Vinted trumps Amazon, eBay and Facebook in ratings for second-hand marketplace
Fashion challenger Vinted has been rated most highly by buyers and sellers, beating second-hand marketplace rivals including Amazon (AMZN), eBay and Facebook, research shows.
The platform was commended by sellers and buyers and had an overall customer score of 75%, according to new analysis from Which?.
Vinted, which is a marketplace for fashion and home decor, also received a five stars for search functionality and the ease of contacting sellers, making an offer and listing items for sale.
Social media giant Facebook's marketplace and Gumtree, both more established platforms selling a wider range of items, came joint second, with customer scores of 68%. Facebook's ease of listing was rated five stars and two stars for paying for items. Gumtree got either three or four stars in every category.
They were closely followed by eBay and community enterprise The Freecycle Network with 67%.
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Amazon marketplace ranked fourth with a customer score of 64%. However, satisfaction using the tech stalwart's marketplace and the likelihood of people recommending it, fell compared to its rivals and the average customer score across all platforms, which was 66%. It received five stars for search functionality and ease of making an offer or purchase.
Depop, which like Vinted specialises in fashion and home decor, has become a popular choice for younger people, who make up 90% of its global user base, but it received a customer score of 61%.
Classifieds veteran Preloved had the lowest customer score at 56%. It scored just two stars for contacting the seller and two stars for paying for the items.
The consumer group said 66% of the 4,000 people it surveyed about buying had used an online marketplace and 63% of those asked about selling had sold something second-hand since January 2020.
Despite this, 10% of buyers raised a complaint with their chosen platform in the past two years, citing goods being counterfeit or not as described, and not being able to contact customer services when there was an issue.
A fifth (18%) of buyers and 23% of sellers said they set up accounts in the past year, as the cost of living crisis put pressure on household budgets and people look to shop in a more sustainable way.
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Another Which? research found 59% consumers had to make an adjustment of some sort, including selling items, to cover essential spending in the last month.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: "People are eager to find new ways to save money amid the cost of living crisis and shop in a more sustainable way, so it is perhaps unsurprising to see shoppers flocking to second-hand marketplaces in their droves.
"Our research shows some lesser-known platforms have been rated highly by consumers and could be a good option for buying and selling second-hand items. However, it is worth looking at the buyer protections offered by different marketplaces before parting with your hard-earned cash."
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