With the increasing popularity of sustainable fashion, ethical brands have continued to hike up their prices, making it harder to keep shopping sustainably. Second-hand retailers like Vinted, Depop and eBay solve that dilemma – but how do you get the best deal? Here’s a guide to shopping on Vinted (borne from my Vinted addiction and hours spent procrastinating supervision work by scouring for the best finds).

“Vinted is an excellent way to explore your sense of style”

Choose the right platform

While many Depop shops have carefully curated clothes in different aesthetics, each with their own niche, they can get a little pricey as the hard work of curation has already been done for you. Sellers on Vinted are more likely to simply be selling their old clothes than those on Depop, making the prices more reasonable. The catch is that you’ve got to pick the best items yourself. However, once you’ve figured your way around searching for what you want, this opens up a whole world of possibilities. Hence, Vinted is your best bet to grab those bargains!

Have a vision in mind

With so many items appearing in every search result, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or confused. Starting with Pinterest and producing a mood board of outfits you might want to recreate gives you a clear sense of direction in terms of what to look for. A key shortcut: search for items by brand. If you want pieces from the 90s or 2000s, filtering for brands that were popular back then makes sorting through the search results so much easier.

“Sellers on Vinted are more likely to simply be selling their old clothes than those on Depop”

Some brands you might want to try searching for are Morgan de toi, BCBG, Karen Millen, French Connection and Per Una. Searching “Clockhouse” brings up some really cute miniskirts and camis. As for shoes, “Dolcis” will do the trick for finding practical kitten heels that you can easily dress up or down and put to good use at formals. To obtain a good deal, try changing the focus from brands or styles to materials. Searching for “100% silk” or items made of cashmere can result in surprisingly good finds. Silk clothes that are expensive in stores can easily be found for a fraction of the price on Vinted.

Make the most of recommendations

Always check the “recommended for you” section! Vinted’s system creates recommendations based on what you’ve liked and what others who have liked similar items also like. Therefore, you’re likely to get recommended items that you might never have found yourself. Keep liking items that you find cute and in no time your recommendations will be tailored to your tastes. Vinted is an excellent way to explore your sense of style and try out new pieces that you might have been hesitant to pay full price for. You can experiment and see whether those pieces fit nicely with other items in your wardrobe.

Know what you’re buying

Sometimes, items listed on Vinted have minimal descriptions and photos taken in bad lighting or from odd angles. But don’t let that stop you asking the seller for more information. Make sure to check if the item has any defects if the seller hasn’t provided details. You might even want to ask for photos of the defects, especially if the item is more expensive. I’ve definitely bought a dress or two that ended up being too short or too big so remember to ask for extra measurement details if you’re unfamiliar with the brand’s sizing.

In the midst of exam term, you might not have time to scour Cambridge charity shops for that one pair of linen trousers that you’ve been wanting to add to your wardrobe. Vinted and other second-hand shopping websites are the best way to get your revision done and fulfil that shopping itch sustainably. Knowing what you’re looking for and how to find it will make it so much easier to get the best deals and put together the cutest fits this Easter term!