How Vinted makes money: Pay a fee to buy, but sell for free

Vinted lets anyone sell secondhand fashion for free, yet it's one of the most profitable resale platforms in Europe. Unlike its competitors that charge seller fees, Vinted has flipped the model and started charging buyers instead. This unexpected approach has unlocked robust growth for the company.

By allowing no-fee selling, Vinted has created a large inventory of clothes available from sellers. This extensive supply attracts more buyers and establishes a positive cycle of activity. Each transaction generates revenue through fees charged to buyers.

Vinted is now operating in over 20 countries with more than 100 million users. It achieved profitability in 2023 and quadrupled its net profit in 2024. The company is now expanding beyond a marketplace into a full ecosystem that includes logistics, payments, and venture investing. 

This teardown examines how Vinted makes money, its infrastructure bets, and the risks that could shape the company’s future.

Table of Contents

• How Vinted works

• Vinted’s revenue streams

  • Buyer Protection fees

  • Shipping & logistics margins

  • Promoted listings 

  • Vinted Pro 

  • Advertising and affiliate partnerships

• Vinted’s cost centers

  • Fixed costs (data centers, offices, R&D)

  • Major variable expenses (payment fees, fraud preve …

  • Staffing & overhead

  • Marketing & growth spend

• Vinted’s competitors

  • Depop

  • Poshmark

  • Vestiaire Collective

  • eBay

  • Sellpy

• The future of Vinted

How Vinted works

Vinted is a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online marketplace for secondhand goods focused on fashion but is now also expanding into pet care and electronics.

It connects everyday sellers with buyers looking for affordable, pre-owned items. Unlike most other resale platforms, Vinted doesn’t charge sellers any listing fees or commissions. Instead, it charges buyers a mandatory fee on every transaction.

Vinted’s core value lies in its unique blend of affordability and sustainability. Users can buy stylish items at a fraction of retail prices, all through a mobile-first interface that encourages reuse and minimizes waste.

The platform mechanics are user-friendly. 

Sellers snap photos, write brief descriptions, set prices, and receive prepaid shipping labels once their item sells. 

Buyers can browse using filters and search tools, pay for the item plus a buyer protection fee and shipping, and then have 48 hours after delivery to confirm that the item arrived as described. Payments are held in escrow until then.

Vinted operates as a peer-to-peer marketplace, a mobile-first platform designed for a strong user experience (UX). Its infrastructure focuses on cost-efficiency, using in-house data centers and a custom Clos network. It also uses AI to personalize user feeds, detect fraud, and improve image recognition. 

The company is also expanding its reach through owned infrastructure. For example, Vinted Go manages a network of over 10,000 lockers and PUDO points in its core markets, with further expansion underway. 

Vinted Pay, the company’s internal payment solution, reduces third-party fees and simplifies compliance. 

Furthermore, Vinted Ventures, its corporate venture capital fund, invests in circular economy startups across Europe. 

Key partnerships with Checkout.com and DataDome help support payment processing and fraud protection.

Vinted’s revenue streams

Vinted’s buyer-focused monetization has led to strong financial results. After becoming profitable for the first time in 2023, Vinted saw explosive growth only a year later. 

In 2024, the company earned €813.4 million in revenue, a 36% increase from the previous year, and a net profit of €76.7 million, a 330% year-over-year growth.

Vinted chooses to prioritize large sales over high profit margins. Its average commission is around 5%, much lower than traditional platforms like eBay or Poshmark. 

But with average order values between $100 and $125, and an estimated ARPU of €8.13 in 2024, the platform earns meaningful revenue through high transaction volume. Its model works because it maximizes liquidity, keeps fees invisible to sellers, and scales efficiently across geographies.

Now, let's look at some of the main ways Vinted makes money that lead to such strong results. 

Buyer Protection fees

Vinted’s most significant revenue stream is the Buyer Protection fee. This mandatory fee is charged to every purchase and paid by the buyer. It covers essential services like secure payment processing and dispute resolution. This fee is non-refundable, even when the buyer decides to return the item.

Buyer Protection fees vary by region, with the United States and United Kingdom offering the most detailed public breakdowns:

• United States: $0.70 fixed fee + 5% of the item price (tiers based on value)

• United Kingdom: £0.30–£0.80 fixed fee + 3%–8% variable fee (capped at 3% for purchases of £500 or more)

These fees are the backbone of Vinted’s monetization strategy, as they scale with transaction volume. They account for more than half of the company’s total revenue.

