It’s not a question of having lots of carriers, but rather of not being able to choose and not having control in case of problems.
For example, Vinted Go. I no longer have a drop-off point in my town, so I’m forced to travel to a place I never go to on the other side of town, and I have a lot of items that I can’t send to their lockers. So each time I have to check if the person has chosen a drop-off point, information that is not given to the seller, which would otherwise save time, or even cancel the order. It is however indicated on the second line of my listings. So I find it irritating not to be able to choose the carriers on my listings because I know which products will cause problems, Vinted doesn’t, but yet they are the ones who choose for me. Another detail, for a very high-value item, I can adjust the insurance level if I wish. Speaking of insurance, with MR it’s €50 when going through the site on eBay import, so more than on Vinted, and in addition, it’s €50 paid out, not the value of the item.
Then when I say having control, let’s compare with eBay. In case of a problem (which bizarrely never happens compared to Vinted), I’m the one who handles it. So for example, if a package arrives damaged, I can offer a partial refund if the person still wants to keep the item. I even had a buyer once who had already bought from me several times, he buys a complete set of figurines from me, but he probably hadn’t seen that there was a listing with the complete set and a discount on the price (especially since I offer free shipping, so he was paying shipping fees multiple times). So I was able to warn him and directly refund him the difference. The buyer was quite satisfied with my reaction.
Basically, on eBay, I am FREE, they trust me and let me manage my shop, on Vinted I have the feeling of being a child who is constantly watched, and that is not at all how I like to work.
So this is also one of the consequences of Vinted’s disastrous policy on the subject.
There’s the aspect of putting obstacles in the way of pros who find themselves forced to play cat and mouse with Vinted, resorting to reasoning about how to hide that they are pros (e.g., in photos).
But especially with their hunt for those who sell too much, asking them to become professional sellers. We are left with a multitude of sellers who are professional only by obligation. And reading some of them on Facebook (Vinted pro sellers group) is scary. They know nothing about legal obligations, they are even surprised to find themselves paying contributions. Seeing some of their wardrobes, it has absolutely nothing professional about it, with catch-all pages where one finds 3 toys picked up at the sales, 10 clothes bought at Noz, etc. … alongside personal items. Sometimes even with prohibited mentions in the listings, like
And I would add that Vinted is borderline on certain legal provisions.
We already know that they were fined by the CNIL for the practice of shadow banning. Even for what is asked of professionals, they are limited: eco-tax on packaging requested à la carte, blocking funds for 14 days on the grounds of the right of withdrawal, whereas absolutely no text imposes this (and which others do not do either), transaction closure after 14 days which prevents a buyer from exercising their warranty rights and can only rely on the seller’s goodwill, no request for EAN codes on listings, etc. …
Okay, there are things that suit me in the absolute sense, but it shows that they do their own thing in their own way, but it’s not at all rigorous.
So okay, Vinted is terrible, but how did they manage to become the leader? How is it that banned sellers go to extraordinary lengths to hope to get back the right to appear there?
You’re going in circles and I’ve already answered those questions
First, they aren’t the market leader in everything, but leaders in a specific category, and it depends on the country and category, which is a big distinction. Vinted has a €1.1 billion turnover, eBay €11.4 billion for 2025, LBC makes €500M in France alone. And I’m not even talking about marketplaces.
I’ve already explained, it’s a concept that struck a chord and arrived at the right time with the smartphone explosion. But I’ve been doing this for 20 years and there’s an intangible truth: nothing is eternal.
Staggering approach? I don’t see what’s staggering about contesting a decision that seems unfair. And indeed, for those selling clothes, Vinted is a must. What’s your reasoning? Because it sells well on Vinted, we should stay silent even when they do illegal or very questionable things? Sorry, I don’t think like that, I prefer things to improve rather than say « oh well, that’s just how it is »
And I’m not saying it’s all rotten, but that there are dysfunctions. I’ve pointed out their strengths. Otherwise, a question: do you see many people complaining about the same things on other platforms? In such massive numbers (it’s all you see in FB groups right now)? There might be a reason for that.
On the other hand, if you love Amazon, definitely skip my message when I talk about them, you might not recover they are psychopaths and yet they have a €485 billion turnover on their marketplace.
Yes, that’s right, Vinted is the leader in one category, but eBay does better in terms of revenue. It’s true that for selling clothes, Vinted is essential, but Vinted is full of dysfunctions and really borderline rules. Many things bother me, even though I’ve been using it for a few years, and I refuse to have to work with a knot in my stomach. On eBay, I don’t feel any pressure and there’s no hassle. If I have a problem during a purchase, I manage it from A to Z.
