Life Hack: How to avoid scams on Vinted and what to do if you have any problems

Buying and selling on Vinted is getting more popular, but here's what to do if you think you've been sold a fake item or think a buyer is lying about your parcel going missing

Here are some Vinted tips to keep in mind for buyers and sellers on the app

I was in the office recently when a colleague overheard some of us talking in the canteen about our success stories on Vinted, from clearing out our wardrobes for a nice new year profit to snagging amazing bargains from other sellers.

She told us she dipped her toe into the site early in the year and made her first purchase, only to realise upon receiving her parcel that she’s been sold a fake bag.

Luckily, she was able to get a refund, but I have heard other horror stories from some people about their buyers lying about either not receiving parcels or receiving damaged goods, submitting complaints that see them keep the package and get a refund, leaving the honest seller out of pocket.

In my time buying and selling on the app, I have never experienced any of these issues, so it seems to be a rare occurrence, but it is no harm to know what to do in the worst case scenario.

I’ve been sold a fake

Vinted has a buyer protection policy to look after shoppers if their order doesn’t arrive, or if the item is damaged in transit or significantly not as described — but you have to act quickly.

In any of those scenarios described above, you will get a refund. Click ‘I have an issue’ in your conversation screen with the seller within two days of being notified by Vinted that the item was delivered or that the order seems lost, and submit your claim.

However, if you miss the two-day time frame or if you ever hit the ‘Everything is OK’ button, your order will be completed and the payment will be automatically released to the seller.

It is also good to be aware that you will only get a refund for an item that is significantly not as described — if it doesn’t fit you or you simply don’t like it, you can only return it if your seller agrees to refund you or if you purchased from a Pro seller.

I think a buyer has lied about damage

If you believe a buyer is lying about an item you sold them being damaged, not as described, or missing just to get a refund, you should immediately report the issue to Vinted.

Before you ever send an item to a buyer, take photos of it before shipping, including images of how you packaged it for transit.

Include copies of all conversations you had with the buyer too.

Do not refund them directly — let Vinted handle the dispute.

Is this a scam message?

If you get a message from a seller who offers to sell something off the platform to save on fees, this is almost certainly a scam. Do not give them your contact
details or enter your credentials on their website. Stay on Vinted to complete the order.

Check out using the ‘Buy now’ button and the platform’s payment service provider will handle the transaction securely so your payment details won’t be shared with a seller.

Be cautious of any messages or websites that look real but ask for your data and watch out for any links they may send you in a message. If you’re buying on Vinted you won’t need to confirm your purchase via link — and any they send could contain malware or viruses.

If someone puts pressure on you to open a link before it expires, or threatens that your account will be blocked or an order cancelled if you don’t act immediately, ignore this as scammers use urgent language, time limits, and threats to make you act quickly.

You do not need to send personal details over message or email for someone to send your order. Information from your Vinted profile settings, like payment details, contact details, or an address, is usually automatically used to complete a transaction on Vinted, so you don’t have to send these in a message to the seller.

If you get an email from Vinted, it will be sent via an address that ends with @vinted.ie — be careful of email addresses that are different from this.