Shipping & logistics margins

Shipping has become a rapidly growing secondary revenue stream for Vinted. Buyers pay for shipping, and Vinted generates prepaid shipping labels by partnering with USPS, Royal Mail, InPost, and nearly 40 other logistics providers. By negotiating bulk discounts through these partnerships, the company earns a small margin on each label sold by retaining the difference between the cost and what the buyer pays.

While the margin per shipment is modest, typically around €0.30–€0.50, the sheer volume of transactions makes this revenue meaningful at scale. This stream also continues to grow as transaction volumes increase.

The company’s logistics division, Vinted Go, is central to this strategy. This not only enhances convenience for users but also allows Vinted to have greater control over its delivery processes. This is a key advantage in a business where profit margins are thin and logistics greatly influence both cost management and customer experience.

Promoted listings 

Vinted offers promoted listings that provide optional visibility boosts for sellers. For example, the “Bump” feature allows sellers to promote individual items in search results and news feeds for a period of 3 to 7 days. The cost for this service typically ranges from $0.95 to $2.95 per item, depending on factors such as the market, item price, and the duration of the promotion.

Its primarily frequent sellers who pay for promotional features. Although the company hasn’t disclosed the exact numbers, promoted listings are highly profitable as they generate income without any fulfillment or operational costs. 

Vinted Pro 

Vinted Pro is a service designed specifically for power sellers and professional resellers. 

It offers advanced features, such as Wardrobe (Closet) Spotlight. This as a paid feature, and it is sold as a one-time, seven-day promotion. The standard price for Wardrobe Spotlight is typically €6.95–€7.99 for seven days. 

Vinted Pro generates revenue that’s not tied to individual transaction volume, providing more financial predictability. While adoption is likely limited to a niche segment of users, even a modest number of users can lead to substantial revenue. 

Vinted Pro also aligns with the company’s broader strategy following its acquisition of luxury resale platform, Rebelle. As Vinted ventures into higher-value goods, the Pro offers serious sellers tools they’re willing to pay for, without diluting the core value proposition offered to casual users.

Advertising and affiliate partnerships

Vinted is exploring more ways to monetize its user base through advertising and affiliate partnerships. Fashion brands and third-party retailers can run native-style ads or sponsored listings that blend into the marketplace feed. 

Vinted also earns affiliate revenue by referring traffic off-platform and receiving a share of the resulting sales.

These advertisements are intentionally designed to be subtle to avoid undermining the minimalist user experience that Vinted is known for. This advertising stream is steadily growing, but it’s not yet a core revenue driver. Industry estimates suggest it represents less than 5% of the company’s total revenue, but it holds long-term potential, especially as Vinted enhances ad targeting and builds more partnership infrastructure.

Vinted’s cost centers

Vinted’s profitability is also driven by tight cost control. The company focuses on owning critical infrastructure, including logistics and payment tech, to reduce long-term costs and improve profit margins. 

Below is a breakdown of Vinted’s major spending areas.

Fixed costs (data centers, offices, R&D)

Vinted's fixed costs reflect long-term strategic investments. These foundational expenses support scale, resilience, and product innovation.

Data centers and infrastructure: Vinted operates its own backend systems rather than relying exclusively on third-party cloud vendors. It has migrated to a scalable Clos network topology to improve bandwidth efficiency and avoid vendor dependency. The company also invests in automation for server accounting and capacity planning to manage hardware resources on a large scale.

Office leases: Vinted maintains over 10 office spaces across Europe, including major locations in Vilnius (its headquarters), Amsterdam, Berlin, Kaunas, and Paris. These offices support a growing workforce and serve as hubs for regional operations. The associated real estate costs are a significant fixed expense and reflect Vinted’s commitment to having an on-the-ground presence in key markets.

R&D investments: Research and development are critical to Vinted’s long-term strategy. These expenditures support the company’s expansion into new verticals such as electronics, product innovation in seller-focused features, and infrastructure development through Vinted Go and Vinted Pay. R&D also drives improvements in AI-driven search, marketplace trust, and luxury goods authentication.

Major variable expenses (payment fees, fraud prevention, and support ops)

While fixed costs reflect long-term commitments, Vinted’s variable costs fluctuate based on usage and transaction volume. 

Payment-processing fees: Payment processing is one of Vinted’s most significant operating expenses, especially given its escrow-based transaction model and wide international reach. These fees are covered by the Buyer Protection Fee but remain a major cost as gross merchandise volume expands.

