General information and good practices
The information provided below forms an overview of the key functionalities and principles of the Vinted site. Should you want to understand your legal rights and obligations with respect to your use of the Vinted site, then please consult our Terms and Conditions via this link. If you are seeking information on how we handle your personal data and the rights you have in this regard, please read our Privacy Policy.
WHO ARE WE?
We are VINTED PLATFORM LIMITED, a company registered in the United Kingdom. We are located at 5 New Street Square, London EC4A 3TW, United Kingdom. Please reach out to us on legal@vinted.co.uk should you have further questions on the information provided below.
WHAT IS VINTED?
Vinted is an online marketplace through which users are able to sell or purchase certain items with other users. Vinted does not sell or buy items shown on the site and is not a party to any transaction between users. Our Buyer Protection (or Buyer Protection Pro) service is added for a fee to every purchase made by buyers using the “Buy now” button.
WHO CAN USE OUR WEBSITE?
Only registered users or Pro Sellers who are at least 18 years old can list items and enter into transactions on the site.
Users on Vinted platform are:
- individuals acting as consumers (the “users” or “individual users”);
- companies, sole traders or non-profit organizations (the “Pro Sellers” or “Pro Users”); check here for information about what types of legal entities are eligible in the country you’re based to be a Pro Seller;
- for specific limited projects, companies of the Vinted group (except Vinted UAB), may also run activities as Pro Sellers.
Vinted hosts only Pro Sellers which offer second-hand items, list them in the relevant Catalogue of the site as part of their professional activity and has created a “Pro Seller” account. Items sold by a Pro Seller must comply with and belong to the categories allowed under the Catalogue Rules.
Pro Sellers are identified on the site by a “Pro” tag.
For explanations on how to register as a Pro Seller, please visit our Help Centre.
In addition, Pro Sellers have specific status, rights and obligations which are described in the Vinted Pro Terms and Conditions and Pro Sellers’ Guide. Note that Pro Sellers are solely responsible for, if applicable, registering with the business registry, as well as for complying with the social and tax obligations.
WHAT KIND OF ITEMS CAN BE SOLD ON VINTED?
We seek to ensure that Vinted is a friendly and safe place for its users. Therefore, when you list an item, you must make sure that you are allowed to trade that item, and that you comply with the Catalogue rules, which gives an overview of what you can sell and cannot sell on our site. Below, you find some examples of what our current Catalogue Rules say about the above:
You can sell:
- women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, footwear and accessories;
- children’s toys, furniture and childcare equipment;
- new cosmetics, beauty products and beauty gadgets (except Pro Sellers);
- tech accessories such as headphones, smart watches, phone cases and similar items;
- homeware such as textiles, tableware and home accessories;
- entertainment such as video games, consoles, accessories, books, board games, puzzles, music & audio;
- pet care items such as clothing, accessories, bedding, travel accessories, and toys.
You cannot sell:
- items prohibited or restricted by law (such as counterfeit items, stolen goods, firearms, weapons, etc.);
- items that do not comply with hygiene standards or may pose health or safety risks (such as worn underwear, all cosmetics that have already been used or that are not in their original sealed packaging, etc.);
- medicinal products, food and tobacco products;
- items that simply do not align with the Vinted vision (such as animal fur and its products, sports equipment for adults such as bikes, skis, snowboards, tickets for events, etc.); or
- items purchased in bulk or typically sold as low-value dropshipping items;
- a large number of brand new items, including items with tags;
- items with a note such as "can be ordered”, “sold”, “currently out of stock”, “check back later”, etc.
Please note, Pro Sellers are prohibited to:
- sell products that are prohibited for sale in the country where they can be offered for sale on the site;
- sell cosmetic items (including beauty tools / gadgets);
- provide service of renting items;
- sell items with a note such as "can be ordered”, “sold”, “currently out of stock”, “check back later”, etc.
- sell a large number of brand new items, including items with tags;
- sell items you made as hand-crafter or designer;
- offer for resale items purchased in bulk or typically sold as low-value dropshipping items (i.e. items sold at a low value given the current market practice).
Please bear in mind the above list is not exhaustive and is to be viewed as a guide only. We kindly ask you to consult the Catalogue rules to find a complete and accurate overview of what you can and cannot sell on Vinted. Pro Sellers should also refer to our Terms and Conditions and Vinted Pro Terms and Conditions.
HOW TO SELL ITEMS ON VINTED?
Listing items on Vinted for sale is free of charge. To list an item in the Catalogue, the seller must comply with all Catalogue Rules. When you list an item in the Catalogue, you must complete a questionnaire, which includes selecting a category that most accurately represents the item and uploading at least one good quality photo of the item.
