Got the wrong horse for Christmas? Or twice? Lots of bad purchases, unwanted gifts, but also used goods end up on the virtual flea markets in the new year.
The top dog among the used goods platforms is Ebay classified ads – with 40 million users per month. Ebay classifieds has been taken over by the Norwegian Adevinta and will remove Ebay from the name in 2023. Kleinanzeige.de became established so early on that many attempts to bring print ads online became obsolete. We have already summarized in this article how best to buy and sell classified ads on Ebay.
In the meantime, however, other platforms have also opened up. They are partially specialized in certain goods. Others want to emphasize the regional character even more. We looked at: Vinted, Sellpy, Momox, nebenan.de, Facebook Marketplace.
Vinted: Vintage based on trust
Vinted has established itself as a platform for vintage clothing and accessories in particular. Children’s toys and handicraft sets, decorative items and homeware can also be found here. Compared to Ebay Classifieds, there are more expensive branded products. If you’re looking for baby clothes on Ebay, you’ll often find packages of clothes for little money, but at Vinted it’s more individual items that sometimes still nibble close to the original retail price even after use.
At Vinted there are not only cheap clothes but also many expensive branded goods.
The search works by entering product types, but also brands. Filters for sizes, colors and more help limit. There is also the option to select trade items here. This means the actual exchange of one product for another. Back when Vinted was still the clothes spinner, this is how clothes were spinned. Today, the exchange option is only used very rarely.
Shipping costs are often already entered in advance. If there is an absurdly high number, do not immediately think that the seller is a scammer. Some people do not want to buy through the system, the so-called purse, i.e. bypass the official route. The absurdly high shipping costs are intended to deter people from hitting the buy button. The text field usually states that you should instead write to the seller directly. If you click on “Buy” you should actually pay the shipping costs, so be careful. Even if most sellers wouldn’t insist on it even then.
If you write to a seller, you can often see his location. However, a search by location is not possible. Accordingly, the shipping costs are always added to the purchase. With a used T-shirt for one euro, it is rarely worth it. As a buyer or initially interested, however, you can put together packages. For example, if you find a T-shirt that you like and call it up, you can scroll down to see what else the seller has on offer. If necessary, shipping for several parts is worthwhile. Some sellers also give discounts when buying multiple products.
Vinted’s payment system is not particularly popular. Most users prefer Paypal and the friend function there. There is a lack of security, because the option to transfer as a friend does not offer a return function. The secure Vinted wallet is essentially an e-wallet. Income from sales goes in there, you can shop with it and eventually have it paid out to your bank account. The security is provided by Vinted as an interim account, the seller is informed when the money has been received, the buyer must confirm that the goods have arrived, then the money is released. Of course, fraud is still possible: if the recipient claims that the item has not arrived. This can only be avoided with a shipping confirmation. The payment service provider behind the wallet is MangoPay from Luxembourg.
