Vinted users have expressed their outrage after the second-hand shopping app updated its sizing categories without prior warning.
The update, which applies to UK-based users only, changes the way that sellers list their items and buyers search for products.
Previously clothing was listed by sizes such as small, medium or large, which were linked to one single dress size.
For example, size 6 was XS, size 8 was S, size 10 was M, size 12 was L, size 14 was XL and size 16 was XXL.
This caused complaints from app users who felt that size 12 should not count as ‘large’.
Now, each category ranging from XXXS to 9XL has been updated so that it encompasses a broader range of dress sizes.
Small is now 8-10 and Medium, which used to be classed as a 10, is now a 12-14.
The largest option 9XL used to be a UK size 30 but it’s now made a huge leap to size 52.
Vinted, the leading second-hand fashion marketplace in Europe, has left its users outraged after updating its sizing categories
Users have been advised manually update sizes on existing listings if necessary, leaving sellers frustrated, especially those with large online shops who must update potentially hundreds of items.
It also means that shoppers who search using Small, Medium and Large rather than dress sizes and who are not aware of the changes will buy items that are the wrong size.
Lucy Pollard took to TikTok to express her anger at the change, saying bosses at the platform are ‘ruining the app’, adding: ‘I don’t understand why they’re not thinking about their users. It’s just a mess.’
Vinted, the biggest second-hand fashion marketplace in Europe, has stated that the change aligns the platform more closely with others and improves the accuracy of sizes, particularly for items purchased from overseas.
The comment section was packed with others agreeing with Lucy, with one writing: ‘Omg I just realised. Now I have to go through 134 items and change every single one as they’re all drastically wrong.’
Another added: ‘It would’ve been nice to get a week’s notice.’ A third added: ‘This has confused me so much. It literally makes no sense.’
Elsewhere, Hannah-Abby, 35, from Devon, told BBC News that following the change, she was left with no choice but to put her account to holiday mode, pausing all potential purchases, because she didn’t have time to update all of the listings.
‘I think the whole thing just wasn’t clearly thought through,’ she said, adding, ‘Most of my friends have also put their pages on holiday mode.’
UK-based Vinted user Lucy Pollard (pictured) took to TikTok to explain her ‘frustration’ about the update
Vinted users have taken to social media to express their outrage over the change – with one branding it ‘a disaster’
Hannah-Abby said that she is unlikely to return to the platform unless the update is reversed.
A Vinted spokesperson told The Daily Mail: ‘We’ve updated our size guidelines for women’s and kid’s clothing to make sizing more accurate across international brands.
‘UK members will have received a message in their Vinted inbox with more details and you can also find full information on our Help Centre.’
Earlier this year, Vinted left its users infuriated again after introducing a new rule that could see users banned for a once-common selling trick.
The online marketplace, which is used by millions to buy and sell pre-loved clothes and accessories, updated its terms and conditions in September.
The popular app announced it is now cracking down on a ‘hack’ that many sellers relied on to shift their unsold items.
In the updated terms, Vinted included a new clause warning sellers not to ‘delete and re-list the same item multiple times or multiple items in bulk’ – a move that has stunned the app’s loyal users.
Re-listing items, essentially removing a product and uploading it again to bump it to the top of the search feed, has long been seen as a go-to trick for sellers hoping to attract fresh interest in items already listed.
Under the new rules, repeat offenders could find themselves suspended or even banned from the platform altogether.
The site has also confirmed it will be cracking down on bots and external software used to game the system.
That means sellers who use apps or third-party tools to relist automatically will be at risk of being banned too.
Vinted says the rule change is intended to prevent spam and ensure a fair marketplace, but some users have taken to forums and social media to express their frustration.
One content creator, known as Culture Force on TikTok, said the new update ‘doesn’t seem very fair’ on users.
He suggested: ‘Long story short, when sellers on Vinted and eBay have items that aren’t selling, a pretty simple trick is to relist the item because it pushes back to the top of the buyer’s feed.
‘But now if Vinted catch you using the same images and the same item name you will get permanently banned.’
