Selling on Vinted - help please!

[ginandoreos]

I need to start the mammoth task of listing a large amount of clothes on Vinted. Could anyone advise on the cheapest, most hassle free way to get started?

Ideally I’m going to do most of it all in one go. Should I take photos and package it up at the same time? Then make a note on the parcel of what’s inside?

What is the easiest way to post items? I don’t have a printer.

Any help greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Edit your settings to only send via the postage that works for you - I'm right next to an InPost locker and have an option to scan the barcode on my phone, pop in the locker and I'm done without stickers etc.

I take 1 picture, upload and then leave in a pile until sold. You may well be asked for a 'bundle' so packing them as you go could just cause more work.

ironing and presenting nicely works. photo the buttons, zip, care label.
Ironed and nicely presented does sell better for sure.

high end high street does have ok resale value, but not £££. Toast, Mint Velvet, Whistles etc keep value.

I buy and sell loads on there and try to see past bad ironing, but it's hard. Just bought a really lovely designer cashmere sweater for DS that could have sold for three times the price if ironed. He didn't want me to but it for him as it looked horrible, Its not IRL

Don't bother packaging because some won't sell. Save amazon envelopes to put clothes in.

oh and take photos with phone and crop right in so no background of you or bedroom etc

1. Go through your settings and turn on or off any options to suit, eg no printed labels needed. Add any info to bio if you only post out on certain days, or you're happy to post same day if sold before 3pm etc. Add bundle discount option. Make sure you know where you'd go for each carrier (Evri drop off, Inpost locker, Yodel point).

1. Batch "upload" (can do batches of 10, if you've not loads of time atm)

• Using a hanger against a plain door, or a very clean bedcover, take a few photos (front, back, any damage and/or clothing tags) of each item. Assuming items are clean and not super wrinkled. Make sure room is well lit or near a window.
• Upload these items, with essential details covered like size, condition, brand, any damage.
• Fold these items neatly and keep in a clean carrier bag or a box ready for packing. Agreed with pp not to wrap them up until sold, as they could be going in a bundle or you could simply forget where the item is.

1. Keep another carrier bag or drawer handy for saving old parcel bags, a roll of tape, a permanent marker etc.

Unless its a white item, I prefer to take the photo on a light bland background, it your background is too busy, it takes the emphasis off the item.

I wouldn't pack them up in advance as sometimes you need to measure or take another photo or something along those lines.

Yes as per pp to iron. I skip right past crumpled items, as in my mind, if the item was all scrunched up like that in a cupboard, it hasn't been well cared for.

I set up a nice area against a plain light coloured wall, I also use a really nice wooden hanger (I have one for shirts, one for trousers). Get my pile of stuff. Do good photos and write a quick listing, then fold and put in a bag. I only list things that are 'very good' condition. I price to sell (£1/£2/£3 items regardless of what they are "worth"). I sell most things within a few hours of listing them. Get plastic packaging envelopes from Amazon. I find vinted very easy and I have never had a bad feedback from a buyer.

My tricks are:
Separate into boxes of similar items - size 10 summer clothes, size 10 winter clothes, etc. Store in boxes together.
Take a box at a time, I steam instead of iron. Photograph- some things work better laying on a pale carpet, some things a wooden door, some things a mannequin if you have one. Put all those photos into a photo album on your phone, i.e. size 10 summer.
I buy a spotlight for a week, normally at friday lunch, and then list 3-4 items an hour over the weekend. Add a line in each description about checking out my other items in the listing, offer a small discount for bundles, use key words when you can- scandi, organic, cotton. Don't package until they sell, and then as soon as they do, package up with the buyers name written on the outside. Try and post daily if you're selling lots, it gets overwhelming if not.
You can see all of your sales if you go into 'My orders'. Delete pics from your phone as a sale completes and you get paid.

Doing it this way means that your items are grouped together, so someone who is buying size 10 summer clothes, is not having to sift through kids clothes, etc to see your others the same size. Things are stored easier to find, and if they don't sell, you have them saved in an album to delete and relist a few months later without having to take pics again. Because you are listing little and often, you are kept high up on the listings too. It's also a motivation as the tubs go down.

As well as vinted, try ebay and a looking at facebook selling groups- they are more hassle and not as quick though.

Also have a packing area. Its so much easier- keep postage bags (new and used turned inside out, sellotape, scissors and a marker. I buy packing bags in a medium and a large size from ebay.

