November 14, 2024

Vinted, the popular second-hand clothing app, has reversed a recent update to its delivery options after widespread backlash from users who claimed the changes made selling more difficult.

The platform, which boasts over 16 million accounts in the UK, had removed the ability for sellers to choose their preferred couriers, sparking significant frustration among its community.

One of Vinted’s key attractions is the range of courier options it offers, allowing sellers to deselect those that don’t suit their needs—such as services requiring printed labels when sellers do not have access to a printer. However, earlier this week, users noticed that these options had vanished from their profiles, leading to a wave of complaints on social media.

In response to the outcry, Vinted has reinstated the original settings, allowing users to once again select or deselect couriers as they wish. The company acknowledged the feedback and swiftly returned the in-app shipping options to their previous state.

Olivia Lott, a Vinted user from rural Devon, highlighted the inconvenience the change caused her. She had previously turned off the InPost shipping option because the nearest drop-off point was a 30-minute drive away in Exeter. “I had a buyer ask me if I could do InPost, and I said that was fine, but I went into my settings and I couldn’t turn it on,” Olivia explained, expressing her frustration at the removal of courier options.

Others were even more impacted. TikTok user Kerry voiced her frustration, stating that she had to cancel five orders due to the change, resulting in a loss of £60 worth of sales. Meanwhile, Theodora Philcox took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge Vinted to resolve what she hoped was a glitch, warning that the change could damage the platform’s usability for many sellers who don’t have printers.

Geographical limitations further compounded the issue for some users. For instance, Vinted sellers in Northern Ireland are unable to access InPost services as the company does not operate postal lockers in the region. Abbie, a 25-year-old from Yorkshire, shared her struggle, explaining that she couldn’t use InPost or Yodel due to the lack of nearby drop-off points, and Royal Mail was not a viable alternative due to her work hours.

Vinted confirmed to Business Matters that the change had been implemented on Monday as part of a regular testing and trial process. In a statement, the company said: “We regularly test and trial different things to evolve Vinted. Recently, we made some changes which meant some of our members had a different experience with managing their shipping options. We heard the feedback and confirm the shipping options have returned to their previous settings, there are no further actions needed from the members.”

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Vinted reverses delivery changes after user backlash