There are few things more annoying than having an item returned on Vinted. It’s perhaps second only to when the buyer doesn’t even collect the item.
Especially when you’re the kind of seller who, like me, is honest about your item and makes sure everything is as it should be before you carefully package and send it in a timely fashion 😇
You get the notification that the parcel has been delivered. Great.
You get the notification that the parcel has been collected. Wonderful.
Now you are just waiting for the final ‘sale complete’ message and BAM – the buyer wants to return the item. What a pain in the backside. Especially if it was a £7 top or something equally piddly.
This has happened to me once or twice, so I know the process, and will happily share it with you 😊
Once an Issue is Raised
Once the buyer collects the item, they have 2 days to find the dreaded “I have an issue” button. If they don’t do anything, the sale automatically completes.
Once they ask for a return though, the sale is suspended and the money is left in limbo land until it is resolved.
The good news is that you don’t always have to accept the return. It depends on the reason given. For example, if Betti_Boopxox was a little ambitious buying a size 10 when she’s actually a size 12, and your item description was accurate, that’s not your problem.
On the other hand, if she lies claims the item is not as described or damaged in some way, you might not get the option to refuse the return. Vinted call this being “significantly not as described (SNAD)”.
For this to be the case though, the item has to fall into some strict categories such as:
- The item being the wrong size or colour
- Undisclosed stains, rips or other damage
- Missing parts or accessories
- The main material being different from the listing
- An electronic item not working as described
- A counterfeit item
Minor differences that “don’t affect its use or look” would not qualify the item for being returned.
You can dispute an accusation like this if you know your listing was honest and correct, and Vinted will investigate and ultimately make a decision on whether your listing and photos were accurate. If they side with you the sale is completed, if they don’t, the return process continues.
So you might be able to stop the return process before it has even started, but if not, you’re into SNAD territory, and you have three options:
- Offer a partial refund and let the buyer keep the item (they can refuse a partial refund)
- Give a full refund without asking for the item back
- Ask the buyer to return the item before they receive a refund
But we know we did everything right, don’t we? So there’s not a cat’s chance in hell that Betti_Boopxox is getting away with this, right? That’s what I thought.
We are going to ask for the item to be returned.
After The Item Is Returned
The buyer has 5 business days to return the item. If they don’t, the sale goes through and you get your money. It’s the buyer who pays for the return too, not the seller. The seller can offer to pay for the return if they want to, but why would anyone do that?
Once you get the item back, you have two days to check it over and confirm everything is ok. If you don’t respond within this two day time frame Vinted will automatically process the refund, so don’t delay.
The buyer has to return the item in the exact same condition they received it in, so if anything has changed, you know it happened at their end. I video myself unpacking the parcel so I have undeniable proof of what has been returned to me, just in case the buyer is trying some sort of Vinted scam.
For example, maybe they used a knife to open the package and accidentally damaged the item. Now they want a refund even though it was their fault. You have images of the item before you sent it, so if you get a video of it looking different when you open the return parcel, you have strong evidence.
If there is an issue you need to raise it with Vinted and send your photo/video evidence. If they decide the return conditions have not been met, they will side with you and the refund may be disputed or dismissed. However, Vinted are notoriously flaky in these scenarios, so I can’t give you a definitive list of outcomes.
In the end, the buyer will either get their refund and you get the item back, or you might even get to keep the item and get the payment. It’s happened in the past!
A Quick Note On Pro Seller Returns
This post is aimed at recreational sellers, but if you are a Pro Seller, the rules are different. Actually, this is worth knowing if you are buying from a Pro Seller too.
If you sell professionally on Vinted, you are subject to some of the same consumer rights as a regular online fashion outlet like ASOS or BooHoo (you can tell where I shop 😂)
This means buyers purchasing from Pro Sellers on Vinted have the right to return an item for any reason within 14 days of receiving it. If they change their mind, it doesn’t fit, they don’t like it on – whatever the reason you have to accept the return.
The buyer still has to pay for the returns though, so the seller isn’t losing out financially. It’s just a waste of their time.