In recent times, it has become increasingly common to selling and buying second-hand objects or clothes, due to a growing awareness of the environmental impact of producing this type of product.
This therefore leads more and more people to choose to use online platforms where they can give a new life to used objects, creating a wide network of interchange between those who follow this ideology and want to find an environmentally friendly way of shopping.
One of the best-known platforms for selling and buying second-hand products is Vinted, available not only as a website but also as an application for iOS and Android, and in this article we are going to talk about this portal and how the parcel shipments of the products offered for sale.
What Vinted is and how it works
Vinted presents itself as a real online flea market, in fact, although it is mainly used to sell and buy clothing and accessories second-hand, we can also find a section dedicated to make-up and perfumes, one dedicated to children's games and clothes, and one dedicated to the house, where you can find decorations, books, tableware, and more.
Buying and selling on Vinted takes place directly between seller and buyer, who communicate through private messages without any middleman, an element that is highly appreciated by the users of this portal, together with transaction protection for payments and the guarantee on the sale and delivery of products.
Selling an object on Vinted is very easy: just register on the portal and start creating advertisements for objects you want to sell, of which you will have to upload photos, write a description and add all the required information, such as condition, brand, size, colour, material and so on, depending on the type of article.
When one of our articles is sold, we will have 5 days to ship it, and the shipping method will be the one chosen by the purchaser, as we will explain in more detail in the following paragraphs. Once the customer has confirmed receipt of the item, payment will be directly credited to our Vinted balance, with the possibility of being transferred to a current account or prepaid card.
There are several ways to search for an object to purchase on Vinted: you can simply scroll through the feed, search for a specific type of article in the search bar, or follow other users selling items we like. In any case, it is possible to customise one's feed either by following users who sell objects or clothes we like, or in other ways, such as by following brands we are interested in, or by setting our sizes so that we only see relevant ads. Even when we do a specific search, the parameters entered will be stored, and we can easily see if new items of that type have been added or see them more frequently in the feed.
It is possible saving to favourites the items we like best and contact the seller directly by private message to ask for any information and agree on the sale price. Once you decide to buy an item, you can choose shipping and payment method, and then complete the order. Once the parcel has been collected, the item must be marked as received on the app or on the Vinted website, so that the payment can be released.
Before completing a purchase on Vinted, it is possible to propose a different price to the seller than the one set, and you can also agree via private message for hand delivery. In addition, it is also recommended to read the reviews that other users have left for a seller, in order to get an idea of his or her seriousness and how well he or she deals with a particular person.
How shipping works on Vinted
About Vinted shipping costs are always borne by the buyer, but the seller can choose which shipping methods to offer, such as the foreign shipment. The shipping methods Vinted makes available on how to send a parcel to its users are threefold: using the’prepaid label automatically created on the portal, agreeing on a customised shipment, or with hand delivery.
If you choose the first option, the moment you sell an article Vinted will automatically send you a’prepaid shipping label to download, print and stick on the parcel. With this mode, there is generally no home delivery, but it will be necessary to leave the parcel at a pick-up point of local courier, and likewise the purchaser can pick it up at a pick-up point he or she chooses during the purchase process.
Customised shipping, on the other hand, requires the user to choose the company to be entrusted with the delivery, and in this case it is also possible to opt for home pick-up or delivery, as with the bartolini shipments. When choosing this method, it is advisable to take a few precautions, including taking a photo of the packaged package and keeping it until delivery, so that you can obtain compensation in the event of damage. In addition, you should keep the shipping receipt and upload it to Vinted, and then mark the item as shipped.
The last mode is the hand delivery, which allows items of similar value to be exchanged, but is also very useful for saving shipping costs on very bulky items or for buying and selling in the same city or in very close proximity to each other. By choosing this mode, buyer and seller will agree by private message on the place and time of the meeting, and after delivery the buyer will have to notify Vinted of receipt of the article purchased.
Confirmation of receipt of the purchased item is important regardless of the shipping method you choose, as it will ensure that the payment is released and the seller receives the amount for which they put the item up for sale. If you forget to do so, the portal will automatically update the status of the item after 21 days, marking it as delivered.
