To despair of Vinted/eBay/charity shops?

[madeinmanc]

This is just a moan really, I'm so upset today all sparked by the fact that I bought a hand-knitted cardigan on Vinted which I was really looking forward to opening. I thought It would be a dainty crochet look; it was listed as a 10, but even when I got the parcel I realised that couldn't be right just from the size of the bag. Anyway it's more like a size 16 and doesn't look right on me even worn as loose, but it turns out even if I can return it I'll have to pay postage so I'll be about 10 pounds down for nothing. I can't afford that.

Plus so many things arrive smelly, sprayed with Febreeze or stinking of fabric conditioner that won't even wash out 😞 I left a skirt like that on a pile of new clothes and the smell has "infected" the other stuff! With Vinted it's more likely something will smell than not, even if listed as new 😕

I replied to someone's thread about spending 1000 on clothes and was thinking how amazing it would be to pick out clothes that didn't smell!

Not sure - I'd imagine repeated washing and airing would be best for that.

I've been googling to see whether freezing is effective on bedbugs but that seems less conclusive.

Oh wow, I'd assumed freezing would be the way forward once the bedbug invasion hits! If not then I can see second hand sales being heavily hit, who would want to deal with that? Perhaps I'll stock up a bit now...

I can second white spirit vinegar for helping get rid of damp/musty/overpowering smells. Anything with fabric conditioner gets this treatment from me and then goes on the line for as long as possible on a windy day! To be honest that's what happens with all my washing unless it's tipping it down.

It's difficult to generalise when there's hundreds of thousands of users on both sites, but I prefer Vinted as I think the search filters are better, and I usually find it easy enough to find stuff I like filtering by brand, condition, size and colour. It does help if you're looking for specific things though.

Charity shop shopping is so hit and miss depending on your location, I think, but it's worth following Charity Shop Girl on Insta - she's lovely. Having said that, her style isn't really my own, but it's interesting to see what she gets and how she styles it!

Agree that the filters on Vinted are generally better (eBay has been around over twenty years, couldn't they even add some different colour shades in all this time?). But I have one minor problem with vInted which is that you can't specify sleeve length. I have a bad scar on my upper arm which means I will almost never buy a sleeveless top, but it's the one thing I can't specify in Vinted. I appreciate this is a niche issue, though.

Vinted is a mad mix of ridiculous crap and then items that are hugely overpriced and possibly fake. I looked at something that was referred to on here recently and clearly fake. People are selling branded products for about 10 less than RP - you can get 10 off usually for signing up to e mails. I think Vinted works for the very young and children's stuff from what I am told.

I use E bay to sell and have made 200 over the last two weeks as had a clear out of stuff that I was not wearing. I also donate to charity shops but never buy from them. I bought 2 new dresses with my 200 in a sale by a good brand.

I agree entirely. If you knew the state of personal and home hygiene some of those sellers or donors you'd be sick.
I'd rather pay more and benefit from straight forward refunds with no awkwardness.
I'd rather buy less and better than buy secondhand.
I bought a seasalt linen off ebay earlier this year and they obviously didn't wash it properly so it was shrunken and a size smaller than listed. It pissed me off so much and reminded me why I stopped using ebay. Vinted doesn't look any better tbh. I don't understand the hype of vinted.

You have to examine the photos really carefully and discard anything where you can't see the details because the lighting is poor etc.
If someone hasn't tried to take decent pictures then they are unlikely to be looking after their clothes properly.
The appeal is that when it's good, it's very good. I bought a £69 M&S velvet jacket for around £25 all in. And a wool phase eight blazer. Both obviously brand new. And a Boden skirt at around £8 inc postage etc. I didn't like the skirt on me in real life, but the condition was like new so I charity shopped it and someone else will love it.
Where it goes wrong is not being able to get a refund inc postage if the seller has misrepresented and that sellers can cancel a sale and repost at a higher price,without consequence.

When I sell on Vinted I always show the label with the size on it. I've made over £100 quid in a few weeks selling stuff that is a bit better than supermarket or primark labels. I wrap my stuff really nicely am guilty of spraying a quick squirt of expensive laundry spray on them because I like my own clothes to smell of it, but I might stop this now you've posted this.

I think the problem with this is that no matter how nice your spray is, it still smells of someone else's stuff. If it's dry, a quick 15 mins on the washing line is better!

Charity shops are ok. You examine the item there and then and decide whether or not to buy it.
Fabric conditioner or whatever it is that makes the clothes stink doesn't wash out. It's slimy to the touch and stinks the house out.

@madeinmanc a return Vinted won't be £10 if you use their postage options, it will likely be under £3 depending on which postage providers they have listed. You will receive a full refund, including the original postage and fees, and the cost of the return label will be deducted from that. I appreciate you shouldn't have tompay anything (and it's worth asking the seller if they will cover it for listing incorrectly, lots do).

The only caveat is you have to do this within 2 days of receiving it, and if you've marked it as it's okay, it's now too late.

@usernother , it doesn't matter how nice you think it is, I'd be requesting a return.

I'm within two days but I got a bit confused about how to return so haven't done anything.

@madeinmanc Message the seller to let her know that you aren't happy (to be polite) and then on the messages thread, it gives you the option to say 'everything is okay', then another box next to it, saying I have an issue or something similar. Click that, and it will ask you details. Make sure you have pics (for example compare to another size 10 cardigan you have) and carry on through the steps. On various vinted pages it will prompt you to finish the issue, as they would prefer you too, just keep choosing 'I need more help' or issue not sorted, or whatever it is.

