I first discovered Vinted when I moved to Lithuania, and honestly, I have been a huge fan ever since. It has completely changed the way I shop. I now buy high-quality clothes for a fraction of the retail price and never feel guilty because I know I’m spending my money intentionally. My most recent purchase was a beautiful 100% cotton set (jacket and trousers) for just €33. It arrived yesterday and I am already in love with it.
My best and proudest purchase was last autumn, when I could not locate my winter puffy Levi’s coat, so I decided to go on Vinted and look for a simple coat for the time being until I found it. I was scrolling on Vinted during my lunch break at work and guess what – a barely worn Canada Goose jacket for just €15. At first, I thought I was seeing wrong – surely, it should be at least 150 eur. BUT NO, it was 15 eur. I bought it immediately and I have never looked back since. In the shop this jacket would cost up to 1500 eur. It is my favorite piece of clothing from Vinted.
Since Vinted came to Latvia, I realized that I have already learnt a lot of tips to give my mother (who is now also a big Vinted shopper) and friends for the best purchases, and I will share these with you too.
1. Start With Brands—Not Items
Searching only for an item such as ‘coat’ or ‘jumper’ will not give the best possible results. Of course, eventually, you may find what you are looking for, but it will take longer time and effort on your side. You will get overwhelmed and burnt out easily.
What I suggest is to look for brands, or add a brand in the filter when looking for an item you wish to buy. So for example, you want an oversized jumper. I would add in the filter brands like Massimo Dutti, & Other Stories, Uniqlo, COS, Reiss or any other brand you prefer.
I choose brands not only because it is better for filtering but I genuinely believe the brands I search for have good quality clothes. So even before the purchase, I know the quality will be great.
2. Always Filter By Fabric
Always—and I mean ALWAYS—filter by fabric. This is one of the most important pieces of advice I can give. Do not search for “high-quality blouse”. This will not help to find the right clothes of best-quality. In the filter, always filter by natural fabrics, like cotton, silk, cashmere, wool and similar. Believe me, it will be a game-changer. And the prices of those will be so much cheaper than in the shop. Most of my clothes now are from the best fabrics, and I get so many compliments on a regular basis.
3. Save searches.
One of my favourite Vinted features is the ability to save searches. It is really great as Vinted will send you notifications when new items are added to your search criteria.
And this tip is actually very good for Pinterest too.
In general, what I like about Vinted is that once you search for something with certain criteria (and save search too), Vinted will automatically show similar items or something slightly different on the main page. So, for example, if you look for a black Guess bag, it may start showing some black Love Moshino bags. I really like that, because you never know what you can find 🙂 I have made some really great unexpected purchases that way!
4. Think Capsule Wardrobe
One downside of Vinted is that it can get very exciting and overwhelming at times, so you actually can buy things that you do not really need, similar to how you would in a shop. So I suggest to still think about your Capsule Wardrobe to start with. It will really help you not get overwhelmed and spend money on items that you do not really need.
Read my article How to Build a Timeless Capsule Wardrobe
5. Ask questions
I have learnt that you cannot always trust the photos on Vinted, or simply, there is not enough information on the item that you want to purchase. To avoid any disappointment after, I suggest always asking as many questions as possible.
I always check the measurements and if there are not any, I will ask the seller. Sometimes sizing can be misleading even when buying in a shop, so this is an important step.
I will also ask if the item is genuine. I had a case where I wanted to buy a leather jacket – a genuine leather jacket. I saw my perfect jacket and actually made a mistake and bought it straight away. Then I realized that I do not actually know if it is real leather or faux leather. I wrote to the seller straight away, and they told me it was not so luckily, we cancelled the purchase. But that wasted my time, as well as theirs, so I would always ask that before.
6. Always check the seller profiles
This for me is also very important – I give this advice to my mother all the time. There are many profiles that are not active and do not provide a good service in general. But also, the items they sell might be fake or damaged. Vinted is very protective over this, but it may just waste your time, so I would look at that prior.
Also, on this note I always give feedback myself. I have had the best experiences and I always try to give great feedback to the seller and encourage others to buy from them.
7. Buy Off Season
This is a great advice if you want to buy:
- Best quality stuff
- Even cheaper than in season
Why? Because usually people clean their closets after the season ends before the next one begins. They realize how much clutter they have from the past season and wish to sell as soon as possible, so there is no cluttering. There is also a sense of urgency with this, so people tend to sell for cheaper. Try to look for leather boots in the summer and you might be in some great luck 🙂If you are wondering how to save more and look elegant, read my article How to Look Elegant Without Spending a Fortune
8. Wash everything properly
Do not forget that this is still a second hand shopping. Which means, you cannot really know 100% where the item has come from. Therefore, I really suggest to always wash every item you purchase.
Things I NEVER Buy On Vinted
During the years, I have learnt how to buy the best items on Vinted but also had lessons of what not to buy. Here are some examples of items I would not buy:
Very worn shoes.
It does not pay off because they will not look great. I rather spend 5-10 eur more and have a great experience than buy something worn out that will not look presentable.
Cosmetics.
Never. You should be careful with that as you do not know who has used this item before and what kind of quality the item is.
Items without photos.
I never buy items without photos. But even if there is only one, I would prefer more to have a better understanding. It does not mean I will not buy. But I will definitely ask for more images and make a decision from there.
Fake designer items.
Absolutely not. Usually these items are of low quality and the fabrics are poor. I would rather buy a new item made of good fabric from a high street brand.
To conclude, I believe Vinted is an amazing platform that can be the best help in your fashion journey. I believe you can become a dress well without a huge budget and by spending less. In my opinion if you buy intentionally, not just cheaply – it is the best way to develop your style.
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