With the Christmas break almost over, many people are buckling beneath an infinite mountain of latest issues – items, nevertheless nicely meant, that we neither requested for nor want.
The temptation is solely to shrug and begin loading up the ‘regift’ drawer at house.
But there’s a simple, and profitable, manner to eliminate these unwanted presents with out offending the one that gave them to you.
From garments that don’t match to Secret Santa items you hate, there’s demand for all of them on Vinted.
If you’re not already on the on-line pre-loved market, it’s not too late to begin – however you’ll have to act quick to make cash from your post-Christmas clear-out.
‘Most people jump on Vinted between Boxing Day and early January,’ explains skilled vendor Bianca Alleyne, a private stylist and editor-in-chief of the podcast Sustainably Influenced, who has made 1000’s on the website.
‘If you list unwanted presents straight-away, you’ll catch the site visitors surge and promote sooner.’
Launched by two twentysomethings in Lithuania in 2008, Vinted reached the UK in 2014 and it has boomed in reputation since 2021.
‘Most people jump on Vinted between Boxing Day and early January,’ explains skilled vendor Bianca Alleyne, a private stylist and editor-in-chief of the podcast Sustainably Influenced
Many of us have been left with unwanted, and reasonably saleable, items following Christmas Day
Today, it has 18million British customers and is value a staggering £4.4billion worldwide.
And whereas most Vinted followers are girls aged 25 to 34, there was a current surge amongst these aged 65 to 74, with some making lots of of 1000’s of kilos a 12 months from the website.
Free to use (patrons, not sellers, pay postage, plus a small payment – 3 to 8 per cent of the buy worth – to Vinted), downloadable through an app on your telephone and open to everybody, it’s no surprise the platform has seen such meteoric success.
But what are the hidden pitfalls, and the finest methods to make the greatest revenue? Here is the experts’ information to making a mint on Vinted (and a few ideas for patrons, too)…
PUT ITEMS UP FOR SALE DURING THE ‘GOLDEN HOUR’
‘Posting at the right time can make a huge difference,’ says Jessica Appleyard, 33, from Leicester, who makes up to £20,000 a 12 months on Vinted by her enterprise Off The Rails Pre-Loved Clothing.
‘I find that after 7pm is the golden hour – it’s when most individuals are enjoyable and scrolling on-line.
‘I usually upload at least five items during this time to push my listings higher in the search feed.’
Other peak instances embrace after 12pm on a weekend, and the final Friday of each month – payday.
Like the property platform Rightmove, the Vinted app lists newer objects at the prime. So the newer your posting, the extra individuals will see it.
‘Post regularly, ideally daily, even two to three times daily,’ says Polly Arrowsmith, 58, from London, who’s been on Vinted for simply over a 12 months and has made £6,000 from greater than 500 gross sales.
You can additionally make previous listings look new by modifying the title or description. ‘Even something as small as adding an emoji or full stop can push your listing back up the algorithm,’ Jessica explains.
Sharan Sammi, 44, a cash mentor and Vinted skilled from Wolverhampton, says that is essential if you need to keep seen – as is retaining a inventory of bin luggage labelled ‘Vinted’ useful at house, so you can add to them as you discover issues you need to promote.
‘As soon as my kids, who are eight and 11, say, “Mummy, it doesn’t match!”, I checklist the objects immediately,’ she says.
PRESENTATION IS KEY – BUT DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE
Chief amongst the experts’ tips to entice patrons is: hold it easy.
‘You never have to spell out that something was an unwanted gift,’ says Bianca.
‘Phrases like, “Brand new, never used”, “Duplicate item”, or “Not my shade/style” are completely acceptable and very common on Vinted.
‘Buyers care about condition, not the backstory.’
To describe your merchandise, use key phrases that embrace the merchandise kind, color, measurement and situation, and be particular (say ‘maxi dress’; not simply ‘dress’).
You can additionally add tags for the season, in addition to trend-based key phrases: phrases resembling ‘vintage’ and model names like ‘Nike’ and ‘Jellycat’ will seem in additional searches.
In phrases of images, ‘presentation is everything’, says Sam Lucker, a classic reseller who makes use of Vinted and the platform Fleek to join with patrons.
‘Items should be washed and steamed so they look and feel fresh,’ he provides.
When taking pictures, Bianca recommends capturing from a number of angles, together with one ‘styled’ image – resembling clothes on a hanger, or homewares in situ.
‘Bright, clear photos on a neutral background can raise the selling price by 20 to 30 per cent,’ she provides.
SET THE PRICE HIGHER THAN YOU WANT
‘I list items for £1 to £5 more than I think they’re value,’ says Hayley Reed, 42, founding father of the London-based decluttering service Chaos Calmed.
She makes round £10,000 – cut up between herself and her shoppers – from Vinted each few months by selling on behalf of her clients.
‘Then, when someone “favourites” it, message them with a lower offer – the amount you wanted all along – and you’ve bought an immediate sale.’
Sellers who message potential patrons can enhance gross sales by between 30 and 50 per cent, in accordance to the knowledge.
But bear in mind to hold tabs on your earnings from Vinted. If you make over £1,000 from the website in a 12 months, new guidelines from HMRC imply you’ll have to pay tax on it.
