I am sending an open officer-style jacket with 2 rows of buttons but no buttonholes. The buyer opened a dispute for a missing item, then I proved it wasn’t missing. She changed the reason to « delivered damaged, » and I then proved I had sent it in impeccable packaging. She changed the reason again to « size not explicit, » even though the size was in the title and in the photos. And then Vinted wrote to me, saying that if I didn’t accept the return, they would keep the jacket and refund her. So I was forced to accept the return at my expense. Vinted is disgusting and always sides with the buyer, even with 17 photos to back up our claims… Happy reading.
So you are not harmed in any way, why make such a fuss about it?
Vinted is not able to rule on the millions of disputes of this kind that can arise, so it is the solution that it offers each time in this kind of dispute and it is very good.
Experienced sellers systematically offer returns at the buyer’s expense in this kind of situation:
- The buyer is satisfied and may come back to buy again
- It avoids foolishly wasting time and energy managing a dispute.
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However, the returned item must be identical to the one sent, and that is not guaranteed. Making multiple claims with different reasons should be penalized.
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Always the sanctions. Why? Isn’t an agreement between the two parties better than a haphazard decision by Vinted?
The buyer does not wish to keep the item, which is legitimate. One can make mistakes when buying remotely. He or she does not know that Vinted anyway accepts the return at their expense, so they will try to justify the return in all sorts of ways, especially if they feel the seller is reluctant to reach an agreement.
To avoid this kind of situation, which is unpleasant for both parties, a good seller quickly offers to return the item at the buyer’s expense. In this situation, it is still the buyer who is out of pocket for the transport.
As a private individual, I don’t see why I should accept a return when the product is as advertised.
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And quite simply out of respect for the buyer. Of course, if it’s a book, a return is not justified, but if it’s a fashion item, it’s obvious that the listing can’t show everything, and it’s entirely possible that the buyer realizes the item doesn’t fit once they try it on, or that it’s not right for them, and everyone knows that perfectly well.
It is therefore the least one can do to not refuse a return paid for by the buyer.
We don’t sell things to disappoint the buyer, do we? Are we looking for a transaction where everyone benefits, or are we just trying to offload our junk at any cost?
You act like a pro.. but individuals don’t want to manage returns for many reasons (like not receiving the item actually sent, or having to go back to a drop-off point to collect the item, sometimes much further than the starting point, etc.).
Individuals are not shops, buyers know this.. & especially in this case, where the dispute reason is changed.. I agree that it’s abusive. If the size doesn’t fit you.. it’s not a delivery issue. You buy on Vinted with full knowledge of the situation, you relist the item in your wardrobe.. and that’s respectful to the seller who did what was necessary on their end.
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You can report it and not validate the return
I agree with all of that but as Frenchysasa says, sometimes it’s better to move on and find a compromise.
It’s not « sometimes », it’s « always ». You should always try to find an arrangement, and when it’s impossible, do otherwise.
The fact that the buyer pays for the return is crucial: it comes out of their pocket, and they also have to take the time to send the item back. It requires a financial and time investment. They are putting themselves out there. The seller can at least take on the task of receiving the package; it’s the least they can do! Basic manners!
We don’t need to worry about the malicious buyer because they will never agree to pay for the return. They want a refund, plain and simple. The one who agrees to pay for the return is necessarily acting in good faith; they are simply disappointed with their order for one reason or another.
Obviously, we agree
I would still nuance that on collector categories, there is a scam that consists of doing an upgrade by returning a damaged item, so even by having to pay €3, they can be very profitable. I had a first-hand attempt a few months ago, even though the buyer was not very smart by leaving a Belgian store label on the box (so it’s impossible that it came from my place).
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Yes, that risk exists. One can be the victim of an attempted scam. In this case, it’s rather the person who returns an item after having used it.
But the buyer can also be the victim of a scam by the seller! This is one of the difficulties of online selling!
So we agree that the buyer takes the risk of buying from us, but we don’t agree to take the risk of a scam ourselves during the return?
