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Trying to get your Vinted account back? Here's how to use this page: Send Vinted an SAR Share your story

Last updated: 4 July 2026

Why this page exists

Over 1,700 Vinted buyers and sellers have now shared their experiences through this survey. The patterns are clear, the harm is real.

This page is a transparent record of every direct attempt to communicate with Vinted's CEO and its major investors — what was sent, when, through which channel, and what came back. No edits, no spin.

LinkedIn direct messages

24–25 June 2026

Wednesday 24 June
Catherine Warrilow

Hi Adam,

I'm writing partly as a fan. I've used Vinted for 5 years and genuinely loved it. So this isn't an attack, quite the opposite. A few weeks ago I started gathering reviews from UK users because something has clearly shifted, and I wanted to understand what.

Over 1,000 people have responded so far (sadvintedfaces.com) and the patterns are striking:

  • Account bans that don't seem to make sense — particularly the loop where users are told they must convert to Pro, do so (often with HMRC sole trader registration), then get banned again for commercial selling on a Pro account.
  • A reporting system that feels inverted — genuine fakes and scammers go unactioned, while a buyer maliciously reporting a seller (often after a declined offer) can result in an instant ban.
  • Buyer Protection that doesn't seem to protect anyone when something goes wrong — sellers losing both item and money, buyers having to pay return postage for misdescribed goods.

65% of respondents say their CS contact was ignored or got a useless reply. Self-reported losses across the sample run to £38–43k.

The reason I'm reaching out: would you consider speaking publicly about what's changed? People aren't angry because they hate Vinted — they're upset because they loved it. A real, human acknowledgement from leadership would land enormously well right now.

Happy to share the full dataset privately if useful.

Warmly, a previous Vinted lover who really wants the good old days back.
Catherine

Adam Jay · 9:46 AM

Many thanks for your note Catherine. As you will understand, we are always trying to get find the right balance when keeping the platform safe for members. Perhaps you could share your data with me by email at [email address]?

Catherine Warrilow · 12:31 PM

No problem, you can see the headline stats here www.sadvintedfaces.com/report. I'll email over the full database in due course.

Out of interest do you have an account yourself? Have you bought and sold personally?

And one other question — would you do a Zoom call with me? We record it, we put it out on TikTok — we show the world that you're willing to listen to users' feedback and try to do something about it…… what do you say? You can approve the questions in advance…. and the final content before it goes out.

Thursday 25 June
Catherine Warrilow · 8:09 AM

Or maybe a written Q&A — three questions. Your PR team can approve the answers…. what do you think?

We want the old Vinted back. Imagine the positive outcome that could be possible here if an actual person, and the CEO at that, showed they were listening to users and actually cared about their situations.

Adam Jay · 9:07 AM

We are definitely listening, and the ethos/approach has not changed. We are trying to keep the platform safe from high volume sellers of new product. This is consistent with expectations of the vast majority of our members, who want Vinted to be a safe place to transact second hand product and give items the longest possible life.

Catherine Warrilow · 9:40 AM

Thanks Adam — I really want to understand how the following are examples of keeping people safe? Because this accounts for a huge proportion of the complaints and reasons people are leaving Vinted and so upset:

  • Being told they must create a Pro account and then being banned
  • Being suspended for selling "counterfeit" items which are simple high street fashion items — even books!
  • Being unable to access customer support when something goes wrong
  • Buyer Protection not being used to protect buyers
  • Significant loss of money when a buyer is scammed and little or no support from Vinted to resolve the matter.

I'd really love to understand more what keeping people safe actually means, and whether your approach therefore means that issues like these don't fall within keeping people safe?

Thanks Adam, I appreciate your time.

Adam Jay · 9:55 AM

We are working hard to do the right things. Your points are noted.

Catherine Warrilow · 10:26 AM

Thanks Adam, that feels like a closed door on getting into the specifics? I hope that the 1,169 and still growing user experiences, equating to an average rating of 1.47 out of 5, make useful reading.

This doesn't feel like a simple issue of improving a few small things to keep users safe. This is people's livelihoods in some cases that you — or your AI bots — are playing with. The way issues are being handled is causing huge amounts of stress and upset.

It's such a shame as Vinted used to be a fantastic platform for both users and buyers. Now it's a minefield of bans, suspensions, people being scammed, endless hours wasted trying to navigate irrelevant or inappropriate customer support.

