Vinted- buyer beware no buyer protection at all

[drpet49]

Bought an item, received it and it isn’t as described at all. I looked up the returns policy- there is no buyer protection at all. Firstly the seller has to agree to a refund? They can say yes or no. Then I have to post it back to them via tracked providing photos of the item and packaging. So I’ll lose money for something that wasn’t even my fault! All this for an item that was nowhere as described. Sellers fault not mine.

I googled this and wished I had read the bad reviews before I started using Vinted. Their reviews on Trustpilot are absolutely shocking. Buyer beware!

I’ve had nothing but a great experience of using Vinted.

My post is a warning that when something goes wrong you are on your own. You pay a buyer protection fee but in reality there is no buyer protection.

Did you pay via PayPal? Can they do anything?

I’ve only had great experiences with Vinted. Had an item not turn up in December and although it took forever to be allowed to start the claim they refunded me and compensated the seller within a couple of days of the claim being started.

I've never used Vinted but I've just looked and took about 10 seconds to find this?

Aah sorry I see you say that the seller has to agree to it first, which isn't quite what their terms say.

I always had the assumption that Vinted was like a souped up Facebook Marketplace with a bigger catchment area, and therefore sales were private agreements between the buyer and seller? I don't think I'd ever buy anything that I couldn't afford to take a bit of a gamble on if it wasn't as presented / didn't fit.

Vinted is hit and miss. I ordered an item recently, pleased with it, but the seller said postage would be a tenner, so I assumed it would be next day special delivery in a big box, when it was actually a few quid days later shoved through the letter box from royal mail as I can see on the label, and I don't get anything refunded for that, having asked Vinted directly!! So yes, approach with caution!

@Ramalamadingdongs no they don’t have PayPal as a payment option, only debit or credit cards.

Sellers can scam you and you have no protection at all. The item I bought was described as brand new with store tags. What I received was a clearly used item with a hole in it. It will cost me £9 to post as tracked and insurance due to item value.

But the seller has to agree to “allowing” me to return the item in the first place!

uk.trustpilot.com/review/vinted.co.uk

If you paid with a debit card you could try a charge back?

Good. Perhaps it will rebalance eBay, which has no protection for sellers at all. I gave up eBay selling after one too many lying, thieving chancers. Might give Vinted a look.

On the other hand, as a seller if the buyer marks there is a problem with the item you don't get the money. So there isn't much option but to accept a return. I sold a designer dress, new with tags. Buyer wanted it very fast for an event. A few days after they received it they marked it as damaged and sent a photo showing the hem was down. Having no choice but to accept the return (at their expense), I received back a dirty dress, tags removed with the hem down. They'd clearly worn it for their event.

I’ve just had a bad experience too, having completed over 50 great sales and purchases via Vinted. I bought a headband that was photographed in low lighting but the seller stated was black satin. Received it and it’s quite a light brown colour? Anyway Vinted have told me that they can’t do anything, I have to return the item at my own cost, and then seller can then refund me, but only the amount that I paid for the item itself. The original postage fee and the ‘buyer protection’ fee will not be refunded. I can’t believe they get away with this. I won’t be buying via Vinted again, as I worry that if there’s ever an issue with a more expensive item, they’ll offer zero support.

I have bought and sold on eBay for years but yesterday made my first Vinted purchase of a dress, paying the full price and without making an offer. Within about 30 mins the seller cancelled the purchase as she said the item had been reserved by someone else who had agreed to pay more than the asking price. She then immediately put the item back on Vinted at a 30% higher price, so it clearly wasn't reserved. I'm amazed this is allowed and it has really put me off!

I bought 3 things on vinted and only got 1 item and two refunds. Not sure it's worth it to be honest.

I’ve sent over 2,000 parcels on vinted and probably purchased from around a hundred sellers myself. Personally I’ve only ever had two experiences where the parcel has even gone missing and been refunded by vinted. Everything else has gone smoothly. I think vinted is great. So much more user friendly than eBay!

Has anyone successfully managed to recoup return postage costs after receiving an item that is SNAD? Vinted's policy seems to go against the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. Given that they're operating in the UK, I don't understand how they can be exempt from it. But I also don't know what I can do about it. I've received a stained top and I think I've basically got no option but to shell out on postage and forfeit the original 'buyer protection fee' (which is a joke, as the buyer effectively gets no protection). I considered doing a chargeback through my bank, but it wouldn't cover return shipping costs and unfortunately I paid partially with my vinted balance. 😔

Vinted is hit and miss. I ordered an item recently, pleased with it, but the seller said postage would be a tenner, so I assumed it would be next day special delivery in a big box, when it was actually a few quid days later shoved through the letter box from royal mail as I can see on the label, and I don't get anything refunded for that, having asked Vinted directly!! So yes, approach with caution

Or you could ask them to clarify what postage they will be using.

I would always be doing that if the item looks like something that can be posted for a few quid. So easy to abuse postage costs as a seller. At least on Ebay you have to specify the method of postage and the buyer can make an informed judgement as to if the buyer is taking the piss.

https://www.vinted.co.uk/help/1090-significantly-not-as-described-items-at-vinted#:~:text=Provide%20proof,to%20submit%20a%20refund%20request
If the seller doesn't agree to a refund/return then you can raise it to vinted who will usually (as long as you can provide proof)

I've claimed before when I've had an issue - in my case it was a packaging issue that meant the item arrived damaged but I sent a few photos as proof and vinted refunded me.

The only negative is if the seller agrees to refund but wants to return you do have to pay for tracked postage, but royal mail tracked 48 is only £4 something and up to £100 compensation.

I buy and sell and haven't really had any issues at all. I do stick to a £50 per item budget though as I couldn't afford to lose more than that.
Only had one issue and Vinted refunded me. I sell to the same people regularly which is nice!

I buy on vinted and it's fine. I don't buy expensive stuff though. Max up to about £15 with fees included. That way if something ropey turns up it's not the end of the world and previous bargains will balance it out. Same with Ebay, I do wonder at who is buying the really expensive stuff as I wouldn't want to take the chance.

I know that vinted refunds you for dodgy items but the buyer has to pay return postage, which is really bad. The buyer shouldn't be out of pocket for a faulty item.

Screenshots from the consumer rights act.

Ebay is much better at buyer protection than vinted, which is probably why.