Buying second-hand on Vinted: a practical guide for buyers

Vinted is full of clothes, shoes and accessories, but also homeware, books and electronics, mostly sold by private individuals. Buying is easy, but a few rules make all the difference: what Buyer Protection covers, what it costs and how long you have to report a problem. Here's how it works, step by step.

How a purchase works

Once you've found the item, tap "Buy now", pay on Vinted and choose how to receive the parcel. You pick and pay for the shipping option at checkout; the carriers available depend on your country, and some can't handle bulky parcels or reach every postcode.

After you pay, the seller has 5 business days to ship. If they can't make it, they can ask you to extend the deadline by 3 or 5 business days, and you can accept or refuse. Vinted says domestic shipping usually takes 2-5 business days and international shipping 4-7. Some items can be sent through an optional verification service, in which case delivery can take up to 10 business days.

Buyer Protection and its fee

Every order placed with "Buy now" comes with Buyer Protection: if the item doesn't arrive, arrives damaged or is significantly not as described, you can ask for a refund.

Buyer Protection comes with a mandatory fee, added automatically when you pay. According to Vinted it is usually 5% of the price plus €0.70, VAT included. It won't catch you out at checkout: it's already shown in each listing's price breakdown, and then in the order summary.

If you buy from a professional seller, marked with a "Pro" label next to their name, you can only buy with "Buy now", and Pro Buyer Protection applies, including a right of withdrawal.

Condition and photos: how to read a listing

The condition shown in a listing is chosen by the seller: it's useful, but it's their judgement. The photos and your questions in the chat matter more.

• Look at every photo: flaws, stains, pilling, soles and heels, zips.
• Be wary of listings with only catalogue images: ask for a photo of the actual item.
• For clothes, ask for measurements in centimetres: label sizes vary from brand to brand.
• If the listing says nothing about flaws, ask in writing in the Vinted chat.

There's a practical reason to clear everything up first: the refund policy doesn't cover items you simply don't like, minor differences from the listing or normal wear after delivery.

Bundles and offers: how to save

If a seller has several items you like, put them in a bundle: you pay one shipping fee, plus the Buyer Protection fee. Private sellers can offer a discount depending on the number of items; Pro sellers can't. A bundle can hold up to 100 items, but heavy or bulky items and items sent through a verification service have to be bought separately.

You can also make an offer and suggest a lower price, up to 40% below the original one, with up to 25 offers a day. An offer only applies to the item price, not to shipping and fees. Offers aren't binding: even if the seller accepts, the item stays available to others until you tap "Buy now". If you really want it, don't wait.

A reasonable offer, perhaps backed by a visible flaw or by buying several items, is more likely to be accepted than a steep cut.

Before you pay: a checklist

1. Only buy with "Buy now": a payment outside Vinted, by bank transfer or through a link sent in the chat, isn't covered.
2. Check the seller's reviews and their other items.
3. Check measurements, flaws and what's included, and get the answers in the chat.
4. Check the total in the order summary: price, fee and shipping.
5. Pick a convenient delivery option: if you use a pick-up point, check its location and opening hours.

If something goes wrong: the deadlines

Time is short: you have 2 days from Vinted's notification that the item should have been delivered (or that the order seems lost) to tap "I have an issue" in your conversation with the seller. If the deadline passes, or you confirm that everything is OK, the order is completed and the payment goes to the seller.

That's why it's worth opening the parcel as soon as it arrives. If something is wrong, photograph the item, the problem, the outer and inner packaging and any damage to the parcel: that's the evidence Vinted asks for. If a return is agreed, the buyer normally pays for return shipping unless the seller provides a label, and you have 5 business days from the seller's request to send the complete item back. If the carrier has to investigate, a refund can take several weeks, with the payment on hold in the meantime.

Buying from other European countries

Vinted operates in several European countries, and some are connected for shipping. Which ones depends on where you live: from Italy, for example, you can buy from sellers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, Austria and Germany (Vinted Italy's shipping page, in Italian). The process and the protection are the same.

A few extra precautions: sizes may follow different conventions, the description may be in another language and delivery takes a little longer. If in doubt, ask for measurements and keep your messages simple: a translation app is enough.

How Rovista helps

The same piece can be on Vinted at one price and on Subito, eBay or Wallapop at another. With Rovista you search all of these marketplaces in one go and see only second-hand listings: for example, search for a leather jacket and compare the results. If the right item isn't there yet, save the search and turn on an alert for Vinted and the other marketplaces: we'll let you know as soon as a new listing appears. Alerts are part of the Base plan. You always complete the purchase on Vinted, with its protection.

Information checked in September 2026: platform terms may change.