Vinted, not only used clothes, but also fashion and home textiles
Do you think the app Vinted was born from a conversation between friends in a bar in Lithuania: she a brilliant student with a wardrobe too full of clothes and he a software developer.
From there, after only two years, Vinted expanded into Germany and later into the United States. It arrived in Italy only last year but has already become one of the most downloaded second hand shopping apps.
According to the company, Vinted currently has 45 million users in 13 countries. Certainly the app has created many followers thanks to the fact that it is completely free for those who sell and buy used clothes.
But let's see in detail what its features are, the pros and cons.
What can you sell or buy on Vinted?
In addition to used clothes, Vinted it also allows you to buy and sell second-hand items that fall into one of the following categories:
- Clothing, footwear and accessories for women, men and children;
- Toys for children, furniture and equipment for children;
- Cosmetics, beauty products;
- Technological accessories such as smart watches, headphones, phone cases and similar items;
- Household items such as fabrics, crockery and various accessories;
- Books.
How does Vinted work if you want to sell?
Vinted is available in both website which as an app for Android e iOS. Once you have landed on the site or opened the app, just follow 3 simple steps that we report below:
- After choosing the used clothes (or other items) you want to sell on Vinted, upload some of their photos or videos, add a description as detailed as possible, choose a category, select the brand, select the conditions in which the item is located and set the desired price. You can also decide to exchange it for another product available on Vinted. Throughout the process, the app will also give you some hints.
- Get ready to receive and then answer questions about the used clothing that you have placed on the Vinted virtual shop window (product status, questions about delivery times, etc.). In fact, in addition to selling, buying and exchanging used clothes, the app also allows you to communicate with other users through a special forum.
- When your used clothes are purchased, Vinted will generate a shipping label for you, which also allows you to suggest the status of your order. Once the shipment is complete, you can immediately collect the agreed sum directly on your PayPal account or credit / debit card.
How does Vinted work if you want to buy?
Then Vinted works like a normal clothing e-commerce, always available via web or app:
- Browse the various categories of Vinted and find the products you would like to buy;
- Click on Buy to proceed with the order, or on the Ask for information button to get in touch with the seller;
- Proceed with payment: Vinted only accepts credit or debit cards.
As you can see the purchase process on Vinted is very simple, but keep these 4 factors in mind:
- You can only pay by credit or debit card, so no PayPal, no bank transfer, no Apple or Google Pay;
- You can only buy from 1 seller at a time, 1 product or more products (if they sell more products). You cannot therefore add products from different sellers to the cart, so for each seller you will have to make 1 separate purchase, paying separate shipments;
- The Vinted Purchase Protection Fee must be added to the product price, which currently equals € 0,70 + 5% of the item price. So, assuming the product costs € 22, you will pay a total of € 23,80.
Our opinion on Vinted
Vinted is a simple and very intuitive app, also available in the Italian version.
It stands out from other apps for selling used clothes in that it doesn't take commissions from you on sales, if not the purchase protection fee (which is much lower than other apps anyway).
In fact, its business model does not provide for any commission but is mostly based on the offer of additional services that you can choose to purchase or not. Another advantage is that this app manages to give visibility even if you have few followers.
This is not an app where you can only sell designer clothes, like REBEL o Vestiaire Collective. Of course, some luxury brands appear but mostly you will find cheap used clothes where lower quality garments also stand out.
Some of the flaws that users complain about are bugs that the app suffers from time to time, especially after some major updates. It also appears that their customer service is less responsive than one might expect from such a hugely successful app.
That said, for us it represents in any case a valid tool to combat the production excesses of a highly polluting industry such as the textile industry. As for plastic, recycling would be an excellent solution for clothes too, but in reality it is still very far from reality: the costs of the process are currently higher than those of production starting from the original fiber.
Without a doubt, it would take willpower and more impactful action on the part of governments to regulate the textile industry, thus pushing it towards the concept of circular fashion.
While waiting for better times, keep in mind that apps for the sale of used clothes still allow you to do something even if in your own small way. As an old peasant saying goes, “One grain at a time builds a fortune”.
