I’m a money-saving pro – I can save you 70% on Vinted & eBay, my trick finds hidden listings other shoppers haven’t seen
IF you’re looking for second-hand bargains, then you may just want to take note!
That’s because a money-saving whizz has shared his top five tips and tricks to save up to 70% on Vinted and eBay finds.
Tom Church, Co-founder of money-saving community Latest Deals, commented: “If you’re shopping on a budget, buying from sellers on Vinted and eBay can result in some epic deals.
“If you’re new to resale sites, the amount of items available can be overwhelming, but I’ve come up with some top tips to get the best price.”
Add Items To Your Basket
Tom says that it might seem simple, but one of the easiest ways to get a discount on items is to like them on Vinted or add them to your bag and watch them on eBay, and then wait.
“Often sellers are looking to shift items, and if they think you’re interested, they’ll make you an offer,” he says.
“I’ve received offers up to 30% less than the listed price doing this on eBay.”
He goes on to give an example and explains how he recently watched a pair of Timberland Boots on eBay.
“They were listed for £40 and the seller offered me £30,” he explains.
“I ended up paying £11 for them, so I saved 72%. Even if you don’t accept their initial offer, it gives you more leeway to negotiate as you’re starting from a cheaper price.”
Misspell Designer Names
Tom also points out that if you deliberately misspell designer names in the search bar, you can sometimes find hidden listings that other shoppers haven’t seen.
“While most people are searching for the designer brand names, those listing with spelling mistakes won’t show in the results,” he says.
“So, if you purposely search for a typo, you can find listings no one else has seen, and potentially get a bargain.”
Bundle Offers
For those that don’t know, Tom explains that Vinted has a dedicated Bundles feature that means buyers can get an extra discount on items if they buy more than one product from the same seller.
“Not only are you getting the extra discount, you’ll also only have to pay one shipping fee for your order, so you’re saving there as well,” he says.
“If you’ve found an item you want to buy, it’s well worth looking at the seller’s profile to see if anything else catches your eye.
“Some Vinted sellers have Bundle Deals turned on, and you’ll get an automatic discount. For those that don’t, it’s worth making them an offer.”
Auctions ending soon
Tom asks: “Did you know there are websites you can use to find eBay auctions that are ending soon?”
He personally recommends using Lastminute Auction.
“You can see which eBay auctions are an hour away from ending with no bids or less than £1 (excluding delivery),” he says.
“You can swoop in at the last minute and nab a bargain. In truth it’s hit and miss as lots of items are worth £1 or less.
“But sometimes there are misspellings or simply items others have missed.”
He points out that the best deal he’s ever got from it was a pair of good-as-new Levi jeans for 99p.
Jump On Old Listings
The deal expert explains that on Vinted, if you look at the item description, you’ll see the upload date of that listing.
“Items may have been uploaded one day ago, a month ago, six months ago, a year ago, or even longer,” he says.
“If an item has been for a few months or longer, it’s worth offering a heavily discounted price.
“The seller may be looking to shift the item and be more open to offers.”
Outlet stores
Finally, Tom concludes by making clear that eBay isn’t just individual sellers having a clearout of their old items.
“Top brands also have outlet pages on the site, and lots offer free delivery,” he says.
“I’ve found bargains from the Superdry, River Island, Puma, White Stuff and even Calvin Klein. Just type in eBay outlet store on Google and the first result should show you all the options.”
He goes on to say that items can be up to 70% off, they’re brand new, and most of them come with free shipping.
“It’s well worth a look to see if you can bag a bargain.” he says.
Tom finished by adding, “If you know where to look, sites like eBay and Vinted can be a treasure trove for bargains.
“Knowing where to look and what strategies to use to lower the price of items is key, and you can save up to a whopping 70%”.
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis's charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity's Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.