Vestiaire Collective: How Shipping Works for UK Sellers

Every Vestiaire sale comes with a prepaid shipping label that you download from the order in your account. Vestiaire's UK help centre documents shipping with DHL, so expect a DHL label with a choice of dropping the parcel at a DHL service point or booking a collection slot; the help pages note you may need to wait a short time after downloading before you can book a slot, because the label can take up to an hour to become active in the carrier's system.

The deadline is strict: 'once a sale has been confirmed, you have 7 days to ship the item'. Miss it and the sale is automatically cancelled and the buyer refunded, and Vestiaire says it 'cannot guarantee payment for an item shipped after 7 days'. Repeated cancellations also hurt your seller rating. Seven days is generous compared with StockX's two business days, but a DHL collection slot can be a day or two away, so download the label as soon as the sale confirms.

The label is not optional. Vestiaire's rule is blunt: use its prepaid label, because 'if you use your own shipping label, Vestiaire Collective is not responsible in the event of missing, late or damaged packages'. The prepaid label is also how the parcel is tracked to the authentication hub and how your payout is triggered.

Vestiaire's original model sends every item to one of its authentication hubs, where specialists check it against the listing and for authenticity before forwarding it to the buyer. That is 'authenticated shipping': your parcel travels to Vestiaire, not to the buyer, and the address on the label reflects that. Expect the item to take longer to reach the buyer and your payment to be released after the check is passed.

For lower-value items Vestiaire offers 'direct shipping', where the parcel goes straight from you to the buyer and the buyer has 72 hours after delivery to report a problem, after which the sale is finalised. The threshold has been set at around €1,000 (the sterling figure is shown in the app), and either party can still request authentication for a fee. Direct shipping is faster and cheaper for the buyer, but it means your packing and your description are the only quality control, so photograph everything.

The address printed on your label tells you which path the item is on. Do not swap it or send to the buyer directly if the label says hub — the parcel would arrive unverified and outside Vestiaire's process.

Vestiaire's checkers and its buyers expect the item to arrive as described, so pack for the inspection as much as for transit. Use a sturdy box rather than a mailing bag for bags, shoes and anything structured; wrap the item in tissue; include the dust bag, box, authenticity cards and receipts you listed, because a missing accessory is a reason for a buyer to reject the item. Stuff bags with paper to hold their shape, and put shoes in their own bag or box inside the shipping box.

Ship one item per parcel unless the order tells you otherwise; each sale has its own label and tracking. Seal the box well, attach the label flat on the largest side, and keep your DHL receipt or collection confirmation. Photograph the item, its labels and serial numbers, and the packed box before it closes — if the hub reports a discrepancy or the buyer disputes a direct-shipped item, those photos are your evidence.

• Rigid box, tissue, original dust bag and cards
• One item per parcel, one label per sale
• Photograph the item, its identifiers and the packed box
• Keep the DHL receipt until the payout arrives

Your payout is released after the item passes authentication (authenticated shipping) or after the buyer's 72-hour window closes without a claim (direct shipping), minus Vestiaire's selling commission and payment processing fee, which vary by price band and are shown on the listing before you confirm. Payouts go to your bank or PayPal from the balance in your account.

The common problems are a cancelled sale because the 7 days ran out, an item rejected at the hub because it did not match the listing (wrong size, undisclosed wear, missing accessories), and a lost parcel sent with the seller's own postage rather than Vestiaire's label. All three are avoidable: ship within a couple of days, describe flaws honestly with photos, and only ever use the prepaid label.

Vinted's item verification (a £10 fee paid by the buyer) covers designer pieces too, and Vinted's InPost, Evri and Royal Mail labels are cheaper and quicker to use — but Vinted's buyers pay less and its protection tops out at £500. eBay's authentication programmes cover trainers, watches and handbags over set values inside Simple Delivery. Vestiaire's audience is looking for luxury specifically and its checks are the most thorough, which is why sellers accept the longer, hub-based journey. For a genuine designer bag worth several hundred pounds, Vestiaire's prepaid DHL label and authentication are worth more than the postage saving elsewhere; for fast fashion, Vinted is the better fit.