AIBU to leave a suspected scam Vinted parcel uncollected? Is this the right thing to do?

[alp1002]

Hi all, I’m needing advice regarding Vinted.
Sorry for the long post, any input would be much appreciated.

My partner ordered something without realising it’s a scam (evidence such as male username but female hands holding the item in photos, photos being visibly French from an English seller (French packaging on the item, French packaging of items in background so not just a one off French item they happen to have), listing photos also pixelated & phone screenshots, account location Shrewsbury yet posted immediately from a locker in East London, free postage due to it being their first (& only) listing, no reviews/following, no responses to messages etc - all of this combined screams suspicious to me).

He selected a pick-up point rather than to be delivered to home. Would it be best to not pick up the order, or to pick it up and report an issue? Am I right in thinking that not picking up is the sensible thing to do, as if we report an issue we would have to deal with the seller wouldn’t we? We’ve never had any issues before so am unfamiliar with the refund/return process.

Do you automatically get refunded if you don’t pick up the order (once it’s on its way back to the seller)? The courier is Royal Mail and it is to be delivered to our local Post Office. I’m worried that if we pick it up and it’s inevitably a fake listing, that we won’t be able to get a refund. He went to cancel the order but was unfortunately unable to as ‘it’ had already been posted so quickly, incase you’re wondering ‘why not just cancel’. If it’s a lesson to be learnt then so be it, but hoping someone may have useful advice. Thank you!

*I hate to think we’d waste the seller’s time, and have never done this before, but I am so sure that this is a scam and want to have the best chance of getting a refund. The item is (allegedly) a collectible doll worth a decent bit of money (listing sold it for 1/3 of typical price hence he ‘snapped it up’ without looking thoroughly thinking it was a bargain and would make a family member happy to receive). We contacted Vinted Support to let them know of the suspicions/evidence but of course no response yet.

How do you know it’s posted immediately from a locker in East London?
Free postage for first item does occasionally happen as promoted by Vinted.
plenty of men model women’s items and vice versa.
they could have been in France , photographed in France and moved to uk…
not saying you’re wrong but you’re putting a lot together there .
of course if you’re in any doubt you don’t have to collect it.

Collect the item and if it's a scam (not the item you bought) you can mark it down as such, they won't get paid.. You may be asked to return it but you can insist the seller pays for the return. Vinted always support the buyer, you will be fine, collect it and report back!

Holidaymodeon, Thank you for responding.
The Royal Mail tracking info shows the parcel was posted at a locker in East London, approx half an hour after he bought it (before I was shown and suggested cancelling).
I know a lot of those things could be genuine, I mentioned the free postage just to show it’s their first and only listing, it was the combination of everything that I found concerning. This item usually sells for £400+ and it was up for 60 which seemed too good to be true also. I like to trust people but when it concerns a decent amount of money it’s got me a bit worried!

Savvyshopper17, thank you for responding.
I’ve heard so many horror stories and read that the seller has to accept the return/refund and I’m not sure how it works if they don’t. Do Vinted get involved and override their decision? Thank you so much for your help. Sorry for the dumb questions!

Savvyshopper17, thank you for responding.
I’ve heard so many horror stories and read that the seller has to accept the return/refund and I’m not sure how it works if they don’t. Do Vinted get involved and override their decision? Thank you so much for your help. Sorry for the dumb questions!

When you collect an item you have two days/ 48 hours to confirm that it’s fine. You can click ‘everything is ok’ or ‘I have an issue.’ Saying everything is fine means the seller gets paid, saying there is an issue means the transaction is suspended and the money is held until a decision is made. You can give a reason (not as described, incorrect item received etc) and vinted usually side with the buyer in my experience. It’s such a stupid scam as vast vast majority of people would say there is an issue BUT if you don’t click within the two day window then it automatically becomes a completed sale and they get the money. Maybe they make enough from the rare cases that might happen?
if you don’t collect, it’ll be returned and you’ll be refunded. Might take a bit longer and they could say they never received it back but you’d have proof you never collected so

Vinted does override and ensure the buyer is not out of pocket. You will be fine.

littlemousebigcheese, thank you so much, hopefully it magically turns out fine but if not we’ll know what to do. Thank you for taking the time to explain it all, I knew there were 2 days to click if ‘everything is okay’ but didn’t know anything beyond that!

