7 Reasons You Can’t Find Anything To Buy On Vinted.
I've been shopping second-hand for a few years, primarily at charity shops and eBay. Still, there's almost always a new platform dropping, making thrifted fashion more normal than ever. I downloaded the ever-popular Vinted after seeing some friends posting their finds from there. It's been a few months, and I am utterly obsessed with the app. Vinted has helped me build a wardrobe with reliable staple options and strengthened my personal style and relationship with fashion. I've been sharing my Vinted finds with you over on Instagram, and with every post, I receive comments or messages asking how I find such good pieces. I've been sitting on it for ages, but I have finally compiled some of my top tips and hacks into a list (and reel!) for you. Shopping second-hand successfully might look laborious on the outside, but besties, it's pretty simple. Let me explain...
You Don't Know Your Personal Style: From college till about 2018, my style was primarily dictated by Asos newsletters and the influencers paid to promote them. Browsing and filling my drawers with fast fashion almost felt like an obligation I did on auto-pilot rather than a way to express myself. Having my own style was of little concern to me, only the price and whether I was trendy. (As of 2022, I can confirm that 95% of those items got thrown in the bin). Adopting a slower approach to fashion and using dopamine dressing to guide me, I realised my personal style was completely different from what I had spent years wasting my money on. I now know I am drawn to oversized silhouettes, not tight ones, clashing patterns, not avoiding them, and lots of colour instead of blacks and neutrals. Before setting off on your Vinted journey, think about what brings you genuine joy to wear and own- even the items you feel are just for a "special occasion".
You're Not Planning Your Shopping: I last went on Vinted a few weeks ago, which is ironic considering the timing of this post. My absence is because I don't have anything I want or need right now! Back in the day, scrolling the Zara app was a daily activity for me, even though I likely still had clothes from the week before sitting in my wardrobe with the tags still on. In my notes app, I write down clothes I need (basics, workout clothes, everyday outfits) and clothes I want (fancy heels, event dresses). Having a distinction between the two is helpful because 1) it stops me from spending money too often, and 2) it prevents me from impulse buying due to prioritising my needs over my wants.
You Don't Filter Enough: Filters sound tedious, but they're one of the best things about digital thrifting. The first thing you should do on Vinted is set up your clothing and shoe size in your settings. This way, you won't have to keep remembering to change it with every search. You can also filter for condition, colour and brands. I 'save' searches with brands I want to search again or if I want to see when new items are listed for a particular item (i.e. pink Birkenstocks - please Vinted gods, bless me!). Sometimes sellers accidentally misspell or fail to categorise their items properly, so getting creative with the filters can lead to hidden gems. I found The Amy Lynn bow dress by explicitly searching for red and pink dresses and seeing a similar dress. I had removed the size filter for some reason. I clicked on the brand name and instantly saw the bow dress staring at me in my size...
You're Not Using Key Words: Using keywords is the best way to find hidden gems on Vinted because searching for a pink dress will yield thousands of results to sift through, and a bitch is busy! Suppose you love a particular feature of a dress: balloon sleeves, a lettuce hem, its purple and green gingham print or that it's a smock style. Use those words (and the filters) to narrow down to a smaller selection to scroll through. I had seen an influencer friend wear a pair of pants similar to something I had back in 2018, but I couldn't figure out what material they were for the life of me. She has tagged the brand, though, so I went on the website to find them and found out they were called 'plisse'. It led me to find an incredible co-ord that is one of my most regularly worn (and complimented) items
You Let Fast Fashion Lead Instead Of Inspire: Instagram still shows me fast fashion influencers and brands on my Explore page even though I am anti-following them. Sometimes I take a peak to be inspired because whilst we're trying to slow down our consumption, it doesn't mean we can't see a silhouette we love or a colour combo we hadn't thought of before. Trends are not inherently wrong, just overdone. The clothes we see on fast fashion websites are mostly regurgitated versions of ones that already existed years ago. Fashion is always on a cycle. Using the terms in the item description on the brand websites can help you find that specific piece.
You're Not Assessing Your Own Wardrobe: What clothes in your wardrobe bring you joy? That doesn't have to mean the clothes you wear most often; it can also be the items you adore but avoid wearing out of fear you'll get stared at or because it's not 'cool' to wear, according to the influencer clones. Let your most loved pieces guide you with what you should be buying so that you're filled with dopamine every time you get dressed. Of course, I'm not saying you should constantly buy things you'll never wear, but clothing should be fun, exciting, and, most importantly, for you. Additionally, do pay attention to what you often wear, what shapes and styles you gravitate to and feel good in (for example, I like all my jeans to fit looser past the knee. I like how my ass looks in skinny jeans, but it doesn't suit my style and I hate any outfit I've worn with them).
You Don't Realise You Can Treat It Like a Social Platform: Whilst I wouldn't recommend trying to use the DM's to make a new friend - Vinted has one overlooked function, which is that you can follow people! I have bought multiple items from the same seller on different occasions because the app notified me that they'd uploaded a new item after I'd followed them from the first sale. Sometimes I follow people I have yet to buy from because I like their general aesthetic/style. You may be the first to see their new upload and nab it before anyone else! Remember also to like items and to be notified if they become discounted (this happens all the time and is why I rarely buy the second I see something I like).
Streamlining your shopping habits to be more specific and niche might feel counterintuitive after spending years seeking instant gratification via fast fashion. Still, this mindset shift is necessary for a more unique wardrobe. Being more direct about what we're buying leaves less room for error and buyers' regret, which means less waste and more fulfilment (and more fire outfits, obviously).
