England has been riding a Vinted wave since 2014 and that wave has finally crashed to Australian shores with the popular re-selling site launched in Australia in July 2026.
I left the UK in 2013 so I missed the huge uptake in pre-loved clothing popularity in the UK. But I had a store in Manchester's Northern Quarter from 2005 to 2015 so I certainly saw a huge amount of change in the way people shopped. My store in England sold primarily my own label clothing "Me&Yu" but I added in vintage accessories and an up-cycled clothing range to create a fun fashion boutique where you could create your own unique look.
I first launched Kitten Vintage in England in 2011 as a side-business from Me&Yu to sell on some of the amazing vintage clothes I'd collected over the years, in preparation for our move to Australia. With over 15 years of selling vintage treasures and much, much longer buying them, you could say that I am something of an expert!!
So what do I think of Vinted? I downloaded the app a few weeks ago and joined a re-sellers facebook group (for the lowdown).
Here's my take on Vinted and a few observations:
1. The app is easy to use with less preciousness about photographs, listing categories and measurements. Yes, if you want to sell items consistently specifics can absolutely make a difference but they are hugely time consuming.
2. The app is however a bit glitchy. The algorithm is supposed to automatically find the things you like but you need to feed it some searches. I can't view anything from the UK and other users complain that they can't see Australian sellers as easily. I'm not an IT person but suspect there are a number of trials going on with different apps being tested to see how this will work out. I'm hoping I get to see UK listings at some point!
3. There are a host of 'rules' that are monitored by AI and you can easily get locked out of your account, suspended, listings removed and blocked for not adhering to them. Real life support is there to check over any appeal but you're lacking that real human support team to help you through any issues.
4. There appear to be some teething problems with postage. Australia Post and Vinted have an arrangement and discounted shipping is available for a limited period. Any items sold in Australia to go to England or vice versa are getting processed in Chullora and often they are wrongly re-labelled. There's been a huge amount of people not receiving the correct items. I've personally had no problems.
5. It can be a bit slow to receive your money from anything sold. The buyer has to receive the item before your funds are released and then you have to get your identity and bank account confirmed before you can receive. I haven't been through this process yet so I'm hoping any issues have been resolved.
All these points seem to be part of the settling in process and I'm sure they will get addressed. I'm enjoying browsing, I have bought a couple of things for me, including this fab necklace:
Vinted has the reputation of being 'cheap and like a house clearance site' and I'm sure you can find some bargains there but there's also some really pricey things too - it just depends what you're looking for.
So how does Vinted fit into an already saturated vintage re-sellers market?
With the recent launch of Whatnot, eBay Live and the eBay purchasing Depop, combined with tariffs and shipping restrictions, there's been huge changes in the way clothing is been bought and sold on-line.
I first began selling vintage online with ASOS Marketplace (big in the UK) and eBay. I've had my Australian ebay store open for over 10 years and had a UK one previously for about 8 years, I also have my own website. I've dabbled with Etsy and Depop and selling through instagram and facebook but eBay is still my main online income stream for Kitten Vintage.
The problem with eBay is that it's become increasingly led by the algorithm. You get penalised if you don't list, excluded if you take listings down, shadow-banned if someone gives you bad feedback or something gets lost in the post. I consistently list but don't seem to sell a fraction of what I used to, I'm sat on lots of 'dead stock' that doesn't seem to see the light of day, my more premium vintage items don't find their audience and it's becoming increasingly focussed on those selling lots cheaply.
Since the launch of eBay live it seems to be pushing the live stream channels more and it's become chaotic with ebay consistently trying to be like the other marketplaces but forgetting it's core appeal - which is the sheer volume of users. In Australia, eBay has approximately 12million account holders across all demographics - much greater than any other marketplace. But if those users are shopping elsewhere or being directed to different channels then they aren't seeing your listings. Added to the fact I pay a 'store fee' of just under $30 a month plus selling fees of nearly 20%. So I'm seriously re-considering whether ebay is worth my time and effort in today's marketplace.
ebay = Money Grabbing
At one point Instagram and Facebook groups (I don't use marketplace) were a great way to connect directly with customers, but the algorithm can't make money from that so instead we get shown reels about cats that can be monetised and social media isn't the same.
Instagram & Facebook = RIP
Now Whatnot and eBay Live are the main push as they tick all the boxes of 'content creation' and 'monetisation' stuff those big business love. I don't know if you've ever sat through a "Live Stream" but I've only made it through about 3 minutes. It was all terrible fast-fashion, overpriced tat and stumbling through technology glitches and bad internet connections on the hope of scoring a Chanel bag for a fiver. It's not for me. It reminds me of QVC in the 80's - a feast of over-consumption.
Whatnot and eBay = Hoarders
Depop has been emerging as a young persons fashion fave - I've bought some great things on there and I've sold a few bits. But there's something about the way it's set up to consistently ask for a better price rather than just click to purchase that drives me mad as a seller. It's 'will you accept this really lowball offer" and they disappear. Or there's loads of messages about nit-picking measurements, fabric content etc etc and then nothing. I know some people do really well with Depop and it's been on my list to revisit with more of my Y2K stock. Now they have removed seller fees and added in the postage prices it seems more appealing. It will be interesting to see whether new owners eBay find a way to remove all the tyre-kicking, perhaps with the Vinted competition it will up their game.
Depop = Teenagers
Etsy is probably the main site that a lot of my "True Vintage" selling friends use. I've had an Etsy account for a long time, I used to sell my handmade jewellery on there consistently but never had much luck selling clothing. It costs to list and the algorithm is switched to prioritise the USA with sellers penalised if you won't ship there. I keep meaning to try listing some of my true vintage pieces to reach a wider audience but with all the costs and new legislations involved in shipping to America I haven't prioritised this.
Etsy = Americans
So Vinted as a place to sell stuff quickly, without drama and huge seller fees does have a place in the Australian marketplace - as long as their technology can do what it promises and connect the right buyers and sellers together. I'm going to use Vinted personally to clear my house from some of the things that need to go. Things from my wardrobe that aren't right for my racks, kids things, books I've read, bags of stuff I've been given but aren't what I'm currently curating - eventually I may get onto some of my old ebay stock, I may even get onto fabric and crafting supplies. It just depends how time-consuming the process is and whether things actually sell. I'm treating it as an online Garage Sale and hoping that method gives me some more space in my studio to buy the things I love.
Click to browse my Vinted here:
Personally I don't think any of the online marketplaces are a substitution for real life purchases from an actual person. I'll always love buying and selling at markets and events, you can try things on and decide before you buy. A good market is always full of smiling, happy faces, a human interaction that is priceless in today's isolated digital world.
Actual photos of real shoppers at my last event at Thrift Be Told:
Find me next at:
Fashion Thrift Society, Saturday 5th September, Sydney Showgrounds
Second Life, Sunday 13th September, Carriageworks
Thrift Be Told, Sunday 18th October, Balmain Town Hall (TBC)