Every winter I have the same problem – I don’t have a warm winter jacket that I can wear outside of work… I work in a warehouse and in the winter it gets very cold (no heating), so I end up wearing my winter coat at work. It is also pretty dirty work and I tore clothes all the time, so simply washing it more often is not a solution.
Because of my working conditions and how they impact my clothes, last year I had to get rid of three winter jackets, because they got torn. And I ended up using my “good” coat at work…
That’s why this year I decided to get a new winter jacket. That may seem to be against No Buy Year philosophy but hear me out – I don’t think we should put off necessary purchases if we can afford it. I just refuse to buy anything brand new for myself if there are no hygienic concerns (clothes) or it was a planned purchase for our household.
I ended up getting two – one short winter jacket and one parka, as we are going for holidays to a colder country. But since I started using Vinted more actively than before to offload my “collections” of unnecessary things and my goals to save as much money as possible, I decided to give it a shot. And I think I got a great deal, as for two winter jackets I paid around 80 euros including shipping – less than I would have for one of them, if they came from a shop.
They’re “name brand” items but I have had good experiences with those brands before when it comes to clothes and for the winter I would like to have something that is not a thin coat… That’s my main problem with shopping for winter clothes – most of them are not warm enough and I end up layering so much, it’s ridiculous.
Both parcels have arrived this week. One came from a local seller from The Netherlands, the other came from France. I already checked them (I try to do it as soon as I can and be able to click that “everything is okay”, so Vinted releases the funds to the seller) and for a second hand winter jackets, I think I got very good deals. They had slight marks but they came off with one washing cycle (which I would do anyways). Except for that, they were as described and in a very good condition for a used item. I hope that they will last me for a long time, as I don’t plan to wear them at work.
My Tips For Buying (and Selling) Safely on Vinted
So far, as a seller and buyer on Vinted, I’m very happy with the app. I’ve interacted with very nice people on both sides of the transaction. And so far I haven’t had any issues with items being significantly not as described or someone trying to scam me. I really hope it stays this way, because I have seen plenty of horror stories on Reddit and Facebook groups.
When buying on Vinted, I look at both pictures and item descriptions. The more pictures, the better, of course. If there are no pictures available, aside from the main photo, I skip buying the item.
I also check the reviews of the seller. Some people are just starting out, so when everything goes well, I make sure to add my own review as soon as I accept the item. I don’t expect flawless 5 star rating but I pay attention what the issue was – was it automated cancelation review or did someone buy something and had a bad experience? Reviews from humans matter a lot.
One more important thing – check when the seller was active last time. Some people forget they have a Vinted account. If the seller wasn’t active in more than couple days, I send an offer first and see if they log back in to respond.
Problems always can come up and my way of shopping on Vinted is not the solution for all of them. Items can get damaged in transit, parcels get lost all the time. But so far paying attention to those details paid off.
And I try to do the same as a seller – take as many pictures as possible, provide all information I have about the item I’m selling and be honest about its condition. That’s really all you can do.
So if you need a wardrobe refresh, I would highly recommend shopping second hand and not buying new this year. Lately we also have been checking out furniture stores and boy, oh boy, I have thoughts. If you’re curious about them or if you want to follow my No Buy Year journey, please consider subscribing to this blog.
Till next time!
xoxo,
Aleksandra
No Buy Year 
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