For me, the problem is that it was going very well at first, it’s only been in the last few months that I’ve been really bothered. So Vinted was the basis of my activity. But I’m really trying to switch to something else. I even want to say that it’s a bit of a shame for Vinted because now I think of eBay as my priority platform, even if in reality, the turnover is still more important on Vinted. But I post my ads on eBay first now, and a little later on Vinted if they don’t sell quickly. And for things I have in quantity, which sell well on eBay, well now I put the same price on Vinted (why sell cheap when I can sell well on eBay?). I even find myself with ads where ultimately for the buyer it’s more interesting to go through eBay.
I’m in the same situation as you. Vinted was very useful to me when I was starting my business because I had already been on eBay since 2008, but they were at a low point. But just like you, now I prefer to consider my website and eBay as priorities. Moreover, for about a year now, some customers prefer to buy off Vinted and suggest it to me. I had the same case yesterday, and the orders are sometimes higher than they would have been on Vinted because Vinted adds their so-called buyer protection fees, which are useless!!
And yes. Your business has evolved, and depending on that, one platform or another suits you better, and some are more or less suitable depending on the nature of what we sell.
It makes sense that Vinted suits you less. The foundation of Vinted is peer-to-peer selling. They expanded to professionals later on, but they target professionals in the consignment shop sense, not the type of professionals found on Amazon. The « amateur » dimension must remain the majority, otherwise customers will leave. You are professionalizing, you are setting up your own site like Kashmir, and well, you are moving away from Vinted, it makes sense.
And Vinted has an interest in controlling all of this, otherwise they will sink. They must not let themselves be overwhelmed by « real » professionals.
Where they also fall short is that they would offer to pay a subscription for a pro shop with a guarantee of stable and secure service like on eBay; I would pay immediately.
Where they are bad, on top of that, is that they would offer to pay a subscription to have a pro store with the guarantee of stable and secure service like on eBAY, I would pay immediately.
eBay was originally about auctioning used products between individuals. What keeps LBC alive are real estate agencies and car sellers, even though it’s basically a site for connecting individuals nearby. Platforms also evolve.
And we could even go further: Vinted’s foundation was selling clothes, not toys, video games, home appliances, decorative items, etc…
I’ve had my shop since 2015. When I first started it, I absolutely didn’t think I’d be able to make a living from it for 5 years, and yet that’s exactly what happened. I slackened off a bit when Vinted started up, then got back to it more seriously about a year and a half ago.
Site for now I have put aside this option, I still have very large players in my field and it will be hard to compete. I even have wholesalers who, in parallel, have their own shops for individuals (quite weak, by the way).
A website is not bad, but you have to struggle for SEO and to establish yourself against the competition. Mine is 4 years old but it only started to get noticed 1.5 to 2 years ago. It’s a significant advantage.
Not so cool, Ebay – I’ve been there for 20 years and it has only gotten worse. The problem is the lack of visibility. Recently, I posted auctions that, over 5 days, only got one visit for one and 2 visits for the other, and I finally sold on Vinted with many favorites.
You have to edit and pay for the shipping label yourself because their integrated system is a disaster, so you have to go to the M Relay website and link your account to Eb.
The only advantage, if you manage to sell, is that there’s no negotiation possible unless you decide it, so you can sell at a higher price.
Hello @mlamiche
Traffic on eBay has indeed decreased compared to the past, but it seems to be picking up again (or at least, they are working on it)
Amazon and all the platforms that have arrived have hurt them, but it’s getting better…
And then, there are eBay loyalists (not to mention international buyers).
As for auctions, I stopped years ago now, it’s strictly useless when you sell new items.
It’s no longer the site that allowed individuals to sell their second-hand items at auction.
After, there are sellers who don’t like eBay, I can understand that but when you’ve used it for years (even decades), you realize that despite the decrease in traffic, there are still « real buyers » who are there.
Nothing to do with the idiots (I’m being polite) on Vinted.
Few offers sent, and when you do, it’s reasonable.
Then again, the rates and commissions are not the same. You have to adapt, and price higher than elsewhere to offset the costs.
Finally, personally, I like eBay! (and besides, they don’t ban easily, unless you are really bad)
they are psychopaths and yet they have a €485 billion turnover on their marketplace.