I buy and sell ( sometimes) on Vinted. Some amazing bargains and other than being disappointed with an unwearable pair of shoes ( Next’s poor design, seller obviously taking a huge loss but recouping some), everything has been great.

I look at photos carefully, only buy brands that are quality, that I like and know that the size fits.

My recent find are a new pair of leather Boden shoes, an older version of a pair that are currently on the website for £160. I paid £8.00 plus postage and fees.

Thanks so much @anon2022anon , yes it does seem to be slightly hard to navigate and want you to just mark as completed. I've messaged the seller.

I’ve never had a bad experience on Vinted. I only buy from sellers with good ratings but everything has been packaged well. Some stuff can smell a bit musty if it’s been sat at the back of a wardrobe a while but that washes out easily.

Charity shops are crap at the moment. Expensive and very low quality. Bobbly and faded clothes that need binning.

I started buying things on Vinted a few months ago. I do agree that it is a bit of a gamble. I had a few bad experiences originally but have now become a bit more savvy about it and have had some very good buys:

• I check all the things that someone is selling to get a general “vibe”;
• i am also guided by the description. I avoid it when people say thjngs like “worn a few times” (too vague) or that classic “still has a lot of life left”!
• if something seems very cheap, I ask myself why. Having said that, I have had some bargains but I am pretty careful.
• I stick to brands I know.
• I avoid the ones where people describe something as new but then say that something has been worn once.

Completely agree. I do think it’s the “Vinted effect” - it’s so easy to sell so people are not donating quality items as much.

Yes!
I always filter for particular brands but then I think maybe I'm missing some gems in random brands.
But if you don't filter it's scrolling past piles of shein etc

I think there has been a bit of a shift even in the last few months - I started using it quite a while ago and seemed to be less rubbish and more stuff which was reasonable prices so you felt Ok to take a chance on it. Now more and more cheap brands or prices which make it not worth it.

I always buy new. I had enough hand-me-downs as a child.

I get a lot from E5P and excluding the odd dud I'm happy with the quality. Occasionally it's something from a cheapy shop that I could have bought for cheaper in that shop, but mostly it's an absolute bargain and cost is similar to charity shop prices. I don't feel bad about it being fast fashion, the stuff would have gone to landfill if companies like this didn't purchase it.

I buy the occasional new-with-tags item from charity shops if it catches my eye, I don't go in there specifically to look.

I buy from a couple of catalogues that come in the post because I like the style and it's different to what's in the shops. I also like their basics.

I buy from a couple of niche places online.

I buy from supermarket too and I've been happy with most things.

Like anything, I think it's seeking out what you want. People have an image of certain places that it's only for certain ages and they're too old/young. Or it's "all polyester rubbish" when if you look, there's plenty of 100% cotton or wool blends to be had. Same with patterns, lots of places selling patterned things also sell plain things.

I recently gave a coat to a friend, it still looked like new after ten years use and regular going through the washing machine. It cost £15 from Aldi. There's no need to buy second-hand to get a bargain. If people want to for environmental reasons or because they're looking for a specific brand that's very expensive new, that's up to them, but if that's their motivator perhaps the issues with second-hand buying don't bother them so much?

When I was a teenager and couldn't afford new I often bought charity shop for work and lounging around clothes, but the prices were about half price of even the cheapest shop and there were bargains to be had because they didn't filter off the best to sell on eBay and didn't price according to brand. An afternoon rummaging through the shops was fun then and I'd come across plenty of unknown brands in good condition and colours I liked etc as well as the odd bargain.

I'm unsurprised you find the size issues you do with second hand. Quite often if I'm donating something it's because it's a brand that comes up sized very large or the item has shrunk in the washing machine or tumble dryer. I cut the size label out so people don't think it's their size and buy it without trying it on.

Oh god the fabric conditioner… what is it that people have to drown their clothes in the vile stuff? I remember collecting a parcel from a collection box and soon as the metal door swung open I could smell it. Makes me feel bilious! 🤢

I sell on Vinted but I only sell items that are very good quality.
I don’t smoke either.
I’ve bought things from eBay which quite frankly I would not even give to charity. Plus I detest the smell of smoke.
I saw a second hand kind of vintage shop in York. The stuff was all extremely well worn and sold at prices I thought were far too expensive. I’m talking £30 for obviously second hand trainers. £30 for bobbly washed out hoodies. Unbelievable.

DD1 has had loads of amazing stuff from Vinted and I just got a lovely velvet jacket.

I got a dress from eBay that smelled of fabric softener but I thought it just smelled clean- it was a lovely dress.

I've had good experiences with eBay, Vinted and Charity shops, but I do look at the other items from sellers (gives a good idea where the items are coming from, if sizes, styles, etc., vary hugely), alongside the feedback. I wash everything, non-negotiable, and have only had the odd item that shrunk or refuse to wash and look awful after the process. Only real poor experience was from eBay, where an item had a shreaded lining in the skirt and jacket and seller insisted that it happened in the post and I just fedback accordingly! I have returned a couple of items purchased on-line, new, from well-known brands, for having obviously been worn - marked and smelling, so not just second-hand with the whiff / care issue. Bedbugs are not just about clothing, but love carpets, clutter, dark corners, poor cleaning regimes and we will need to remember why items got hot washed and steam ironed, alongside the care in cleaning every nook and cranny of a home being once the standard for what is now becoming obvious reasons!