes wrong the customer service is awful. The seller seems to have all the power. I have a damaged (ripped) item sent. Wanted to return. I paid for protection yet I had to pay to return the item?!? Made no sense to me. Went round in circles the seller ended up getting money and I threw it in the bin. Would cost the same to return as it would to send back.

Hopefully it won't happen again. I left negative feedback but the seller just wrote a response explaining it away. E bay is safer imo but they don't have the same choice.

Well sellers aren't pre-screened, are they? The whole point is that anyone can stick anything on there and it's basically a no-frills online jumble sale. Prices are so low you can't expect too much, though it's nice if you get a real bargain.

It'll probably self-regulate more over time likd eBay but at the moment it's still pretty new.

@Tore121 Right and the point is that this happened to you once, and the rest of your purchases were okay.

I sometimes wonder if people really think properly before buying.

Pretty patronising.

Thinking properly before buying didn't stop 3 separate items turning up wrong. One the seller admitted she sent the wrong items to the wrong buyers, one blamed the courier and the other was unsolved.
The one which was the seller's fault, and admitted, had the worst service. The only solution was to pay to send it back, and pay to have the right item sent out, or pay to send it back and then receive a refund which was hugely chipped away after 2 lots of postage and fees.
The one where the seller said it wasn't there item was marginally better, in the end I received a full refund including postage and fees but it took about 6 weeks.
The last one is unsolved still.

I agree op. Iv bought maybe 30+ things off Vinted and had one issue issue of the wrong item being sent.

When I read how posts narrating multiple issues I either think they are a bit daft or I have exceptionally good luck.

Yeah I'm always very careful like you and only buy if there's good high quality photos and a size label photo. But I also only buy very cheap stuff, never more than £8-10. I wouldn't risk buying something expensive on there

I have "bought" 7 items from Vinted. 4 of the sales were cancelled because the seller didn't post the items. 2 were great, just as described. And the last one, a Osprey handbag described as great condition had a piece of leather missing and the plastic stiffener underneath the corner was visible for 2 inches. There were 3 lovely clear photos, the seller had positioned the bag so the defect could not be seen. I really couldn't be bothered to return the bag/raise a complaint as I was going on holiday. But, so far, my experience with Vinted has been pretty Meh.

I love vinted, all of my boys current wardrobe is from there, multiple pairs of shoes, coats for all of us and even toys for Christmas!

The only issues I've ever had as a buyer is sellers not posting before it times out, it happened a few times in a row when I was trying to get something for my eldest and it's annoying, but the refund is almost instant. I had one parcel go missing in transit and I had to wait a few weeks for it to be definitely lost then I could start a refund claim which didn't take too long

As a seller the only issue I've had is with inpost lockers being full, we only have 1 in the closer town I go to more regularly and it's almost always full which is a pain.

I'm considering selling some clothes. I've never used Vinted but have used Ebay a few times. This thread is making me think I should stick with Ebay, should I?

I think a lot of it comes down to attitudes.

I've sold a bit across Vinted, eBay and Facebook groups. I have exemplary feedback, best seller they've ever dealt with etc. I always wrap my items nicely, even low value put in a thank you note etc. I take care to check for marks etc. But I'm only human.

I recently sold a new without tags baby romper on Vinted, high end brand but v low value sale price, couple of £, took an offer on it, sent out straight away etc. Got a message from the buyer that it had marks on, it was probably poo, she was outraged, I'd claim it was new without tags etc.

She went 0-100 so fast, so rude so antagonistic. I gave her a refund and blocked her to go away. It might have had a stain on that I'd missed, but to send rude messages shouting about poo, it was like she was anticipating complaining

I think there are some people whose expectations are too high with Vinted. They want stuff for £2, but they expect it to have zero signs of wear. Obviously, not talking about if things are badly stained or ripped.

Then there are people who, I think, actively just try it on to get a refund. I had a woman recently who contacted me a month after buying something to say that when she went to collect, it wasn't there. Think she was expecting me to offer a refund on the assumption it would get returned to me.

I've used Vinted a lot with no issues. Some people are just cheeky.
I only tend to buy specific brands tho, so I know what to expect when they arrive.

