I started selling on Vinted to make ends meet – now I use it to pay for my trips to Paris and luxury items
A savvy woman has revealed how she went from earning a simple side income to a job making thousands of pounds during lockdown by selling her old wardrobe.
Molly Williams from Leicester decided to start selling her clothes on Vinted in 2020 after seeing an advert for the popular site online.
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At the time, the 22-year-old wanted to downsize her wardrobe, as it was taking up the guest room in her home.
What started out as selling a few items of clothing for a few pounds has now grown into a profitable sideline that supplements Molly’s monthly salary by around £200 to £300.
Initially, the fashion-conscious, finance-focused woman used the extra income to pay her bills and living expenses, as she was earning less than £20,000 a year at the time and found it difficult to make ends meet.
The brunette beauty – who has since received a pay rise – was able to afford a week-long trip to the French capital of love, Paris, a luxury handbag and dinner with her girlfriends.
Molly said she hopes her Vinted experience will inspire others who struggle to break even at the end of the month.
“I never really thought about it at first,” Molly told PA Real Life.
“It’s not a few pounds here and there, it’s hundreds of pounds. That’s a lot of money, so it’s definitely made a difference and I notice that every month.
“It definitely helps to have extra money to spend on things I want, like vacations, dinners out, or even bills if need be. I’ve made this rule in my head: if I haven’t worn something in a few months, I just throw it out or sell it.”
Molly decided to sell some of her old clothes on Vinted after seeing an advert online in early 2020. Her first sale was a few old tops from fast-fashion retailer Topshop for around £2.
“It was just stuff that I didn’t wear anymore that was too nice to throw in the trash,” Molly said. “I had stuff that was brand new with tags on it, so it would have been a shame to throw it out.”
But what started as a plan to clean out Molly’s guest room, which she uses as a wardrobe, quickly grew into a full-fledged hobby.
“One time I sold something for more than I bought it and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, this is actually pretty good,’” she said.
Molly said the extra money helped her pay her rent and bills during the lockdown, which she would have struggled to make ends meet without.
“During lockdown people were just looking for things to do, so it almost became a hobby and I was doing it almost every day,” she said. “During lockdown it helped me a lot because then I wasn’t earning much, I was earning just under £20,000 a year, but now after bills and everything you’re left with nothing.”
“It really helped me get by. If that hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford a lot of things.”
Molly, who recently got a pay rise, now uses Vinted daily and has started buying and reselling items including luxury brands like Dior, Gucci and Chanel.
Molly, who goes by the name mollannax on Vinted, follows a simple process when it comes to selling her clothes on the site, which has no selling fees involved.
Why I hate Vinted, a realistic view
Sarah Barns, deputy editor of Fabulous, explains why she hates Vinted:
It’s the king of second-hand fashion, but I hate Vinted.
There I said it. Yes, it keeps stuff out of landfills. Yes, it helps generate extra income for a side job for many.
And yes, you can get things for a bargain. But it’s just not my (shopping)bag.
From my own experience I have bought ‘cheap’ children’s clothes, but the clothes arrived dirty and misshapen.
And with the shipping and buyer protection it didn’t feel like a great deal. I’d much rather go to my local thrift store or grocery store for kids stuff.
I have also bought more expensive clothes – a dress from Arket and a skirt from Cos – but I found that they did not fit well and the colours had faded.
I tried to sell some stuff but gave up after my £110 Veja trainers got lost in the post and I spent two hours on the phone to Royal Mail.
One major downside is that it still encourages you to spend, spend, spend. I’m not sure I needed the items I bought, I just didn’t want to miss out on them.
The resale of fast fashion items – a £5 Shein top on Vinted for £17.50 – also makes me feel uncomfortable.
For many people, buying clothes has become a daily hobby, while it should actually be something they should only do once or twice a year.
But the 18 million Vinted app users clearly disagree with me.
She starts by cleaning the object and then takes photographs of it against a plain background.
After uploading the item to the website, which has over 100 million users, she provides a brief description of the item and its condition.
According to Molly, the title is essential. She makes sure it is not too specific or too vague and is in line with what browsers are likely to search for.
“If you’re too specific, it’s hard for people to find it,” she said. “If you’re a little broader, people will find it easier because whatever they’re looking for will come up.”
She now earns between £200 and £300 extra a month from her growing side job, allowing her to spend money on luxuries she couldn’t afford before.
“I’ve earned enough now to pay for everything,” Molly said.
“I earned a lot of extra pocket money because of this, which I wouldn’t have had if I had just had my normal job.”
“So it’s nice to have that in your pocket and have a little bit of extra money to do whatever you want with.”
Last September she treated herself to a holiday to Paris and was able to buy her dream designer bag from Jacquemus, which cost around £600.
“It paid for my vacation and allowed me to visit different places along the way,” she said.
The extra money also helps Molly pay for meals out and bills when she’s having a hard time.