You can also get companies to do this for you. If you don’t have time, worth looking at. I had a big clear out when I moved and was busy enough with moving so got a company to do it - they collected, listed and although they took a cut it was worth it to save me the time. They sell stuff quickly as they are a professional seller and so know how to photograph/price etc too.

I take photos of front and back and any details on there, and a close up photo of any pattern etc. I also include front and back of the label.

Don't pack in advance in case anyone wants a bundle, or measurements of an item.

Make sure that the postage settings are for your preferred companies. For example I can't use Yodel as the nearest drop off point is 20 miles away.

I also prefer to print my own labels and attach, due to errors made by Inpost.

Use decent packaging. I do reuse decent bags and boxes as much as possible, and buy a few new ones when required.

I can only post a couple of days a week, so tend to put that in the description so that people don't expect next day delivery, I'm not a shop. I don't message to say when posted, as vinted do all of that for you.

If possible include measurements! Chest and waist at the least. I keep the measuring tape with my parcel tape, marker pen and supply of second hand postage bags/ boxes.

As a buyer that is what makes the difference for me. If I see the item, know I like it AND know the measurements are ok, I'll likely click "buy" straight away. If no measurements are included I'll usually ask, but it often takes time for people to get back and I may well get distracted by life or find something else instead. Uk high street sizing is so erratic even within brands and most vinted sellers don't accept returns.

Also document the details. Existence, or not, of pockets, drawstrings etc are extremely important to know. And if it's a very dark item make sure to photograph in the right lighting so that details can actually be seen.

Good advice already.

in terms of process.

1. upload

i do batches so photograph all size 10s or age 2 or whatever. Take pics in bedroom for 40mins and I always take photos of the labels for size / fabric composition then I upload in front of tv watching something low effort. price to sell. If it doesn’t go in week 1 it’s unlikely to IME

2.save all boxes and packing And don’t box / package until sold

3.feel free to make offers to people who like it. I often list stuff and if it’s £10 and it has 12 hearts after a week I’ll offer those 12 people the item for £8 someone always buys it.

I wouldn't photograph then and package straight away as some people buy bundles to save on postage so you would have to open them up so creating more work. Personally I have a suitcase with anything listed so it keeps it all together and easy to find. If you have a lot of clothes maybe put them away in sets of the same thing; size, type or whatever. If you want to get rid asap then price on the lower end of what similar listings are going for. People always want a bargain on there. I've found winter clothing goes quickly currently but all my kids summer clothes (new with tags) are still on there for weeks even though priced very low, so it's season dependent sometimes.

Oh and I buy padded envelops (as ive sold a lot of skincare) and grey postage bags in various sizes (for clothes) in bulk from amazon. I keep it all in the suitcase along with sellotape etc so again it's easy to locate when I have a sale. I also save cardboard boxes when I have deliveries for this purpose. If you currently don't have any reviews on there, make sure to leave your buyers reviews so they're more inclined to give you positive reviews back. Also if you don't have a printer then remove the Evri deliver to home option (I think) if you only want to use the digital QR code option which is much much easier than needing to use a printer. I find inpost the most reliable and easiest option for postage so have a look whats convienient in your area. Oh and last piece of advice, if something has a lot of likes but no sale in a while, then reduce the price. Everyone who has liked will receive a notification the price has reduced so could result in a sale.

Make sure your pictures are of decent quality and well lit - nothing more frustrating than, for example, pictures that crop off the length of an item (saw one like that just this morning, you can't see the bottom of the dress in the photos so no way of knowing if it is knee length, midi or maxi and nothing in the description!).

Take pictures of labels to a) prove the brand is correct and b) to show care instructions - I try to avoid dry clean only items so if I can't see a care label and it's not obvious from the fabric I will avoid.

Try to write a couple of lines in the description, nothing more frustrating than "black dress, size 12, worn once"!

Thank you so much everyone, that is so helpful, loads of tips I wouldn't have ever thought of.

I am going to set some time aside and get myself sorted with packaging etc, finally get my steamer out of its box (as yet unused!) and check all of the Vinted settings carefully.

I'll definitely endeavour to be as detailed as possible with each listing and to try to set realistic expectations about delivery.

Really appreciate all the advice 👍🏼.

Good luck op! I'm new to it too, started selling a few months back. The only thing I would add is that I found the clutter of stuff waiting to be bought v annoying. So I've taken a deep drawer in the spare bedroom and folded everything away. And I also keep all the packaging in there - like someone said up thread I just keep and reuse packaging from things we've recieved.

Thank you @dudsville - and good luck to you too!