'Banned over a pair of £2 sandals': Why some sellers are complaining about Vinted
Several thousands of Vinted users say they have been wrongly suspended or permanently banned from the preloved app.
**"Banned Over £2 Sandals": Vinted Sellers Voice Frustration with Platform's Policies**
Emma Neil, a single mother who frequently used Vinted to buy and sell clothing, found herself permanently banned from the platform after listing a pair of sandals she had purchased for £3 and then relisted for £2. Vinted cited "fraudulent activity, such as selling counterfeit items" as the reason for her ban, leaving Neil feeling like a "criminal." Her experience is not isolated, as thousands of users are reporting similar issues of being wrongly suspended or banned, often encountering what they believe are AI-generated responses when seeking resolution.
Vinted, a rapidly expanding pre-loved buying and selling community with 17 million UK users, maintains that the "overwhelming majority" of its users have positive experiences. However, Neil is among more than 4,000 Vinted users who have shared their negative encounters on sadvintedfaces.com. This website was established by freelance marketeer Catherine Warrilow, who, after experiencing her own frustrations with the platform's automated responses, sought to connect with others facing similar problems.
Warrilow documented 2,609 users who were banned or suspended, with 1,618 facing permanent bans and 2,526 reporting being ignored by Vinted customer service. She believes the platform's automation is flawed, stating, "It's detecting fraud if you change the price of something. It's detecting a counterfeit item for a second hand pair of Zara jeans."
Matthew Connor, a prominent professional seller on Vinted with thousands of positive reviews, also believes the system has deteriorated. He observed an increase in fake items on the platform earlier this year, suggesting Vinted "panicked, rightly so...and they've reacted with AI." Last month, Connor himself was permanently banned for "fraudulent activity, such as selling counterfeit items" after listing a used North Face fleece. He emphasized the importance of Vinted to his livelihood, stating, "I wouldn't jeopardise my business by selling a fake. This is my livelihood." After appealing, his ban was lifted two weeks later, with Vinted admitting it was a mistake. While relieved, Connor estimates he lost thousands of pounds in potential sales.
Unlike Connor, Emma Neil's appeal to overturn her ban was unsuccessful. She expressed disbelief, stating, "I don't understand how they could say that to me...it's just unbelievable." Neil clarified that the sandals were not specifically branded, believing them to be a "Shoe Zone make." She added, "I'm absolutely devastated because I love Vinted and I used it for so long and for so many different things...but now obviously that's all ended."
Vinted declined to comment on individual cases but issued a statement asserting that its teams diligently work to maintain a safe and trusted marketplace. They utilize a combination of trained moderation teams, member reports, and detection tools to identify potential breaches of their catalogue rules. A Vinted spokesperson confirmed that members can appeal decisions they believe are erroneous, and each case is individually reviewed by their Member Support Team.
Consumer expert Helen Dewdney, who operates the Complaining Cow website, has observed a recent surge in complaints and requests for advice regarding Vinted. She attributes these issues to customer service, noting, "We know that AI makes a lot of mistakes...it's too difficult to get to a human being... we know that people prefer people...you just ask anybody that they're sick of all the bots."
Dewdney advises users who believe they have been unfairly banned or suspended to first utilize Vinted's internal appeal process. She also suggests contacting Vinted's legal team and submitting a subject access request (SAR) to gain insight into how decisions affecting their accounts were made. Vinted emphasizes that all appeal assessments are conducted by its human review team.
The Lithuanian-based company has built a multi-billion-dollar business on the simple concept of buying and selling second-hand clothes, expanding into 26 countries and introducing new services like Vinted Pro for professional sellers, as well as new categories such as electronics and toys.
For Matthew Connor, Vinted's no-fee policy for sellers is a significant advantage. While acknowledging the platform has "done a lot of things right," he believes it has grown "too big too fast." He would even be willing to pay a premium fee on his sales to have "some sort of a human voice" to communicate with.
Catherine Warrilow simply desires the return of the "old Vinted." She believes the issues "could fix it" but, until then, she is refraining from using the platform due to the associated stress.