Thousands of Vinted users report being wrongly suspended or permanently banned from the preloved buying and selling app. A website, sadvintedfaces.com, set up by Catherine Warrilow, has logged experiences from over 4,000 users, including 1,618 permanent bans and 2,609 suspensions.
Users like Emma Neil, who was permanently banned after relisting sandals for £2, and professional seller Matthew Connor, who was temporarily banned for listing a used North Face fleece, believe the platform's automation is not functioning correctly. Warrilow suggests the automation may be detecting fraud when prices are changed or identifying second-hand items as counterfeit.
Vinted, which has 17 million UK users, stated it does not comment on individual cases. However, a spokesperson confirmed that its teams work to maintain a safe marketplace using trained moderation teams, member reports, and detection tools. Vinted also stated that members can appeal decisions, and these appeals are reviewed individually by its Member Support Team.
Consumer expert Helen Dewdney has observed a recent increase in Vinted complaints and advises users to utilise Vinted's appeal process, contact its legal team, or make a subject access request for information on account decisions.