Is this a police job? Threatened by Vinted seller

[Reasonswhy]

I know I’m not, but posting for traffic as no idea what to do.
Item for Christmas arrived today and was clearly fake so applied for a refund via Vinted. I’ve had a series of threatening messages from the seller saying he needs the money, and he has my address so will come and find me. He included a photo of himself holding an air rifle. I’m not easily spooked but feel really scared now as he does have my address and seems very angry. I’ve filed a “help” through Vinted but they may not even read it for 48 hours. Do I call 111? On my own with 2 kids so feel really on edge.

Yes, I think this is the problem.

Interesting that the police were involved with only threats of grooming.

My son was groomed and exposed to adult content and the police did f all.....

Hahah! Great minds think alike

The police will treat this extremely seriously. I hold a firearms license and even an off the cuff joke could lead me to potentially lose it. This may only be an air rifle - its a weapon and hes made a direct threat.
Your Vinted dispute is not relevant in that this is about his behaviour.
The other consideration is that it is anyone's right to own a shotgun. A license is only refused if the police have a reason, if this person has a licence or has made an application this would form a crucial and perhaps the only bit of evidence, that prevents him having a real gun in his hands.

Vinted can be shocking, have my own horror story with them. Won’t bore you! They charge a buyers protection fee on every purchase and their customer care is shocking. Yes definitely report to the police, what a nasty bully to threaten you, dangerous and should be banned from Vinted.

Vinted need to be doing more though, these stories have been in the press for several years now. They need more robust processes in place to protect buyers.

The following Vinted incident happened in 2023, involving a fake Dior handbag. The seller used threats and a picture of a gun, the police were involved. To be quite honest, our police seem to be pretty useless at dealing with this -- they would be right on it in a flash if it was someone using wrong pronouns.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/24939044/vinted-online-safety-bill-shopping-abusive-messages-threats/

https://www.reddit.com/r/vinted/comments/1cmxu3d/received_a_cardboard_and_threats_with_a_gn_no/

You're not the first and you won't be the last, OP, sadly.

It's "just" a scare tactic to discourage you from seeking redress.

Some people are just utter shits.

I hope you can find peace of mind soon. 💐

Definitely report to police. Record every communication with this nutter as evidence.

I wonder if that's because most victims are the boring kind of women?

Oh she was groomed, but I cant put more details as it's outing and he's on trial for another case. He eventually pled guilty to her case (after two refusals to plead and one of insanity etc). But they didn't take it seriously until she told him his name. But she had screen shots, screen recordings including her telling him her age. Our police force has a specific dept for sexual exploitation.

Call me an old cynic, but I have to say that this is typical of police, waving away threats of violence to women.

Unfortunately, they are NOT treating it seriously.

If you are being threatened the first thing you do is call the police - I’ve been there and done it

That's what she did.

If you go back to page 1 and look at the image of the gun, it looks very like an AK47 or replica thereof (the tall front sight at the end of the barrel is a giveaway). There is no way the police could tell, looking at that image that it is a "toy".

How scary. Sorry op your going through this!

No advice on your current problem because you've had great advice from others on here but I do suggest that you use a drop point instead of your address if you buy from Vinted again.

I used my own address the first couple of times then had a little problem with one order (not enough to send back but enough to make me realise that things aren't always going to be great). And I read somewhere that the advice was to not use your own address because of the very problem you've had. So, after that, I started using a drop point relatively near my home and get notified when it arrives. No-one knows where I live so I can complain without worrying that someone will get aggressive.

I hope you’re ok @Reasonswhy I have been thinking about you. How bloody scary! I’m so sorry this horrible person has made you feel so scared. It has really put me off using Vinted I have to say. I hope they pull their fingers out and offer some assistance (as they have a duty to to their customers) and I hope the police can do the same xx

This is definitely a matter for the police so do report it. His behaviour is a disgusting response to a request for a refund and very threatening. The police will take it seriously as he obviously does have your address. It's more than likely he's just trying to intimidate you into dropping the matter and won't turn up at your address but just making you scared that he might is enough to prove a criminal offence.

Coming back as Im quite worried about the op now!

I had to come back to your post because I am so angry on your behalf. Why should a decent mum looking after two children not get the help and support she needs and why should the cowardly creep who is sending you threatening messages get away with it. I hooe the police come around today.

Any update @Reasonswhy ?

I wholeheartedly agree. When I said "not relevant" I really meant to the fact that his threats are a criminal act which needs to be dealt with regardless of whether OP is right or wrong in the dispute

This has been going on for at least 2 years in France with exactly the same MO & the same picture. Vinted have done nothing except perhaps move the area of activity. To stop it Vinted would have to spend money & restructure their model, those things seem unlikely to happen.
TBH, we'd all be better off using IRL vintage markets.