11 Top Tips for Shopping Successfully on Vinted

I absolutely love shopping secondhand so when I came across Vinted a few years ago (a little late to the party) I was immediately hooked. I have covered most of Christmas using this app, I have found clothing items I adore, and I have purchased everything from shoes to bags, a clock, wetsuits, toys and books, costumes and Lego all at amazing prices. I have also used it myself to sell items I no longer need. It is the one-stop secondhand shop that I think everyone could benefit from using in order to prevent waste, save money, find treasures and really build up that circular economy. As I am so often asked how I manage to bag some of the items I show on my social media I thought I would share my 11 top tips for successfully shopping on Vinted with you…

1. Have a Clear Idea of What You Need/Want

I think when you have a marketplace that is jam-packed full of so many different items it is really important to be able to go in knowing exactly what it is you are after. It can be easy to get sidetracked and spend hours and hours going down more and more clothing rabbit holes so make sure that you allocate time to each desired item, firstly, so you get what you want and, secondly, to save yourself time.

2. Be Specific

Following on nicely from the above point, when you know what you want you can be very specific within your search. For example, if you are after a pair of jeans, if you just simply typed in women’s jeans size 12 you are going to end up with a lot of results, instead try adding what you would prefer your jeans to look like/sit like. Other descriptions you can add could include stone wash, high-waisted, hipster, flare, ripped, dark blue and the name of a particular brand you like etc. If the seller has all of these details within their listing you will hopefully now be presented with options that will appeal to you the most.

3. Check Listings Carefully

There are far too many sellers on Vinted who don’t use the description to fully disclose everything about the item they are selling. It can be really infuriating and makes decision making that little bit harder. I will always, always go to a description first, check every detail and then inspect their images. If they seem very vague and they only have one photo of the item I tend to just click away. I just can’t trust someone who hasn’t taken a photo from every angle or been clear about what they are selling. A legitimate seller will be ticking every single box and have good, clear photos with all imperfections shown.

4. Utilise the Favourite Button

I absolutely love this feature. By hitting that love heart button all the items you like the look of will be saved under their own heading allowing you to go back and compare and mull over your options. It makes shopping so much easier and it means you won’t ever impulse buy.

This is also a great way for your children to make their Christmas lists. My 10-year-old can easily search for items he wants, add them to favourites then I can go over his list and choose his gifts. It’s a win-win as it’s affordable and he will get things he really likes.

5. Take Your Time

If you are looking for something specific such as a formal dress for an occasion make sure you give yourself enough time to search for the ideal piece. Shopping secondhand is slow fashion and honestly, we could all benefit from slowing down before making purchases. Take your time, save your favourites, compare fabrics and cut, prices and so on. You can often find the best of the best when you slow down your shopping.

6. Don’t Get Disheartened

Obviously, when you favourite items and don’t purchase them immediately there is that risk that somebody else will snap them up before you’ve made a final decision. How do I look at this? As a positive because they have helped to make the decision for you. There is no point in dwelling on what may have been because honestly, you can quite easily find the same or similar or BETTER(!) within a short space of time. Vinted is packed full of sellers constantly uploading their items so just keep going with it, you’ll get that purchase when the right thing pops up.

7. Don’t Overlook Things

By this I mean if you find an item of clothing that isn’t quite the right colour, is a bit too low cut, or looks a tad long, don’t always overlook it for this because you could always get a little crafty by sewing it yourself, dyeing the fabric, using hemming tape, paying an expert or asking your mother in law to help like I do! By looking beyond what is front of you, you may end up with an item you love and one that is completely unique.

8. Bundles

If you are wanting to be very thrifty search for bundles of clothing. This is ideal when you are shopping for children’s clothes as you often get a really good variety at a fab price.

9. Make Offers

But not silly ones. I see it a lot on social media where someone sharing how they are selling something for £2 and someone comes in to say 50p. Come on, let’s not be silly or insult someone, the prices are usually very affordable as it is so pick the right moment and pick a reasonable offer. Say someone is selling a pair of boots for £30, I’d maybe say would you consider £25 instead? It’s worth the ask as they may agree to make a quick sale. Please note that you can only use the make offer button 5 times a day.

10. Take Advantage of The Recommended For You Search

Once Vinted begins to see what you are searching for, it will start to create “recommended for you” feeds on the opening page. These are great! They work so well by bringing together groups of items that you have previously searched for giving you a selection of things you may have previously missed. Yes, Vinted are doing this because they want people on their app and spending money but it is also a big benefit for you so take full advantage of this feature, you never know what you may find.

11. Follow People

Yep, you can follow people on Vinted so if you buy from someone who has sold you a brilliant item in the past, if you favourite content creator shares their profile in their stories, if you friends and family are on there get following them all to be in with a better chance of finding things you’ll love.

And that’s it, my 11 top tips for successful Vinted shopping – slow down, utilise the apps features, be specific and just enjoy it. I hope this helps.

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