The best thing is to try to communicate as much as possible, and thus assess the level of trust we can have in the person in front of us. In a remote transaction, we need trust, and therefore we must do our best to establish this climate of trust, moreover, it also helps to better identify scammers.
If from the outset we consider the other person as an enemy, if we block reasonable resolution paths, we complicate things.
When you have a professional seller with thousands of reviews on multiple platforms, with 100% positive feedback, plus the comments left, I think the buyer takes very little risk. I’m also hearing more and more people tell me they order from me thanks to the reviews (so it can pay off in the long run).
The buyer is still more « protected », especially with a professional seller who has quite a few legal obligations. Which in itself doesn’t bother me particularly since I’m quite confident about what I send and how I send it.
Oh no, I’m zen about that. For the few problems I have, I don’t even care if I « lose » once in a while, it’s a drop in the ocean in the end. I even find that many people create a lot of stress for themselves for not much. Especially since with experience, when I sense that something is not clear, I have reflexes that often discourage them from continuing the attempt.
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Are there no posts about sellers?
I bought 3 items on Monday.
1 was delivered, an item for €1. Perfect.
The 2nd item, the seller hasn’t sent it yet. An item for €50.
The 3rd item, they supposedly sent it, but on Vinted, the package is shown as being returned the day after it was dropped off. Item for €30.
I specify that I do not negotiate prices.
I mostly have bad experiences as a buyer. The item is defective, sent a week late, or not sent at all, no communication. Many complain that sales are decreasing but the more time goes by, the more I turn to other platforms, even if I have to pay more, in the end, it causes less hassle.
I completely agree with you, and since I’ve been here, I’ve been very surprised to see the number of people who are okay with buyers wanting to return items. And I want to clarify that I’ve always been much more of a buyer than a seller on Vinted. There’s no right of withdrawal between private individuals. For me, a return is acceptable if the seller lied about the listing or made a mistake (e.g., didn’t notice a stain or tear, or got the brand or size wrong). I understand sellers who are almost professional, who want to build customer loyalty and kindly offer returns even though they are within their rights (and the buyer is in the wrong). No problem. But an average private seller on Vinted has the right to get annoyed when an item that matches the description is returned to them, because they spent time preparing, packaging, and sending the package, not to mention printing the label. Vinted should have sided with them. And yes, it’s Vinted’s role to handle this (the thousands of disputes) because they take a fee for millions of transactions. So yes, they have to take the time. Stay strong, Vinted sellers, I’m on your side 
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Overall, Vinted prefers to upset a seller than a buyer. And in principle, that’s pretty much the case everywhere. And it’s even quite « logical » (for them), I think it’s easier to lose a buyer than a seller.
That’s exactly it, it’s a business model. It’s not a matter of justice or law, and that’s what’s hardest for sellers (who are often also buyers) to accept because they know they are in the right, but Vinted gives them a refusal with no human consideration. And the unscrupulous buyer is rewarded for it…
I really can’t follow this kind of reasoning. The « time spent » is lost, unrecoverable, so it doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t reason based on what is a sunk cost.
And besides, if it’s a private individual who rarely sells, well, the problems are rare and not daily 
I hypothesize that the frustration of seeing a sale fail is the main factor. We are in pure emotion, and economic arguments are not credible.
All consumer law follows this logic, and fortunately so fortunately.
You say the economic argument is not admissible, but you bring up another economic argument (the fact of having lost the money from a sale). It’s not a question of money, it’s a question of respect. Yes, lost time is lost time, but I prefer to lose it with my children or watching a good movie than packing a parcel for someone who won’t even go to pick it up. But everyone uses their free time as they wish 
For me, it’s really a matter of respect and politeness. It’s precisely because I’m not in the business and I don’t want to put up with this kind of behavior that I said stop the first time it happened for an order of only €4.13 (so it wasn’t frustration from missing a sale, I’m not short of five euros). But it’s certain that if Vinted allows you to supplement your income, then it’s better to please customers and put up with it: it’s ultimately more about economic dependence or being well-positioned on the platform that forces you to grit your teeth.
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