Fraud prevention: Vinted continuously invests in platform safety and user trust. The company partners with security vendors like DataDome to defend against bots and credential stuffing, while also maintaining in-house trust and safety systems. 

Support operations: Customer support, especially around disputes, adds to the operational burden. Dispute resolution often involves reviewing messages, validating evidence, and coordinating between buyers, sellers, and shipping providers. These interactions can be time-consuming and require trained staff capable of managing multilingual support across Vinted’s 20+ markets. 

Logistics reimbursements or losses: When items are lost, delayed, or damaged in transit, Vinted may issue refunds or compensation. These logistics-related losses vary by region and carrier and tend to rise during peak shopping seasons.

Staffing & overhead

Vinted’s operating model balances team growth with efficiency. At the end of 2024, the company had over 2,200 employees, marking a 19% increase year over year.

Most of the company’s staffing is concentrated in engineering, moderation, and customer support. The engineering teams are responsible for building and maintaining Vinted’s mobile-first marketplace and infrastructure. Moderation teams ensure the integrity of the marketplace by monitoring content quality, flagging prohibited items, and detecting fraud. Customer support handles everything from dispute resolution to shipping issues.

Vinted has invested heavily in automation and internal tools. The Vinted Go locker network minimizes the need for manual intervention in logistics. On the support side, customized tools allow agents to manage higher case volumes without needing to increase headcount. These efficiencies help Vinted scale operations while keeping overhead costs in check.

Marketing & growth spend

Vinted’s growth has been fueled by a combination of aggressive paid marketing and product-led virality. The company invests heavily in brand awareness, particularly in European markets where consumer trust is key to scaling secondhand commerce. In 2022, it spent £37 million on advertising in the UK alone. This investment paid off, as Vinted’s market share increased from 35% to 84% in less than two years.

The “zero seller fees” model acts as a built-in acquisition tool, attracting sellers to the platform without requiring direct spending. This creates a self-reinforcing flywheel: free listings drive inventory, which in turn attracts buyers. The purchases made by these buyers then fund the platform through buyer fees. 

Vinted justifies its high media spending by linking it directly to significant increases in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and user share in key regions.

Vinted prioritizes scalable, high-reach platforms like TV and YouTube for ongoing awareness campaigns. 

It also runs targeted regional campaigns during market launches, tailoring its creative and messaging for countries like Ireland, Croatia, and Greece. 

This combination of broad exposure and localized activation helps Vinted break into new markets while solidifying its presence in existing ones.

Vinted’s competitors

Vinted faces pressure from both niche resale startups and major global e-commerce players. While its no-seller-fee model and ecosystem strategy set it apart, rivals are adapting quickly. Below is a breakdown of key players with similar business models.

Depop

Depop is one of Vinted’s closest competitors. With 90% of its users under the age of 26, it appeals to a younger demographic. The platform focuses on trend-driven categories like Y2K fashion, vintage streetwear, and upcycled apparel. 

The app’s interface resembles social media platforms like Instagram, featuring a feed-based layout with options to like, follow, and curate profiles. It blends resale with content creation.

However, Depop’s social-first approach has its drawbacks. Historically, it charged sellers a fee, which deterred casual sellers and put it at a disadvantage with Vinted’s free-to-sell model. 

Additionally, Depop’s inventory is narrower and its reach more limited; Depop has around 42 million total users, but only an estimated 10 million monthly active users globally. In contrast, Vinted boasts over 100 million registered users globally and claims 75 million monthly active users.

To bridge the gap, Depop made several strategic moves in 2024. It eliminated its 10% seller fee for US- and UK-based users. It also launched AI-powered listing tools to simplify the onboarding process, including a photo-to-description feature that speeds up product uploads. The company also expanded into creator partnerships, teaming up with designer labels for exclusive drops.

Poshmark

Poshmark is a leading resale platform in North America. It differentiates itself through streamlined logistics powered by USPS shipping labels and an engaged community that favors features like item bundling, comments, and live selling. 

The design of the platform encourages relationship-driven commerce, where users build followings and curate their digital closets.

However, this community strength comes with challenges. Poshmark has historically charged a 20% commission on sales exceeding $15, which discourages casual sellers. It also has limited international reach compared to Vinted, with around 80 million users primarily based in the U.S. Vinted, by contrast, has 100 million users across more than 20 countries and is aggressively expanding across Europe and beyond.

