A seller on VINTED has revealed that he made so much money selling old clothes that he was able to finance his studies with it.
Ewan Mclean from Glasgow has earned £1,500 through the marketplace app, which he uses to pay for rent, school supplies and his social life.
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And it’s mainly retro clothing from the 80s and 90s that is sold on his Vinted page (@ejmclean).
The 20-year-old’s love for second-hand clothing was sparked when his uncle gave him a bag full of old clothes.
He told Fabulous: “My uncle gave me a big bag full of old T-shirts from all sorts of different holidays he’d been on, from business trips and souvenirs from over the years.
“Now that he doesn’t want them anymore, it’s like I have a new life because I can wear them.
“I kept many of the things that were important to me, but some others were in high demand.
“Sometimes I would just post videos online, not even advertising stuff to sell, and I would get private messages from people saying, can I buy this for this amount? Or can I have this? Are you going to sell this? That kind of thing.
“I realized I could sell some of the stuff I had and buy more.”
He added: “It actually started like that and eventually I was able to pay some of my rent and pay for other things while I was at university.
“All the money I earn from selling clothes is also the only budget I allow myself to buy new clothes, so that I don’t consume too much.
“You get more unique, better quality clothing at better prices. It almost makes it harder to shop new when you see the prices everything has been given.
“I really like leaving the house with things that I know are unlikely to be worn by other people. It makes you quite proud to be unique.”
To ensure your listings get noticed on Vinted, Ewan believes it’s important to take clear photos and be realistic about the price.
He also makes sure to accurately list the year his items were first sold in the description, so they stand out among the often-used keywords ’90s and Y2K’.
Ewan, who studies business and economics at Strathclyde University, said: “I like to use keywords like where it’s from, what condition it’s in and how it fits, because there are a lot of differences, especially with older clothes.
“I have a few, some of the t-shirts my uncle gave me were quite small and were like a double XL. And I usually wear a medium or a large, so you can never really tell.
“I would say sizing is an important aspect.”
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He added: “If you’re selling something with a specific year on the label or something like that, or something that’s specific to a certain season or a certain sport, just do a Google search and see what the market price is.
“I usually offer 10-20% less than the average, just to differentiate it. There’s no point in charging the same price as everyone else if they’re not going to sell anyway.
“And some keywords are very popular, especially in the 90s and Y2K. You see them every other mention.
“But I think it’s mostly because people just throw it in there, even if it’s not. It could be something that came out maybe five years ago, but because it’s a big keyword, people just throw that in there.
“I still think it’s a good idea, but I would recommend the exact year. If you’re even going to hazard a guess at the year, like ‘this was my dad’s and I think it’s from 97, 98.’
What sells fastest on Vinted?
According to Vinted bosses:
- Shoes are the fastest selling category in the past year (2023-2024): especially women’s sneakers, slippers And loafers And slippers for men, sandals And loafers.
- Swimwear And sportswear are the fastest selling clothing categories. For women, sweaters And coats were the fastest selling items, and for men, shorts were the fastest selling.
- Sports bags, fanny packs And beach bags are among the fastest-selling bags and accessories for women. Bracelets And belts were among the fastest-selling men’s accessories.
- Sportswear And costumes are among the fastest-selling children’s clothing.
“Because if you just put 90’s, it’s going to be pushed into this huge column of people who just know that that’s a keyword that people are searching for. So they’re using that to promote something that they’re selling.
“Be specific and don’t just throw in keywords.”
And Ewan has proven that research and accurate descriptions can make all the difference, after he was able to resell a 90s item for 10 times the price he bought it for.
The part-time pub worker managed to get his hands on a 1992 AC Milan bomber jacket for just £8 plus postage, before reselling it.
He said: “I kept it for a while and I loved it, but it was one of those things where I kept getting messages from people wanting to buy it from me.
“So I sold it to someone who messaged me. I think I sold it for £80.”
Online marketplaces like Vinted and Depop have millions of users in the UK and the cost of living crisis is only making them increasingly popular.
Financial pressures on UK households saw sales of second-hand goods rise 15 per cent to £21 billion in 2022.
According to research commissioned by review site Trustpilot, one in six people say they now buy second-hand items.
So this is the perfect time to make some extra money on sites like Vinted.
According to the popular platform, sellers do not have to pay taxes on the revenue they generate through the site.
According to HMRC, this is because the sale of personal items through platforms such as Vinted is not taxable in itself.
“If the money a member earns on Vinted in a year is less than the amount he paid for the items he sells, he does not have to pay tax,” a Vinted spokesperson explains.
”In general, only sellers who ‘trade’ for profit have to pay taxes.
‘Since 2017 there has been a tax-free allowance of £1,000 for people trading for profit.”
Make money with ‘one-hit wonders’
RESEARCH by Vinted has revealed the following:
- 6 in 10 (63%) people in the UK admit to owning clothes they’ve only worn once – the ‘one-hit wonders’
- More than half (56%) of people have at least one item of clothing they’ve never worn at all – a ‘never loved’ item
- People estimate that an average of £490 a year is earned from the clothes they don’t wear
- 51% of people agree that selling second-hand clothes is a smart way to make some extra money
This summer, Vinted is encouraging people across the UK to sell the clothes they no longer wear, make some extra cash and find love for their second-hand and never-loved items
The new study comes as Vinted celebrates 10 years of buying and selling second-hand clothes in the UK. With over 16 million registered members in the UK and no seller fees across its entire platform including fashion, home and more since 2016, Vinted has become a go-to platform for people looking to maximise their income by selling their unwanted clothes.
Natacha Blanchard, Consumer Lead at Vinted, says: “While there is already a shift happening in the way we consume fashion, particularly among Vinted members, many of us still have items in our wardrobe that are rarely, if ever, seen in public.
“That’s why we encourage people to clear out their belongings in the summer and sell their second-hand and never-loved items, as they can earn some extra money from them.
“Selling unwanted clothes also contributes to more circularity in fashion and encourages a more responsible approach to fashion, as it becomes easier to find unique and high-quality items second-hand.”
