VINTED'S DARKSIDE

The disturbing way your Vinted photos are being stolen from the web and sexualised without you having a clue

Women have been left feeling unsafe and vulnerable after revealing their pictures have been taken without consent

I’ve made £1.5k on Vinted - the mistake that affects the algorithm and the EXACT number of pictures to take to make cash

CLICKING the ‘share’ button on her Vinted app, Lydia uploads a photo of herself wearing the outfit she hopes to sell.

In doing so, she thinks her post stands a much better chance of catching attention and in a few days time she’ll be parcelling the item up to send to her buyer and banking the cash.

Alamy
Second hand clothing app Vinted has a hidden dark side

Channel 4
Ellie Flynn spoke to women who had been targeted by the website

But shockingly, and unbeknown to the 28 year old at the time, snaps like hers – where the seller posts a photo of themselves in their clothes to increase chances of a sale – have being ‘stolen’ from the buy and sell app and then shared on a rogue site called Vinted S***s, for titilation.

The startling revelation forms part of a new Channel 4 documentary, Vinted’s Dirty Laundry, which delves into the darker side of the second-hand marketplace which has 16 million users in the UK.

Whilst the site has helped reduce waste whilst allowing it’s users to make extra cash, presenter Ellie Flynn reveals how images ended up on the rogue website with the tagline: ‘when you sell your clothes but you want the attention’.

The women whose photos have made it onto the site usually have no idea their harmless snaps have been stolen.

‘Extremely unsafe’

Lydia was one of the women, she explains: “We’re just innocent people wanting to sell our clothes and I’m guessing half of these people on this website don’t even know this is happening to them.

“It’s very disturbing. I had no idea this was happening, and it has made me feel extremely unsafe.”

Lydia then discovered the website linked back to her personal Vinted page, which she said made her feel ‘really scared’.

Meanwhile, according to Retail Week, Vinted is one of the UK’s fastest-growing retail brands, with a 171% increase in spends in 2023.

There’s no limit as to how many items can be sold on the site and listings are free, meaning the site’s popularity shows no signs of slowing.

And it isn’t the first time Vinted has come under the spotlight.

Earlier this month, the site paused new registrations to its new professional selling feature Vinted Pro after it made some users’ National Insurance (NI) numbers publicly available, putting them at risk of fraud.

The feature would allow sellers to register as a sole trader and be identified as professional sellers but it was halted when users realised it had displayed some members’ National Insurance numbers publicly on their profile, meaning anyone could see them.

Vinted later apologised for the error.

Referring to the new findings about members’ photos being taken, Channel 4 presenter Ellie reveals: “It’s basically just massively over-sexualising women who are trying to sell clothes.

I thought I scored a bargain on Vinted – next thing I knew I was threatened with GUN by man who wanted to kill my family

“It has loads of different profiles of different women all over the world.”

Unscrupulous users are selective when it comes to choosing which photos to take off the site and it’s usually the skimpier the better.

“Some of the images are of women who are selling things like bikinis or summer outfits that are more tight fitting,” explains Ellie.

“Some of them are just everyday outfits but they are all being used in a way that is overtly sexual and absolutely not what these women were intending. 

“It’s just so gross. I will never cease to be amazed by the things you can find on the internet but this really does feel like a new low.”

In the programme, Ellie talks to some of the women whose images appeared elsewhere without their consent and after intervening in Lydia’s case, 11 days later her images, and the website, were taken down.

Lydia hasn’t shared a photo of herself wearing an outfit since and only shares images of the clothes on hangers.

Vinted responded to the latest investigation in a statement which said:

“We are taking the allegations seriously…we act as swiftly as we can against anything that violates our terms and conditions…[including] measures that may result in the definitive blocking of sellers who repeatedly ignore our policy.

“We have a number of measures in place to uphold safety on the platform and are constantly updating these processes and improving our level of personal member support.

“We have reported the website mentioned to request an immediate shutdown.”

Watch the C4 investigation

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Why I hate Vinted, a real-life view

Fabulous Associate Editor Sarah Barns opens up on why she hates Vinted:

It’s the king of second-hand fashion but I hate Vinted.

There I said it. Yes, it stops items going into landfill. Yes, it helps create additional side-hustle income for many.

And yes, you can get things at bargain prices. But it is just not my (shopping) bag.

From personal experience, I’ve bought ‘cheap’ bundles of children’s clothes only for them to arrive dirty and misshapen.

Plus, with postage and buyer protection they didn’t feel like such a great deal. I much prefer going to my local charity shop or supermarket for kids’ stuff.

I’ve also bought more premium high-street items – a dress from Arket and a skirt from Cos – only to find they didn’t fit properly and the colours were faded.

I attempted a bout of selling stuff but gave up after my £110 Veja trainers got lost in the post and I spent two hours on the phone to Royal Mail.

A major gripe with it is that it still encourages you to spend, spend, spend. I’m not sure I needed the items I did purchase, I just didn’t want to miss out.

Also, the reselling of fast-fashion items – a £5 Shein top on Vinted for £17.50 – makes me feel a bit queasy.

Clothes shopping has become a daily hobby for a lot of people when really it should be something that’s done once or twice a year as a necessity.

But the 18 million Vinted app users clearly disagree with me.

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