Do you want to make cash by selling stuff online? Do you want to clear out your cupboards of things you no longer use?

If you’re looking for the best marketplace for sellers, eBay and Vinted are names that will keep coming up again and again. And with Vinted boasting 21 million users worldwide and eBay a massive 185 million, it’s easy to see why!

When it comes to choosing couriers for shipping second-hand clothes, we’re here to help - with prices starting from just £2.15 exc VAT!

Let’s take a look.

 

What is the Difference Between Vinted and eBay?

 

 

So, is Vinted better than eBay? Obviously both marketplaces have their pros and cons, but let’s see what sets them apart.

What products can you sell?

You might know that Vinted is well-known for second-hand clothing. If you’ve got vintage pieces loitering in the back of your wardrobe, then you can swap or sell those items and get yourself something new.

But Vinted isn’t just about selling clothes you’ve fallen out of love with. You can sell things like electronics, home accessories, pet accessories, books, and video games. Also, the items you’re selling don’t have to be pre-loved—they can be new with tags, but there are some rules about how many of these you can sell.

The list of products you can sell looks very similar for eBay. Although there are also some items you can sell on eBay that you can’t on Vinted, such as furniture. You can sell new and used items on eBay, and can set up your own shop.

If you want to sell cheap clothes quickly to free up wardrobe space—Vinted is a winner with no selling fees. But if you want to get rid of designer labels or expensive games consoles, you might be better off sticking to eBay’s auctions.

What are the selling options?

eBay is famous for its auction style listings, but that’s not all it offers. Sellers can also opt for fixed price listings and can even show ‘buy it now’ prices on auction listings to tempt customers.

This is great for flexibility and can help your listings sell for higher prices. Of course, there’s always the chance a buyer will get a bargain unless you set a reserve price on your auctions.

With Vinted, you will need to do some research into your prices before you list your products as they only offer fixed price listings. You’ll need to choose a competitive price too—if it’s too high or too low, Vinted could consider your listing an auction and remove it from the site.

Who are you selling to?

With any successful business, it pays to know your audience, and with eBay and Vinted those audiences are quite different.

While Vinted might not just be about selling old outfits, its customer base is fashion-focused and most people who shop on the app are looking for bargains on second-hand clothing.

eBay is one of the biggest online marketplaces and can give you access to a huge number of customers shopping for a diverse range of products. eBay customers tend to search for specific items which can help you plan your product ranges.

 

Vinted vs eBay Selling Fees

Selling fees are one key area which sets these two marketplaces apart.

Vinted Fees

There are no selling fees with Vinted—you’ll get 100% of the selling price. Great news for when you’re looking to make money on your second-hand items. You won’t need to pay any PayPal fees either as they take payment through the platform.

eBay Fees

eBay can be an expensive marketplace to sell on. For one-off sales, you’ll need to pay insertion fees and a percentage of the final sale price, and there will be PayPal costs on top of that too. If you sell on eBay regularly, you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription.

However, if you're selling second-hand clothes on eBay, you won't need to pay any listing fee!

 

Pros and Cons of selling on Vinted

Pros:

• No selling fees!
• Vinted is one of the most user-friendly online marketplaces. Super-easy to set-up and use, you don’t need to be very tech-savvy to get to grips with their app.
• You can sell or swap your items.
• The app is sociable and easy to interact with your customers.
• Buyers pay for postage, and all parcels are tracked free of charge.

Cons:

• Limited shipping options
• Sellers will sometimes need to wait up to seven days to be paid for their sale.
• Selling prices can be lower on Vinted than on other online marketplaces, and customers can haggle over prices.
• Offering too many brand-new items with labels for sale could cause your account to be suspended - Vinted really is for pre-loved items.

For more hints and tips, see our guide on how to sell on Vinted.

 

Pros and Cons of selling on eBay

Pros:

• It’s easy to create listings and start selling your items.
• You can choose fixed price or auction style listings, as well as setting reserve prices and time limits for auctions.
• One of the largest online marketplaces with a huge audience.
• You can sell almost anything on eBay.
• You can integrate your parcel delivery with Smart Send, our free shipping solution, which helps you book couriers in minutes and manage all your orders in one place.
• You can sell to customers all over the world and send your items with our cheap international delivery.

Cons:

• eBay fees. eBay is one of the more expensive marketplaces. If your profit margins are tight, you might want to reconsider what products you’re selling or try Vinted instead.
• With a big audience comes big competition. It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd on the eBay platform and competition can be fierce within your product niche.
• You’ll need to operate within eBay’s strict rules on returns, refunds, and customer service.
• Auctions can be time consuming to monitor.
• It can be difficult to build strong relationships with your customers.

Become an expert eBay seller by reading our how to sell on eBay beginner's guide.

 

The verdict: is Vinted better than eBay?

 

 

As you’ve read, both marketplaces have their pros and cons, but what you want to sell may ultimately help you decide which marketplace will work best for you.

For those who want to earn a bit of cash on the side by getting rid of clothes and accessories they no longer want, then Vinted might be the marketplace for you. You’ll be able to keep 100% of the money you make because there won’t be any seller’s fees to pay, and it’s great for decluttering cheaper items quickly.

If you’re someone who’s building up an e-commerce business and you want to sell non-clothing items online, then eBay is a great platform to get you in front of engaged customers. As long as you’ve budgeted for the eBay fees, you’ll be able to work your way up to a subscription and take advantage of all the benefits that come with that.

Integrate Smart Send with Vinted and eBay

If you sell with Vinted, the buyer will arrange the postage, but if you choose eBay, you can choose services from the UK’s most trusted couriers at competitive rates.

You can also use Smart Send to make things even easier for you!

Our free shipping management solution, Smart Send will help you streamline your eBay deliveries and boost your customer rating. You’ll also get access to free eBay parcel tracking.

If you’re shipping over 25 parcels a week for your business, you can ask us about further discounted shipping rates with a Parcel2Go Business Account. As well as access to special discounts, you’ll get a 2-hour collection slot for your parcels—no more waiting around for your sold items to be collected.

See if you’re eligible to open a business account. Or get a free instant quote for your parcels today.