You cannot use photographs found on the internet and/or photos of a similar item. The description and photographs of the item must reflect the actual quality and external appearance of the item, as well as any faults, defects or alterations affecting the item.
HOW ARE ITEMS RANKED ON VINTED?
VINTED uses recommender systems to suggest in its site specific information to users and visitors or prioritise that information. This includes the ranking of search results initiated by the user and other instances where the relative order or prominence of information displayed to the user when viewing content on the site is determined (also referred to as ‘Vinted feed’). More information about recommender systems can be found here.
Sellers and Pro Sellers can improve the visibility of their items by opting for the following paid services which also affect how items are sorted in the feed:
- Bumping Listed Items
Specific items selected by the seller or Pro Seller can get better visibility on the item feed, newsfeed and other users’ Catalogue search results. More information about bumping listed items is available here.
- Wardrobe Spotlight
A seller’s or Pro Seller’s wardrobe can be promoted to a separate section in other users' newsfeed and Catalogue search results based on these users’ preferences, Catalogue filters, and most favourited items. More information about the Wardrobe Spotlight feature is available here.
HOW CAN A BUYER PAY FOR AN ITEM?
You can pay on Vinted by using credit cards, debit cards or any other payment method offered on the site.
IS VINTED’S SERVICE FREE?
For sellers
Listing the items on Vinted for sale is free of charge. However, our additional services for sellers and Pro Sellers, such as the above-mentioned item Bump and Wardrobe Spotlight are paid services.
For buyers
For each transaction made using the “Buy now” button, Buyer Protection (or Buyer Protection Pro when a user is buying from a Pro Seller) is applied for a fee. The fee for the use of the Buyer Protection or Buyer Protection Pro consists of:
For orders (including bundles) priced less than £500, the formula is:
- A fixed amount: a range of £0.3 to £0.8 and;
- A variable amount: a range of 3% to 8% of the purchase price (including the value-added tax (VAT) applied to the item’s price)
For orders (including bundles) priced £500 or more, the formula is:
- 3% of the item's price (including the value-added tax (VAT) applied to the item’s price)
Note: When buyer is a consumer, VAT is included in the Buyer Protection fee, as well as in Buyer Protection Pro fee.
For your security and that of the transactions, we invite you to complete the transactions using the “Buy now” button and to not make any transactions outside the site. Purchases made without using the “Buy now” button are at your risk and we will not offer any of the services included in the Buyer Protection (or Buyer Protection Pro) in relation to such transactions.
Additional services for buyers:
- Item Verification service: for eligible items, buyers may choose to purchase where available the optional Item Verification service to check the authenticity of selected designer items. You can find out more information about Item Verification in the Help Center here.
HOW DISPUTES WILL BE HANDLED?
- Disputes between buyers and Pro Sellers
If a buyer (consumers) has a disagreement with a Pro Seller, the buyer should have a look at the Pro Seller’s Policy (if any) and contact the Pro Seller directly to first try to resolve the issue between themselves. In addition, more information and options to solve the dispute can be found in the following website.
- Disputes between users and Vinted
In the event of a disagreement between Vinted and a user, Vinted encourages users to reach out to Vinted first in any case to find an amicable solution. In that regard, the user may:
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- address a written complaint to Vinted’s customer support using the contact form - Vinted will try and resolve the user's complaint in an amicable manner;
- the user can also use alternative dispute resolution methods such as consumer mediation. VINTED will consider any suggested alternative dispute resolution methods offered by the user.
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- Disputes between Pro Sellers and Vinted
In the event of a disagreement between Vinted and a Pro Seller:
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- Pro Seller may address a written complaint to the Vinted’s customer support using this contact form.
- In the absence of a response from Vinted within a reasonable period of one (1) month, or if the Pro Seller is not satisfied with the result, said Pro Seller and VINTED can try to resolve the issue in an amicable manner between themselves, or
- Pro Seller or Vinted may resort to mediation to settle any disputes before bringing a claim to the court. For more information, please read our Vinted Pro Terms and Conditions.
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FEEDBACK ON VINTED
Leaving feedback
When a transaction is completed, buyers and sellers can leave feedback on each other and give each other a star rating. Every feedback is connected to the respective transaction, so it is not possible to leave feedback for a user with whom you have not made any transaction. Users or Pro Sellers can leave their feedback as follows:
- you can find the 'Leave feedback' button in the conversation thread when the order is completed;
- then choose the number of stars you would like to give, ranging from one star to five stars (the lower the number of stars, the worse experience of a given transaction it indicates), add a review (comment), and submit it.
Users or Pro Sellers can leave their feedback up to four days after the order has been completed.