Once you promote one thing, make-up artist and Vinted skilled Ariane Young, 30, from London, recommends transferring the cash out of your Vinted account (the place it stays, as a ‘credit’ to spend on the platform) instantly. ‘Otherwise you’ll be tempted to purchase one thing else,’ she provides.
KEEP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF BUYERS
The most profitable Vinted sellers nurture a relationship with their patrons.
‘Be polite,’ says Polly. This applies even when you get impolite or abrupt feedback, or somebody makes a suggestion that’s insultingly low. ‘Rather than reacting, just laugh.’
Respond to questions promptly, and put up bought objects shortly, ideally inside 24 hours – it will earn you a ‘Speedy Shipping’ badge on your profile.
When sending out packages, wrap them properly and all the time ask patrons for a optimistic evaluation.
While it can be tempting to scrimp on packaging (some sellers use previous service luggage or envelopes patched up with sticky tape), this gained’t serve you nicely in the long term. Buyers may complain and you gained’t get repeat gross sales.
‘I use silver padded envelopes,’ says Polly. ‘It looks good, and you can get 100 on Amazon from £15. I also pop in a bag of treat-size Haribo.’
Sharan makes use of wrapping paper, themed to match the merchandise she’s selling, or patterned wallpaper offcuts. ‘The buyers love it; I get so many comments about my gift wrap,’ she says.
And Sam places a enterprise card along with his particulars inside each parcel. ‘Presentation, communication and consistency all encourage repeat sales,’ he provides.
KEEP RECEIPTS IN CASE ITEMS GET LOST
Although most Vinted gross sales run like clockwork, generally issues go incorrect. ‘Around 1 per cent of items go missing with couriers, so keep your receipts,’ advises Polly. This manner, you can show that you posted it as agreed; any financial claims lie with the courier – not you.
As you’re speaking with strangers on the website, anticipate the surprising. Sellers generally get accused of photoshopping photographs or are requested to present proof of buy (difficult if the merchandise was a present).
And generally, they spend hours responding to messages from potential patrons – just for them to vanish into skinny air. Buyers have a two-day window to report points as soon as they’ve obtained the merchandise, so concentrate on this.
Their cash is held on the platform, and it isn’t launched to you, till they click on a button to affirm that they’re comfortable.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO HAGGLE WHEN BUYING
Vinted patrons can make up to 25 presents a day (the place you click on a button to recommend a worth lower than the one listed), however this doesn’t have to restrict you.
Get round the restriction by sending sellers a courteous message asking in the event that they’ll think about a cheaper price.
‘Most people will accept a reasonable offer,’ says Gemma Poolman, 37, a mum of 1 and Vinted skilled from Suffolk.
‘As a seller, I almost always say yes. Sometimes the first offer is the best one.’
To hold prices low, make certain you evaluation all the supply choices; Vinted usually auto-selects a costlier courier by default.
First-time patrons get free supply, and you’ll often discover sellers who cowl the prices – or Vinted promotions on particular objects.
KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR BARGAIN BUNDLE DEALS
When looking for a specific kind of merchandise, hold an eye fixed out for ‘bundles’ from sellers you like.
‘There are lots of deals going on,’ says Gemma. ‘If you buy more than one item from someone, it can get you between five and 20 per cent off the total.
‘It also feels like you’re getting extra for your postage.’
If you ‘favourite’ objects, you’ll additionally get alerted when the worth drops, and you can ‘follow’ sellers so you know once they’ve uploaded new objects you may like.
‘Sellers tend to upload batches of items at a time – and if you’re on the ball, you get the choose of the finest bits,’ says Hayley.
But bear in mind to act shortly and test again all through the day, as premium objects go at breakneck pace.
TRY TO FIND ITEMS THAT ARE OUT OF SEASON
Consider purchasing on Vinted for subsequent season – and even the one after that.
January is a prime time to purchase swimwear, seashore equipment and summer time footwear, for instance.
And you ought to think about looking for your Halloween decorations throughout Easter and your Christmas items from mid-summer.
Sellers usually enhance costs when objects are in season, as demand for them is greater, so it’s value going in opposition to the grain.
‘Stay ahead of what’s trending,’ advises Jessica. ‘This year, we pushed Christmas fashion as early as October.’
DON’T ASSUME EVERY PIECE IS A BARGAIN
Before stepping into with a suggestion, make certain you store round.
Use on-line search engines like google and different resale platforms (resembling Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace) to discover out if the worth is absolutely nearly as good because it appears.
Weed out sellers with pink flags – poor (or no) evaluations, no profile image or only a few objects on the market – and, if shopping for clothes, double-check the sizing.
A current change in Vinted laws precipitated uproar amongst customers, as the website up to date UK clothes sizes (‘L’, for instance, used to be measurement 12, however is now 16-18).
Buyers have much less safety on Vinted than on different reselling platforms, and you’ll have to pay return postage if you’re sad with your buy.
On this foundation, experts suggest avoiding pre-loved tech objects and costly jewelry. You is perhaps bagging a discount, however the previous saying ‘caveat emptor’ (purchaser beware) nonetheless applies.