How to package Vinted items

The Eco-Friendly clothing resale app Vinted has quickly risen in popularity throughout the UK. This C2C platform estimates that on average, 1.8kgs of carbon is prevented for each item sold on the platform. This equates to an estimated carbon prevention of 453 Kilotons in 2021 alone.

It’s clear that this peer-to-peer platform is a great alternative to fast-fashion, freeing unloved clothing from the wardrobe. Though, being a customer to customer sales platform, it’s completely understandable that sometimes, the seller may be unsure of what packaging to use for vinted.

So the Packaging Experts here at Springpack have created the guide below, containing do’s and don’t for sending packages on Vinted.

Common Packaging Mistakes to Avoid:

Wrapping the package in paper: Whilst wrapping the clothes you’ve sold in paper seems like the eco-friendly choice; using paper alone to package your products may result in a lost item and an unhappy customer.

No matter how well presented the package is, low-quality parcel paper can easily become snagged or torn as the parcel passes through the courier’s distribution centres.

As the paper is the only thing holding the package together, this can result in the items actually falling out of the packaging and getting lost.

Wrapping the clothes in coloured tissue: It’s no secret that adding a layer of coloured tissue paper to your parcel can create a luxury experience for the recipient. However, it is not recommended that you do this.

This is because some dyed tissue can be susceptible to dye transfer. This means that when it’s in contact with a garment for a long time, the colour can bleed from the tissue to the fabric.

Using mailing bags: This one might come as a shock to you, but Vinted’s packaging guidelines state that packaging should be “ideally, a cardboard box”. As of August 2023, there is no mention at all of polybags or padded mailers in the Vinted official packaging guidelines.

Whilst sending your product out using a mailing bag may not cause an issue, if you do run into a problem in transit, Vinted may not refund your damages.

Not using protective packaging: For items other than clothes, such as water bottles, notepads or key rings, it’s recommended to use protective packaging. Protective packaging can be many things, such as Bubble Wrap, Air Cushions or Hive Wrap.

Protective packaging is important because it works to absorb shocks and knocks your package encounters during transit. Behind the scenes, your package will be loaded onto trolleys and conveyors, and may be dropped. Using protective packaging will help ensure these forces do not interfere with the product.

Packaging Best Practices for Sellers on Vinted:

-Always use a cardboard box, to provide optimal protection for your products.

– Recycle packaging where you can. Keep hold of packaging materials from parcels you have received, such as bubble wrap or sturdy boxes. These can be reused, which will reduce your need to purchase new materials.

– Wrap in dye free, acid free tissue paper.

– Choose suitably sized packing boxes, if you have selected a “Small Package” size, and you use a box that is too big for this label, your package may be rejected. To learn more about Vinted’s Parcel Size Guidelines, please click here.

– Attach the shipping label properly, and avoid taping over the barcode on the shipping label. Putting tape on the barcode can cause transit delays as it makes it hard for the scanners to read the package.

– Use good quality packing tape. Did you know, tape can expire? Why not read our guide on How to Optimise The Shelf Life of Tape.

We hope this guide has been useful to you – if you have any questions about packaging, get in touch with one of our Packaging Experts.

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