Editing/removing a feedback
You can edit or remove your feedback, by clicking on a corresponding button located below a given review.
Storing feedback
In the user’s or Pro Seller’s reviews page, the feedback is sorted in a chronological way (from the newest to the oldest). Each feedback published includes the username of its author, a review (comment), star rating assigned by a given user, the date and time of posting a feedback. In case feedback is left by a user or Pro Seller who subsequently deleted his/her account or a user or Pro Seller leaving a feedback is inactive for at least five (5) years, his/her user name will not be visible and there will be a note stating that the content comes from a user who is no longer active. Other information will remain published online, unless they are reported with Vinted as being inappropriate or abusive and Vinted removes them in line with applicable laws and Terms & Conditions or they are removed by the author of a given feedback.
Replying to feedback
User or Pro Seller can reply to a given feedback left on his/her account by other users or by Vinted by clicking on a corresponding button located below a given review.
No compensation
No compensation is given to users or Pro Sellers, or to Vinted in exchange for their online reviews.
Calculating the average star rating
A user’s or Pro Seller’s average star rating is based on the average amount of stars that this member has received. Only feedback left by other users or Pro Sellers, or Vinted affect the star rating. Every feedback counts, so if the same user or Pro Seller leaves more than one feedback, each of them will be taken into account.
To calculate a user’s average star rating, Vinted rounds the average rating up to the closest star or half of a star:
- If the average rating is equal to or greater than X.75, it is rounded up to X + 1. For instance, an average rating of 3.75 stars will be rounded up to 4 stars;
- If the average rating is between X.25 and X.75, it is rounded to X.5. For instance, an average rating of 3.26 stars will be rounded up to 3.5 stars, just as an average rating of 3.74 stars;
- If the rating is below X.25, it is rounded to X. For instance, an average rating of 3.24 stars will be rounded up to 3 stars.
DOES VINTED REVIEW FEEDBACK?
Vinted does not pro-actively review feedbacks
Users or Pro Sellers rely on each other to provide feedback. Vinted does not review feedback prior to when it is published by users or Pro Sellers.
Challenging a feedback
If users or Pro Sellers disagree with the feedback that they have received, they can:
- contact the other user to find out what went wrong and ask the other user to change their feedback by returning to the comment they left (or that Vinted automatically left instead of them) and editing it; or
- leave a comment under any feedback left and give their point of view. For instance, if it was something out of their control, like a third-party error, users should not hesitate to say so.
Inappropriate reviews
Any feedback left must be in line with Terms & Conditions and Community Standards, otherwise they are considered to be inappropriate or abusive. If the feedback received is inappropriate or abusive, you should report it to Vinted by simply clicking/tapping on the ( i ) icon in your conversation and choose “Report”. Then, choose “Member left harassing / inappropriate feedback” and explain the situation. Vinted’s customer support team will then work to resolve the issue if the feedback does not comply with our Community Standards. If a given review is inappropriate or abusive, Vinted may block the account of its author in whole or in part, in line with Terms & Conditions.
Vinted automatic feedback
In certain cases Vinted leaves automatic positive or negative feedback on a transaction. Positive feedback to the seller (a five-star rating only, without a comment) appears if a transaction was completed and the buyer did not leave a feedback within four (4) days. Vinted gives positive feedback to sellers only. Negative feedback (a one-star rating only, without a comment) appears, if a given user or Pro Seller manually cancels the order already submitted (unless he/she does so for the first time). This also happens to sellers if they don’t send the item on time, and the order gets automatically cancelled. Vinted gives negative feedback to either the buyer or the seller (depending on the party cancelling a transaction).
Vinted does not remove the automatic feedback. A user or Pro Seller can explain the situation to its buyer/seller (who has not given a given feedback because an automated negative feedback was posted by Vinted), who might agree to edit or remove a given feedback left automatically by Vinted.
SANCTIONS FOR MISLEADING BUSINESS PRACTICES
If you are a professional, you must declare yourself as a "Pro Seller" on Vinted.
Failing this, in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, can result in sanctions. In addition, a professional seller posing as a consumer or a non-professional on Vinted may be liable under the Fraud Act 2006. It is illegal under The Fraud Act 2006 to dishonestly make a false representation and intend to make a gain for themselves or another or cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.
You can find more information about consumer rights and your obligations in the UK here.
LEGAL RIGHTS OF BUYERS
For transactions between private individuals |
For transactions between buyers (consumers) and Pro Sellers |
Absence of the right of withdrawal (right to reject) For transactions between private individuals, the provisions of the applicable legal acts do not include any obligation for a private seller to offer a right of withdrawal. However, some private sellers may nonetheless decide to offer the option to return or exchange an item (for example, by mentioning this in the descriptive section of their listing).
