Vinted tested making a BIG postage change – but sellers are not happy
SELLERS on Vinted were left fuming after it made a big change to its postage options.
The second-hand platform has previously allowed sellers to have the flexibility to choose their preferred postage option when listing an item.
For example, a seller could choose to post an item using Evri, Yodel, In Post, DPD or Royal Mail.
But Vinted, which has 16million users in the UK, recently angered sellers by launching a trial for some users which saw only buyer’s the choice of postage provider.
Many regular users took to social media to slam the decision, with one user describing it as “terrible”
Another Facebook user added: “The best thing about Vinted was choosing how you post an item.”
A third cried: “That’s annoying. I did wonder why one of my items was locked drop off when I’d omitted that.”
A fourth fumed: “Why did they change this? Going to be difficult to ship items if I can’t get to the provider”
One simply described the change as a “absolute nightmare”.
Taking to TikTok, one seller said: “I don’t know what Vinted are doing, but I can see a lot of people are on holiday mode and not selling on there until they resolve the issue and I can see why.”
In the comments, one furious user said: “Not happy. Will probably stop using Vinted now!”
Following the backlash, Vinted scrapped the trial and has confirmed that sellers once again have the choice to manage their shipping options.
A Vinted spokesperson told The Sun: “We regularly test and trial different things to evolve Vinted.
“Recently, we made some changes which meant some of our members had a different experience with managing their shipping options.
“We heard the feedback and confirm the shipping options have returned to their previous settings, there are no further actions needed from the members.”
Vinted first launched in the UK in 2014 but only became a household name after the pandemic ended.
It’s free to sign up and there are no fees for sellers. Instead, buyers have a fee added to their purchases and pay for postage on top too.
What are Vinted’s postage options?
You as the seller then have to post the parcel to the buyer. There are a few ways you can do this.
People mostly use a prepaid Vinted-generated shipping label to offload their goods.
On the Vinted website when a buyer checks out using the “Buy now” button and chooses one of the integrated shipping providers available on Vinted, they will purchase a shipping label for the seller to send the order.
There are four shipping providers for this method:
- Evri
- In post
- Yodel
- DPD
- Royal Mail
But you might not live anywhere near a DPD store for example, so you can turn off sales from certain providers in your settings.
It is important to remember that once you have posted your parcel or agreed on a sale the money you made will not go into your account straight away.
Once the Vinted order has arrived to the seller you’ll receive your earnings within two days in your Vinted balance.
You then have to transfer your earnings from your balance to your bank account.
TAX WARNING
SINCE January 1, digital platforms, including eBay, Airbnb, Etsy, Amazon and Vinted, must share seller information with HMRC as part of a crackdown.
You’ll only be affected if you sell a certain number of items or earn over a certain amount across one financial year.
Firms now have to pass on your data to HMRC if you sell 30 or more items a year or earn over €2,000 (the equivalent of £1,700) – check now if this applies to you.
This is because anyone selling items online might be liable to pay tax if they earn £1,000 or more.
If the money a member makes on online marketplaces over a year is less than the amount they paid for the items they are selling, then there is no tax to pay.
But those “trading” for profit might need to pay tax.
But new rules introduced at the beginning of January mean marketplaces must now pass on seller’s earnings directly to HMRC.
It is part of a wider tax crackdown to help ensure that those who boost their income via side hustles pay up what they owe.
This isn’t a new tax. Those who earn over £1,000 have always had to declare income and fill in a self-assessment tax return, but it gives the taxman greater visibility over what you earn.
What postage options do other second-hand platforms offer?
Depop
Depop is popular among people who want to snap up a designer bargain or sell their own unwanted clothing.
Sellers using the online marketplace can choose how they want to post the item to the buyer.
The default option is to use Depop shipping via Evri.
Once you have made a sale, you can download the QR code, find a convenient drop off location near you and track your service.
If this doesn’t suit you, you can choose your own shipping method.
eBay
eBay sellers can choose to send their sold items by either Evri, DPD, Yodel or Royal Mai.
You have to select the preferred delivery service while listing, this means you can incorporate the costs of postage into the item’s price.
Once the item has sold, eBay will show you a range of drop-off options to get your parcel on its way.
Facebook Marketplace
There are no rules to how you deliver an item sold on Facebook marketplace.
The platform is popular for selling to potential buyers in your local area, so many users choose to deliver it directly themselves.
You might not get a high price as most people are looking for a bargain, but it is fairly hassle-free and you don’t pay commission or listing fees.
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