Agree with your third paragraph. I've bought and sold hundreds of items over a couple of years (all low value, mostly under £10, never over £35). I will never buy if the photo is blurry or there are manky feet/messy background visible etc. I also check reviews first. Only issue I've had from all those purchases is twice being sent the wrong size (eg described as 14, sent size 10) and both those times the seller has refunded without asking me to return the item (rightly so as it was their error and I would've had to pay). I love Vinted, much prefer their search filters etc to Ebay.

I use Vinted a lot for both buying and selling, often for my 4 year old, but sometimes for me. I sell at low prices and like someone else said - I only buy for a couple of £ max per item. The most I've spent with one seller was about £20 and I pretty much got an entire "age" of clothes in that order. I scrutinise photos, size/washing tags, sellers profile etc. If something seems "odd" (or they've used stock photos) then I won't buy.

As a seller I've had one instance where a buyer said that she'd spotted a stain on something that I'd put as VGUC (it was aged 6-9 months) but it was only £2-3 so I just gave them a refund. As a buyer I've only had one instance where the seller said something was a 6 and it was actually a 10, so I agreed to send it back privately and the seller to refund me via PayPal rather than take it up with Vinted. There have been times when I've felt that an item isn't quite what I expected but not enough that I've contacted the seller about it. 95% of the time it's been fine, and I've done over 100 transactions.

I wouldn't dream of buying (or selling) something worth actual money on sites like Vinted, Facebook, Nextdoor etc but they're good for low value items as long as your expectations match the reality.

I’ve been surprised by how much stuff I have received in need of a good wash. If I were selling I would put it through the machine before I sent it out. But that’s the only bad luck I’ve had (beside the odd thing not fitting but that’s standard for anywhere online) and when I have washed stuff it has all ended up ok in the end, just grubby rather than permanent stains.

Vinted SO much easier, in my view. I have made a bucketload this year selling on Vinted, much of which is stuff I've had 'pending eBay' but it was just too much hassle. So easy to list on Vinted, no worries about postage.

I have only had one issue with buying, which I just sold on again. As others have said, I am very careful about what I buy, but have had some great bargains.

Ah, I think I have a lot to learn. I was wondering how on earth anyone can be bothered to sell anything for a couple of quid, presumably it's going to cost that to wrap and post even a tshirt?

I've been quite impressed with Vinted. I've sold quite a few board games and clothes. I've never had any issue with buyers and it's easier than making a trip to the charity shop. My one dabble with EBay went wrong as I made a mistake over postage and it's much more complicated.

Buying on Vinted I stick to a known size and brand that I know fits. I bought a Joe Brown coat for £20 and it's fabulous. I've also bought, over this summer, 8 White Stuff dresses. All were fine though one ponged of perfume.

I've been put off selling on Vinted as it instructs you to send things in boxes. Does anyone actually do this?

My few purchases on there have arrived, well packaged, in envelopes which has been fine by me.

No, boxes are only necessary if you’re sending shoes or something that really needs a box. For most clothes I send them in plastic packaging from other things I’ve received, usually in two layers just in case. The main thing is to pack things carefully because couriers sometimes throw parcels around.

Thanks @123autumn, I'll definitely sell on Vinted then. I've usually got lots of reusable packaging that I can use but never boxes.

I've also never had an issue with anything I've bought on there except the size being a bit off but I suspect that has more to do with my love of generous portions than the clothes

I have "bought" 7 items from Vinted. 4 of the sales were cancelled because the seller didn't post the items.

Are people checking the seller’s reviews first before buying? If someone has multiple bad reviews saying sale not completed then that tells you something. Also if someone hasn’t been online for ages then they’re a lot less likely to send something.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect items to be accurately described no matter what the price. If it’s described as brand new without tags I expect to be unworn even if it only cost £2 (which is closer to £5-6 with fees and postage). If it’s very good I don’t expect it to have stains and holes.

Sometimes it’s just a run of bad luck. I had 3 bad purchases one week leaving me feeling negative but have had other weeks with only good purchases.

Vinted is easier than EBay for sellers but worse for buyers when something goes wrong. You can’t even get a refund if the item is the wrong size. Sellers get the whole price advertised and Vinted add on the postage and their fee (described as a buyer protection fee but it’s not).

If you are selling though check which postage options are being offered and whether they are convenient for you. You can opt out of the ones that don’t work for you.