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Right of withdrawal (right to reject) A buyer (consumer) who purchases an item online has a legal right of withdrawal, i.e. to return the item for any reason and get a refund. To exercise this right, the buyer has a period of 14 calendar days counted from the day following the delivery of the item to notify the Pro Seller. If this period expires on a weekend or a public holiday, it is extended to the next working day. The buyer must send back the item to the Pro Seller within 14 days from the day on which they communicated their decision to withdraw. If the buyer withdraws, they must be reimbursed for the full amount paid, including the delivery costs, without undue delay and at the latest within 14 days from the date on which Pro Seller either received the item back from the consumer or received proof that it has been dispatched, whichever happens first. The buyer must be refunded using the same means of payment as the one used for the initial transaction, unless they have expressly agreed to use another means of payment and provided that the refund does not give rise to any costs for them. This right of withdrawal does not apply in certain exceptions provided by law, such as:
You can find more information about the right of withdrawal in the following website. |
The legal provisions that apply to transactions between private individuals:
Contract formation, title, quality and description of goods Certain rules apply to the sale of goods. The seller must have the right to sell the goods; the seller must be the owner or have permission from the owner to sell the goods and the goods must match the description and the photograph used. Contract of sale. Section 2 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 is applicable. “(1)A contract of sale of goods is a contract by which the seller transfers or agrees to transfer the property in goods to the buyer for a money consideration, called the price. (2)There may be a contract of sale between one part owner and another. (3)A contract of sale may be absolute or conditional. (4)Where under a contract of sale the property in the goods is transferred from the seller to the buyer the contract is called a sale. (5)Where under a contract of sale the transfer of the property in the goods is to take place at a future time or subject to some condition later to be fulfilled the contract is called an agreement to sell. (6)An agreement to sell becomes a sale when the time elapses or the conditions are fulfilled subject to which the property in the goods is to be transferred.” Implied terms about title. Section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 is applicable. “In a contract of sale, other than one to which subsection (3) below applies, there is an implied term on the part of the seller that in the case of a sale he has a right to sell the goods, and in the case of an agreement to sell he will have such a right at the time when the property is to pass. <...> (3) This subsection applies to a contract of sale in the case of which there appears from the contract or is to be inferred from its circumstances an intention that the seller should transfer only such title as he or a third person may have.” Implied terms about description. Section 13 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 is applicable. “(13) Where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description, there is an implied term that the goods will correspond with the description.” The application of section 13 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 to private sales can be inferred from the fact that other terms implied by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (for example, as to satisfactory quality and fitness for purpose) are expressly stated to only apply where the seller is selling in the course of a business; no such qualification is made in relation to section 13. Faulty Goods. Goods from private sellers do not have to be fault-free, and if the marks were clearly mentioned by the seller or visible in the seller’s photograph, then the buyer in those circumstances has no case against the seller. However, if the goods were advertised as 'good as new', for example, the buyer has the right to ask for a refund. Misrepresentation is illegal, but a lack of information is not.
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Pro Sellers’ obligations towards consumers: Complying with laws. Pro Sellers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, in particular consumer law, when selling items to consumers. Pro Sellers can find more information about consumer rights and their obligations in the UK here. Adopting fair practices. Pro Sellers must always adopt fair practices in their relationships with buyers or potential buyers. An unfair commercial practice is a commercial practice which is contrary to the requirements of professional diligence and which distorts or is likely to substantially distort the behaviour of the consumer. Examples of such practices include misleading and aggressive practices.
More information on unfair commercial practices can be found in the following website. Providing all mandatory information to (potential) buyers. When listing items, Pro Sellers must provide (potential) buyers with all the mandatory information. This includes a description of the “essential characteristics” of the item (i.e. its main features, such as size, colour, material, brand, environmental qualities and characteristics, etc.), its price, information on Pro Seller’s identity and contact details, methods of payment and delivery, right of withdrawal, legal warranties and how to deal with any issues. Where applicable, Pro Sellers should also inform (potential) buyers about any after sale services and commercial warranties that they offer. More information in the Pro Sellers’ Guide. Legal warranties. Items that Pro Sellers sell on Vinted are automatically covered by consumer protection law (if the buyer is a consumer). In particular, this means that goods must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. During the expected lifespan of the item, the buyer is entitled to the following:
These rights are subject to certain exceptions - for detailed information please see: Return faulty goods - Citizens Advice. Pro Sellers are exclusively liable to buyers for the sale of their items. As a mere intermediary, Vinted is not a party to any of Pro Sellers’ sales with buyers and cannot be held liable. |