Selling clothes - eBay or Vinted?

[rolvus]

I used to have no trouble selling mine and the kids' stuff and it was really helpful to get money back to use towards new things. I'd tend not to bother with anything that I'd get less than £10 for, due to the time and effort involved.

But I'm finding lately nothing is selling on eBay (I always do 'buy now' rather than auction and am pricing and presenting them the way I always have done - I've done this for literally 20 years) and everything seems so cheap on Vinted that it doesn't even seem worth it?

What's going on? Are any of you still making money out of your old stuff?

I am making money on Vinted but you have to be realistic with your price. It’s super easy to upload and sell plus no fee for selling. I won’t use eBay anymore. For second hand, unless it’s designer £10 can be a lot to ask for a second hand item. What are you trying to sell?

I’ve made a lot on Vinted but as above, pricing is fairly low. Think pricey jumble sale for most things. Seasonal stuff really moves though.

Vinted for a quick sale at knock down prices.

Ebay for a bit more ££ (although of course you don't get all of it, unlike with Vinted) but it's more of a long game, generally.

I've not used Vinted. Stuff on ebay is selling but a bit randomly and slowly. Newly listed things tend to sell quickly.

Then times have massively changed, and I'm not sure why. New prices seem to have increased, but used prices have decreased. I'd have thought price of used would increase in line.

For example, these are the sort of prices I'd always get without trouble. Sold on eBay with a buy now, and things would sell pretty quick within a week or 2:

Clarks school shoes £15 (new they are now £50, used to be £40 not that long ago)
Nike trainers £10/15
Kids coats £15 (JL, Next, M&S)
Topshop/Abercrombie adult jeans £20
Casual adult dresses £15

All used, but plenty of use left.
These prices seem completely unattainable now. Vinted prices are a few quid.

People want and need bargains. They can’t afford to spend a lot due to the cost of living. They might have spent £25 on a second hand pair of trainers 4-5 years ago but now it needs to be less.

I guess that's the reason I thought more people would be looking at good quality excellent condition used items more than ever.

Wonder if the shops are still shifting there stocks at full price. I've not seen many sales yet.

I don't buy second hand off E-bay at all, only discount new things like leather shoes I know will fit size wise. I don't mind paying a few quid on Vinted. I think things are relatively cheap on there as once you add in the insurance and the postage, a £7 item becomes £10 and psychologically that's too much for a cheap blouse or whatever. I tend to price cheap on Vinted as I'd rather move stock on than sit around waiting for months for one person to possibly buy on E-bay. E-bay can be ok for branded more expensive stuff, but not your standard stuff, I think that market has moved on and expanded, so the prices have dropped overall.

I price mine as low as possible to cover the postage and say 50p then it just flies off ebay in an auction.

It also depends on brands, nicer brands are still £15 on Vinted, but will probably accept an offer.

I love it, I pick out brands I couldn't normally afford.

Plus if you buy, you can buy cheaper yourself so in some ways, it's a virtuous circle (unless you only buy new).

These prices are expensive for what I see and sell on Vinted.
I sell nearly new Boden girls clothes for £2-£3 if I’m lucky. People want a bargain.

I use both Vinted and eBay. Sales are slow unless your prices are cheap.
With the masses of charity shops, boot sale season upon us and lots of items on ebay/Vinted the 2nd hand market is saturated.

Most things on vinted are £5 or less. Once the buyer has to pay postage and fees it adds about £3 into that price.

No one will pay £20 for used Topshop jeans - probably £5 max, the same as no one will pay £15 for kids coats on vinted plus postage when you can pick them up for a couple of quid at charity shops, boot sales and on Vinted.

Is it worth doing as a seller then? A few quid, to photograph, upload/list, parcel up, visit post office.

That's what I'm trying to get my head round. I've had great prices for 20 years on my second hand goods (I only sell lightly worn, nice things). I've literally funded our new season items by selling our old. Clearly isn't possible anymore.

@ballsdeep how can you justify it then for only £2-3? Doesn't seem worth your time?

It is possible for you to sell the second-hand stuff cheapish and fund more second-hand stuff. I don't think you would be able to fund new like that, no.

I use Inpost lockers or the local convenience store, most are not post office ones.

I've found timing affects sales with Ebay.

People are more likely to buy the clarks school shoes in the latter half of August than now, same with coats, more likely to buy if its autumn.

I buy on vinted. Kids coats a fiver for nice brands. Monsoon, M&S. Ladies dresses, boden, monsoon, EAST £10. Jeans no more than £5. It costs an extra £3-4 to get it posted.

There is so much choice at that price point that I wouldn’t pay more tbh. I think lots of people stick stuff on vinted that traditionally would of gone to charity shops so it’s less about the money and more about knowing your garment will go to someone who really wants/ needs it.

I have easy access to a post office so it's no problem for me. But I find baby clothes held their value a lot more than older kids clothes so I don't get as much now.

Timing is also an issue on Vinted, right now people are buying summer clothes, holiday stuff, back to school hasn't happened yet. If you think ahead, you could get winter stuff very cheap, good brands but children grow and that's harder than for adults. I still get out of season stuff if it's an absolute bargain but no-one's buying my darker-coloured more wintery autumn stuff right now (so I'll hide or or get rid).

Vinted is quick! I pop it in the post and I think it’s better than sending it to charity where I won’t get anything. You won’t sell at those prices. As pp said you can buy shoes in the Clark’s outlet for near to that price.

To upload to Vinted takes about 20 seconds. It’s really quick. Buyer pays postage. You just need to select small, medium or large parcel. Vinted is set in a way that it pretty much knows sizes and will auto default to package size. I have a lot of packing bags from Amazon and our Evri parcel shop is next to school so all in, it takes such a short space of time.

id give it a try. If you want £5 for an item, stick it on at £7. People will likely always offer a little less.

I'd put those items on vinted for a fiver, maybe £8 for the dresses, and take an offer. My expectations must be really low; I was delighted to get £15 for a pair of FJ golf shoes 😆

We take a walk most evenings so tailor our walks to the drop off points and I save packaging to cut costs. The pre paid postage wins for me.

I’m only prepared to spend more than a small amount if it’s something I have already that I am replacing or in a different colour and even then it’s a risk as it could have lost some shape in the wash etc. I can’t try this stuff on and often you can’t return (and I don’t really want the hassle) so it’s more of a risk than buying new.

For popular, quality brands like Boden or styles eg Scandi style, have a look on Facebook to see if there's a group for them. You'll have a good chance of making decent prices there.

I sell lots on Vinted. With kids stuff I tend to list bundles of items as it's quicker and easier. Some things I sold recently are...

Bundle (4 pairs) NEXT shorts age 2-4 £4
2 x summer dresses (Marks and Spencer) age 5 £3
2 x Clarks kids shoes (used) £8

a few £ in your pocket is better than nothing and soon adds up! I leave mine in my Vinted account to buy new (preloved) when needed.