Vinted Returns and Not-as-Described Claims: A Seller's Playbook

The timeline after delivery

The clock starts with Vinted's delivery notice, not when the buyer opens the box. Until the order completes, the money sits in your "Pending balance"; after that, help page 437 says "You'll receive your payment within 2 days".

Our rule: count an order as unpaid until it completes, and keep that money out of your sourcing budget meanwhile. Completion isn't the end either: Vinted's UK platform page gives buyers 4 days after it to leave a review, so a refused return can still reach your feedback.

What counts as significantly not as described

Vinted's UK help page 1090 lists the reasons on the left. The right column is our method, not Vinted's: the proof that heads off each claim.

Vinted's Catalogue Rules make condition a required field and say defects must be described, so an item listed a grade too high is an "undisclosed damage" claim waiting to happen. Grade and price together are covered in how condition changes resale price.

What doesn't count

The same page rules out three things: the item doesn't fit or the buyer doesn't like it; minor differences, such as lighting; and disclosed wear on electronics. A private sale has no change-of-mind return either: help page 272 says the buyer must "discuss it with the seller".

• If the reason is fit or taste and your measurements were in the listing, decline and point to that photo.
• If the buyer says the size is wrong, open your listing before you reply: a size you entered wrongly is a valid claim, not a fit complaint.
• If you take it back as a favour, agree postage and return condition in the chat first.

Return shipping, deadlines and inspection

Vinted's UK help page 272 says "the buyer pays for return shipping", and the seller may offer to cover it. The buyer must post it within 5 business days of your request, or the claim closes and you are paid. After it arrives, you have 2 days to inspect before the refund goes through.

• Film the parcel as you open it, on the day it lands
• Compare the item with your listing photos: same labels, same flaws
• Check every part you sent is back, and note any new damage
• If something is wrong, contact Vinted before the 2 days are up

Whether private sellers must accept returns at all, and how business sales differ, is in do private sellers have to accept returns.

Counterfeit claims and evidence

The UK Terms say Vinted investigates both sides of a counterfeit claim. The Catalogue Rules call counterfeits "strictly forbidden" and warn that selling them "could expose sellers to civil and criminal proceedings". Press coverage of the October 2026 Terms reports that sellers get 48 hours instead of 24 to provide authenticity evidence. Until the new Terms apply in your country, plan for 24 hours, and build the evidence file when you buy:

• Receipt, invoice or order confirmation, saved on the day you buy
• Where and from whom you bought it
• Close-ups of brand labels, codes and hardware, taken before listing
• Original packaging, tags or dust bag, if you have them

Our rule: if you couldn't produce that file within a day, don't list the branded item. Screening stock before you pay is in how to spot fakes and replica listings, and what Vinted's optional, buyer-paid check proves is in Vinted Item Verification.

Private vs Pro sellers

Pro rules differ (UK help 272, 437 and 918, the Pro page and the platform page):

For a Pro seller the washed-or-used rule is the costly one: price for items that come back below the grade you sold.

For Polish sellers: Vinted's Polish help page 1120 says Pro is not open to Polish businesses, so vinted.pl sellers use standard accounts. Which countries Pro covers is in Vinted Pro in Poland.

How to respond to an item not as described claim

Work through these before you reply, and write as if Vinted will read it, because it will if you escalate.

1. Match the reason against the Vinted list above.
2. Open your own listing and find the photo or sentence that covers the complaint.
3. Ask for photos if the buyer sent none, before you accept or refuse.
4. If the buyer is right, accept the return straight away; arguing a valid claim invites a poor review.
5. If you still disagree, use "Contact us" on help page 1356 with screenshots of your listing and the chat.

Preventing claims with listings and photos

Every reason in the table above traces back to a missing photo or sentence, so use its right-hand column as your pre-publish check. Our rule: if a flaw would change the condition grade, name it in the title as well as showing a close-up. Lighting and backgrounds are covered in product photos that sell second-hand items.

Some claims start at sourcing: you miss a flaw in the seller's photos, relist at their grade, and your buyer finds it.