To remain competitive, Poshmark made several adjustments in 2025. It revised its fee structure by shifting more of the cost burden to buyers and capping seller fees for select product categories. The company also introduced stricter relisting policies to reduce search manipulation and improved its live video auction product, Poshmark Live. But, following a backlash, Poshmark reversed the changes and returned to its original structure.

Vestiaire Collective

Vestiaire Collective occupies a premium niche in the resale market, best known for its authenticated luxury goods and a strong reputation for buyer trust. Every item is vetted before delivery, ensuring that quality and authenticity are verified — a crucial step given that the average order value is €350. 

However, this high-touch model comes at a cost. Seller commissions used to range from 15% to 40%, depending on the item and tier, but are now around 10% plus a processing fee. The fulfillment is slower due to the authentication checks, and the platform has limited appeal for casual sellers or mass-market inventory. Compared to Vinted’s broader marketplace and $100 average order value (AOV), Vestiaire serves fewer, higher-value transactions.

In 2023, Vestiaire reported €157 million in revenue, while Vinted earned over €596 million. Despite being on a smaller scale, Vestiaire is doubling down on its luxury-first strategy. The platform continues to ban fast fashion brands, partners with names like Gucci and Burberry on Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS), and has launched an Impact Dashboard to quantify environmental savings.

eBay

eBay remains a heavyweight in the resale landscape thanks to its global scale and long-standing trust. It’s a go-to platform for collectibles, niche goods, and multi-category listings, with roughly 40% of all clothing and accessory listings being pre-owned.

However, the platform shows its age. eBay’s user experience is clunky compared to mobile-first apps like Vinted. It lacks fashion-specific features and relies on a complex fee structure, with seller commissions typically ranging from 10% to 12%. These factors can deter casual sellers looking for a more intuitive listing experience.

eBay boasts around 135 million active buyers globally, giving it scale advantages. But Vinted has achieved deeper penetration in key European markets such as France and the UK. 

To remain competitive, eBay has introduced resale-focused features, such as an “Imperfects” category for flawed new items and authentication services for luxury goods and sneakers. 

Additionally, eBay publishes trend reports to highlight its role in the circular economy and reposition the brand as a sustainability ally.

Sellpy

Sellpy offers a radically different resale experience that prioritizes convenience over control. Instead of a peer-to-peer listing model, users simply send in bags of clothes. Sellpy handles everything else, including pricing, photography, customer service, and fulfillment. This approach is ideal for busy sellers who prioritize ease over higher payouts.

However, this hands-off model comes with trade-offs. Sellers receive lower payouts and have limited control over how items are presented or priced. The turnover is slower, and the platform may lack appeal to fashion-savvy users who enjoy styling and curating their digital wardrobes. 

Sellpy is not designed for high-frequency or power sellers; instead, it fits well with H&M’s vision of broad-access circular fashion.

Sellpy primarily focuses on Northern Europe, with strongholds in Germany, Sweden, and the Nordic region. Backed by H&M, it benefits from sustainability messaging and brand recognition. 

Recent developments include enabling drop-offs for resale inventory at H&M stores and investing in automation to simplify the seller onboarding process. As it expands across the EU, Sellpy is establishing itself as the resale-as-a-service option for passive sellers.

The future of Vinted

Vinted has evolved beyond a simple secondhand fashion marketplace. It's positioning itself as the infrastructure layer for the entire recommerce economy. With profitability secured and a €5 billion valuation, the company is shifting its focus from aggressive growth to long-term strategic expansion. This includes major investments in logistics, payments, and adjacent circular economy ventures designed to solidify its market leadership.

This shift is visible in the development of Vinted Go and Vinted Pay, which now serve as critical infrastructure pillars in addition to the core marketplace. Launched in 2025, Vinted Ventures extends this strategy further by funding startups in shipping, resale tech, and sustainable commerce. These actions indicate a pivot from marketplace operator to becoming a full-stack ecosystem builder.

With profitability established, Vinted doesn’t urgently need outside capital. However, secondary share sales, such as the 2024 raise at a €5 billion valuation, provide liquidity while maintaining flexibility. Although an  IPO isn’t confirmed, the momentum suggests Vinted could emerge as a leading candidate among Europe’s next tech giants.

Looking to the future, Vinted’s ambitions are expansive. It wants to make secondhand shopping “the first choice worldwide.” This goal includes expanding beyond fashion into categories like electronics, pet care, and home goods. 

With over 100 million users and growing control over the recommerce stack, Vinted is positioned to transform secondhand shopping from niche behavior into a mainstream mode of consumption. And with that, the company will benefit from an even larger and more lucrative market.