Thank you so much, you’ve truly put my mind at ease! Will report back when it’s been collected!

Unless it has changed I believe it is up to the seller if they pay return postage.

I haven't found that Vinted always side with the buyer so don't rely on that too much.

If you click "I have an issue" it usually puts you straight into a chat with the seller and they have to accept the return, which you may have to pay for.

I'd say not collecting is the less risky option.

You could reverse image search the listing photos and see where else they have been used to help confirm likelihood of a scam?

Clockolli, Thank you for responding.
I was thinking this, I don’t mind how long it takes but was wondering if the buyer is definitely refunded if the item isn’t picked up, Picking it up seems like a gamble (albeit in our favour) whereas leaving it to be returned seems to take longer but be more reliable at obtaining a refund. Thank you for the reverse image suggestion, such a good idea!

I’ve had items returned to me that weren’t collected and as soon as I clicked ‘I have received the item’ the buyer has been refunded. Again, there is a two day window from delivery/collection to raise any issues but even if the buyer waits it out, you’ll get a refund after the 48 hour window expires. It’s such an odd scam as the success rate is so low! My husband once had a paper plate delivered instead of a Nintendo switch and it was a bit of a hassle as the seller argued that they hadn’t sent the plate and that it was a mix up and it went back and forth for a bit as they demanded we pay postage to return it. In the end we did just to get it sorted but then they claimed they hadn’t received it. Luckily vinted were great and refunded us but it was frustrating! I hate scammers!

Oh my goodness how awful! We have 18 days to decide whether to collect it, I was wondering, if the seller doesn’t say they’ve received it upon returning (whether from leaving it or collecting & selecting ‘I habe an issue’j, if you both just get refunded.Thank you for sharing your experience, we hate confrontation so it’s good to know Vinted did their job and helped you both when you went through this. Such awful people scamming and so pointless!

If you do collect it video when you open the package in case it’s a paper plate or something! Clearly showing the label etc

Another good idea, thank you!!

I personally wouldn’t go and collect it then they just refund you when it’s returned - save yourself the hassle

Thank you, if the seller pretends they haven’t received the returned parcel are you still refunded? Apologies if you don’t know!

In that case Vinted may decide to give you both compensation, but first they will investigate with the carrier so always keep the receipts and tracking number.. Either way, you won't be out of pocket as a buyer

I have recently done this for the same reason.

Be aware it takes weeks for the parcel to be returned to sender with royal mail.

In my case, the seller did not collect the returned item and vinted stepped in after 3 weeks and refunded me.

Altogether it took about 6 weeks.

Thank you so much!!! We’re both unfamiliar and have heard so many different stories about how it all works/what’s best to do, thank you for taking the time to explain things so we can make the best decision! Thank you for all your help (& everyone else! :) )

Thank you for sharing your experience, luckily we aren’t really in need of the money and are happy to wait, just wanted to check which option was the safest bet and check I’m not wrong for being suspicious! Glad you eventually got sorted :)

Slight update:
The parcel has been on the ‘We’re Expecting It’ stage for 4 days, supposedly still in the locker and not collected by Royal Mail yet. First time using RM as a courier, is this typical?

We’ve decided that when/if it gets delivered, we will have to collect it as Vinted have recently changed - you aren’t automatically refunded anymore for non-collection despite what their website says, sometimes the money is released to the seller! There seems to be no consistency in when/why this occurs but it’s too much money to risk, so collecting & complaining now seems safer as we would at least have further evidence. We have been in contact with Vinted Support & emailed them regarding the matter with screenshots. Thank you for the explanations on how to safely go about getting a refund should we need it!
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We have reverse-searched the listing images and cannot find a match, hopefully that’s good but not getting hopes up. Seller hasn’t been active since the item was listed so no luck with contact!