CHEAP CHIC
I started selling on Vinted to get by during lockdown – now it pays for Paris trips & designer gear, here are my tips
The money-smart shopper also reveals the key rule she swears by
A SAVVY woman has revealed how she went from a basic side hustle during lockdown to raking in thousands by selling her old wardrobe.
Molly Williams, from Leicester, decided to start selling her clothes on Vinted back in 202 after she came across an advert for the popular site online.
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At the time, the 22-year-old wanted to downsize her wardrobe, which had monopolised the spare room in her home.
However, what started off as flogging a few garments for a couple of pounds has since spiralled into a cash-flowing side hustle that rakes in anywhere from £200 to £300 on top of Molly's monthly salary.
At first, the money-smart fashionista used the extra income to cover her bills and living costs as at the time she was earning less than £20,000/year and found it a challenge to make ends meet.
The brunette beauty - who has since been treated to a pay rise - has been able to afford a week-long trip to the French capital of love, Paris, a luxury handbag and dining out with her pals.
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Molly said she hoped her Vinted experience will inspire others who are struggling to break even at the end of the month.
"I never really thought anything of it at the start," Molly told PA Real Life.
"It's not just like a few pounds here and there, it's like hundreds of pounds, which is a lot of money, so it's definitely made a difference and I can tell every month.
"It definitely helps to have extra money to spend on things I want, like holidays, dinners, or even with bills if needed. I've made this rule in my head where if I haven't worn something in a couple of months, just throw it out or sell it."
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Molly decided to sell some of her old clothes on Vinted after spotting an advert online in early 2020. Her first sale was a couple of old tops from fast-fashion retailer Topshop for around £2.
"They were just things that I didn't wear anymore but were too nice to throw in the bin," said Molly. "I had stuff that was brand new with tags on, so it would have been a waste to get rid of them."
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But what started as a plan to clear Molly's spare room, which she uses as a wardrobe, quickly snowballed into a full-blown hobby.
"One time I sold something for more than I bought it and was like, 'Hold on a minute, this is actually quite good,'" she said.
During lockdown, Molly said the extra cash helped her pay her rent and bills, and that without, she would have struggled to get by.
"In lockdown, people were just looking for things to do, so it almost became like a hobby and I just did it nearly every day," she said. During lockdown it helped me a lot because back then I wasn't earning a lot, like I was on just shy of £20,000 a year which after bills and everything you end up with nothing now."
"It was really helping me get by and if it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have been able to afford a lot of things."
Molly now uses Vinted daily and has started buying and reselling items, including luxury brands such as Dior, Gucci and Chanel.
Molly, who goes by the name mollannax on Vinted, follows a simple process when it comes to selling her garments on the website, which does not have any seller fees.
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.
She starts off by cleaning the item before taking pictures of it against a plain background.
Once uploaded to the website, which boasts more than 100 million users, she provides a brief description of the item and its condition.
The title is key, according to Molly, who makes sure it's neither too specific or vague and matches what browsers are likely to search for.
"If you are too specific it's hard for people to find it," she said. "If you are a little more broad, people find it easier because whatever they search it's going to come up."
She now earns between £200 and £300 extra a month from her burgeoning side hustle which allows her to splash out on luxuries she previously could not afford.
"I've made enough on it now to actually pay for things," said Molly.
"It's given me a lot of extra spending money that I wouldn't have had just working my normal job."
"So it's nice to have that in your pocket and have a little bit of extra cash that you can just do what you want with."
Last September, she treated herself to a holiday in Paris and was able to afford her dream designer handbag from Jacquemus which cost around £600.
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"It paid for my holiday and allowed me to travel round different places while I was there," she said.
The extra funds also help Molly pay for meals out and cover bills when she is feeling the pinch.
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