I'm appealing to you Adam, on behalf of thousands of Vinted users — do something positive about this. Own it, find fixes, stop treating the people you're making billions from as an inconvenience.

Thank you for reading. I do really appreciate your time for this. It matters to a lot of people.

Adam Jay · 10:34 AM

I am reading, I am listening. But yes, I am going to close the door on this particular thread because I need to spend time addressing precisely the kind of concerns that you are highlighting. Thank you for talking the time write. It is valued and appreciated.

Catherine Warrilow · 10:39 AM

OK Adam, that sounds like a positive step — and we're grateful for that. All the best, and we'll follow keenly and very much look forward to seeing the hopefully positive improvements and results. Have a good day.

Adam Jay · 10:41 AM
👍
Where things stand: Adam committed to spending time addressing the concerns raised. The community will be watching closely — and this page will be updated with whatever happens next.
4 July 2026 Email to Vinted's major shareholders

Sent to press and investor-relations contacts at Vinted's largest shareholders including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Accel, EQT Group, Baillie Gifford, and Vinted's own press office and CEO. Awaiting response.

Dear Investor, I'm writing to you because you are on the record as a shareholder in Vinted, and the platform you have backed is causing measurable, documented harm to UK consumers at scale. This is now being covered in national media, referred into UK regulatory channels, and shared across social platforms with real reach. I ran a public research project called Sad Vinted Faces (sadvintedfaces.com). Over the past month, 1,600+ verified UK Vinted users have logged their experiences. The average rating is 1.44 out of 5. 928 of them report account bans without explanation or right of appeal. 380 report being scammed. The majority report that Vinted customer service ignored their requests for help entirely. The full report, with the five recurring patterns we have identified, is here: https://sadvintedfaces.com/report The five patterns, in one line each: 1. The Pro Account Trap. Sellers are pushed toward Pro accounts, then banned by automated moderation with no human review or route of appeal, funds frozen. 2. The Counterfeit Bot Catastrophe. Legitimate listings from authentic sellers are removed as counterfeit. Actual counterfeits stay live for months. 3. The Customer Service Vacuum. Users get templated non-responses or no response at all, even when they have paid the Buyer Protection fee. 4. Asymmetric Buyer Protection. The fee is charged on every transaction and marketed as insurance. Claims are routinely refused. 5. The Courier Black Hole. Lost or undelivered parcels are pushed back onto users with no resolution path. The Times has covered the story here: https://www.thetimes.com/money/family-finances/article/i-want-the-old-vinted-back-the-second-hand-selling-backlash-xl7z5nzrv And a second article is due to follow specifically looking at case studies of users with bizarre and repeated account bans. Vinted offered a pro account option and as such people have created legitimate businesses and incomes — only for that to be taken away without explanation. My TikTok, which is where a large volume of first-person testimonials are landing daily, is here: https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinewarrilow — collectively nearly 200,000 views of my Vinted posts over the last few weeks. What the community is asking Vinted to address, and where I would like your help as investors: 1. A human customer service escalation route with a named contact and an SLA, replacing the current template-only loop. 2. A transparent appeals process for account bans and listing removals, with the right to speak to a person. 3. A Buyer Protection fee that either delivers what it markets, or is honestly relabelled as a platform fee. 4. A published counterfeit review process with reason codes, not a black box that penalises authentic sellers and misses actual counterfeits. 5. A public commitment on courier dispute resolution timelines, with independent oversight if the process fails. I am also encouraging users to file formal complaints with Citizens Advice, and where relevant to escalate to the Competition and Markets Authority and to the FCA regarding the Buyer Protection fee. The volume is now large enough for a regulator to treat this as a pattern rather than isolated incidents. I would welcome a conversation with anyone at your firm who sits on or advises the Vinted board. I am also open to a recorded, on-the-record Zoom with a Vinted executive, questions approved in advance, put out publicly. Users respond well to leadership that shows up. Right now that is the missing piece. You have backed a company that was leading the resale category but something terrible has happened and sales have plummeted because people are abandoning the platform. Right now it is squandering user trust at scale, and that is a valuation risk before it is anything else. I hope you will look at the evidence. With thanks for your time, Catherine Warrilow Founder, Sad Vinted Faces sadvintedfaces.com https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinewarrilow

Awaiting response.

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