There are plenty of good reasons to never set foot on Vinted, especially because as soon as you sell a piece of clothing, you use that money to buy another. But the fairly recurrent scams on the app are also a good brake, we’re not going to lie to each other. If despite everything, you like to negotiate highs at 2€ and spend your life sending parcels, here are the worst scams carried out by the Vinted community. So you have been warned my little Vinties.
1. The PayPal scam
The subtlety is that the name of the app does not come right away. Initially, people who want to rob you send you a message asking if you can text them the photos of your article for their child, because they cannot take screenshots or respond to them by email. , because they have phone problems. And you, as you have your heart on your sleeve, well you accept! But where you shouldn’t fall for the trap is when they offer to pay you (by adding 10€ to the amount, how generous) via PayPal and company because they have problems with their card banking. There, you have to say no, otherwise you will have your bank account emptied.
2. People who sell clothes for more than they sell for in stores
No, but the big rats there, do you think we don’t see you adding a few cents, even a few euros to clothes that are still in store? Do you take us for dicks or what? Attention Vinties, check as much as you can the real prices of what you buy so as not to be mistaken for bruises.
3. The non-compliant article scam
I throw a stone in the puddle, but Vinted is pretty badly screwed up in terms of scam protection. It is therefore very easy to cheat when you are a buyer (be careful, I am not giving the trick for you to do so). Simply declare the product as “not as described”, which will open a dispute. The buyer can then return the product and be reimbursed by providing a parcel number. The problem is that Vinted does not look inside the package and therefore does not care whether there is the real garment, a pair of boxers with holes or a vacuum. And the seller gets tricked because he doesn’t get his money or his clothes back.
4. People who sell “vintage” stuff
Yes, most of the time, it’s simply Zara clothes with the label cut off. Sorry for the disappointment.
5. Counterfeits
Oh the counterfeits! It’s not easy to spot them sometimes, as they are so well done on this wonderful app. The trick is not to just ask for a photocopy of the proof of purchase. It’s to look at everything in detail: the seams, the spelling mistakes, the profile and the dressing of the seller, the background of the photos, the size, the differences with the product in store. Everything, everything, everything must be analyzed. And at the slightest doubt, we cancel the operation, here we take no risk. I want you to keep your wallet full.
6. Counterfeiting
It works the other way around too, because the great thing about Vinted (note the irony) is that when a buyer reports their purchase as counterfeit, they don’t have to send the package back. He can therefore quietly steal your product by passing it off as a fake, and you, well, you will not be able to say anything, except try to prove the deception, and there is little chance that you will obtain a refund. It’s Vinted’s terrible game (yes, people who do this will die in hell).
7. The Fake Photo
This very fine and well thought out scam is not necessarily easy to detect. Some sellers do not hesitate to use photos of other sellers, or even of stores, to sell their products. As a result, when you receive your purchase, it does not match the photos or the description. To fight against this scam, you can already ask for a photo with an element next to prove the identity of the seller (yes, you look like a jerk, but if it can protect you). Alternatively, you can also use Google‘s reverse image search tool to see if this photo has already been posted elsewhere.
8. The bank transfer scam
When we tell you that you should only go through Vinted for sales, listen to us. This will save you from being fooled with this super-honed technique. Some buyers indeed offer to pay by bank transfer (by pretending that they are wary of Vinted), which can be quite practical. But in general, this transfer corresponds to a huge sum of money like 700 € for a 70 € coat. As a result, the buyer asks that you reimburse him the €630 difference. Except that a few days later, the transfer of the 700 € disappeared because it was money that the buyer did not really have (stolen, very often). And you, you find yourself very stupid with 630 € less in your bank account. Smart.
9. People who fuck your clothes just before shipping
Fortunately, it doesn’t happen often, but some people use the clothes they sell you (and often the shoes) between the time you pay for your purchase and the time they send the package. As a result, you end up with a product in a state not at all consistent with what was marked, and since the return costs are your responsibility, you generally end up finding yourself without your money with this shit on your arms. Yes, some Vinties have no race.