Vinted seller ghosted you? A court doesn't need Vinted's permission.
The item never came, it's fake, or it's not what was listed — and Buyer Protection has closed the case. Your claim is usually against the seller, a real person with a real address, and a county court claim runs outside Vinted's process. Sometimes the claim is against Vinted itself; this page covers both.
Not sure which you are? Tell us what happened — working out who the claim is really against is the first thing we do.
Who you're actually suing
Most Vinted disputes are with the seller — Vinted is the marketplace, not the shop, and a sale on it is normally a contract between you and the person you bought from. The platform itself is usually the defendant only when the money is sitting with Vinted, or its own process said you'd be refunded and you weren't.
You say the item never arrived, is counterfeit, or isn't what was described, and Vinted's process has run out. You sue the person you bought from. If you only have a username, that isn't always the end of it: a court may allow the claim to be sent another way once you've made proper efforts to find their details. How to sue a Vinted seller explains how.
Vinted is holding a refund or a wallet balance, or refused a Buyer Protection refund you say you were owed. The platform terms are issued by the Lithuanian operating company; Vinted also has UK-registered companies at a London address. Which to name depends on what the terms you accepted say and where the money sits — we check the current terms before anything is filed.
- Name on the form
- VINTED UAB (operator named in the platform terms)
VINTED UAB is registered in Vilnius, Lithuania. You can still bring a consumer claim against a non-UK company in the county court, but sending the claim abroad takes longer and has its own rules. Vinted also has UK-registered companies — VINTED (UK) LIMITED (14685110) and VINTED LIMITED (07874344), both at 5 New Street Square, London EC4A 3TW — and whether one of those is the right defendant depends on the terms in force when you bought.
Don't name "Vinted" and hope. A claim needs a legal person: for most disputes that is the seller's real name and address, which is why gathering their details matters (see below). Only where the money sits with the platform does a registered Vinted company, with its number and address for service, go on the form.
Checked against Companies House and Vinted's terms on 2026-08-24. Registered details change — the wizard re-checks before anything is filed.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us about Vinted disputes. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us; the amounts range from a £100 jacket to a four-figure handbag.
Your legal rights in a Vinted dispute
In England and Wales a Vinted purchase is a contract with the seller, and your relationship with Vinted is a separate contract on Vinted's terms. Which law bites depends on whether the seller was a private person or a business, and on whether the money you're chasing is with the seller or with the platform.
ActSale of Goods Act 1979, s.13Even a private sale usually has to match the description.
Where goods are sold by description, section 13 typically implies a term that the goods will correspond with that description. It generally applies to private sellers as well as traders, which is why a Vinted listing that calls a fake "authentic" or hides a defect may support a claim even though the Consumer Rights Act does not apply to private sales.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.9From a business seller, goods generally must be of satisfactory quality.
Where the seller is a trader — a Vinted Pro seller, or someone selling in the course of a business — the Consumer Rights Act usually applies and the goods must be of satisfactory quality, as described and fit for purpose. Courts typically ask what a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory given the price, description and condition stated.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActMisrepresentation Act 1967, s.2A false statement that led you to buy may give a right to damages.
If a seller made a statement of fact that was untrue — about authenticity, condition or what was included — and you relied on it in deciding to buy, section 2 may allow a claim for the loss it caused, unless the seller can show they had reasonable grounds to believe it was true. This typically applies to private sellers too.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractA platform that promises a refund and does not pay it may be in breach of its own terms.
Your relationship with Vinted is usually a contract on Vinted's published terms. Where those terms promise a refund in stated circumstances, or say when a balance will be released, a court may treat a failure to honour them as a breach and consider what loss flowed from it. The starting point is normally the terms in force when you bought.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
Second-hand still has to match the description. A private seller who describes a fake as genuine, or hides damage, may be liable for misrepresentation; a Pro seller owes the full Consumer Rights Act standard.
Their process closing is not your rights ending. Buyer Protection is a policy Vinted runs; a county court claim runs outside it. A closed case is just where the court route begins.
Often right, and this page says when. For a bad item, yes, the seller is the defendant. For money Vinted is holding, or a refund Vinted's own process said you'd get, the company behind the platform is the one that has to answer.
A hold is not a right to keep it. If money you're owed is held for longer than the terms allow, a court can be asked to look at whether the hold is permitted by the contract and the law, and to order it paid if not.
Five things worth gathering now
Three steps, done for you
Your side, your words
What you bought, what went wrong, who has your money. We ask what a court would ask — starting with who the defendant is.
A formal demand
A letter before action to the right party with a deadline. Many disputes end here.
Court claim, prepared
If they will not engage: a small claim drafted, checked and filed. We do the paperwork; the decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I sue a Vinted seller directly?
Yes. A sale on Vinted is a contract between you and the seller, and a county court claim against them runs outside Vinted's process. If they are a private person the Consumer Rights Act doesn't apply, but the item must still match its description and they must not have misled you; a Pro seller is a trader and owes the full consumer-law standard.
I only have the seller's username. Can I still claim?
Sometimes, yes. A court may allow a claim to be served by other means — for example through the platform's messaging — once you show you've made proper efforts to find a name and address; it depends on the facts and the court's rules. Our guide to suing a Vinted seller covers how that works.
Vinted closed my Buyer Protection case. Is that the end?
No. Buyer Protection is Vinted's own process. A county court claim is separate and doesn't need Vinted's agreement to start.
When is the claim against Vinted itself, not the seller?
When Vinted has your money: a refund its own process said you'd get and that never arrived, or a wallet balance held beyond what the terms allow. Then the defendant is the company behind the platform — the platform terms name VINTED UAB in Lithuania, and UK group companies exist at 5 New Street Square, London; we check the terms in force before anything is filed.
How much does it cost to take a Vinted seller to small claims court?
The court fee depends on the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
The seller was a private person, not a shop. Do I have any rights?
Fewer than against a business, but real ones. The item generally has to match its description, and a seller who misled you about authenticity or condition may be liable for misrepresentation. The Consumer Rights Act itself only applies where the seller is a trader.
Vinted seller gone quiet?
Tell us what happened. We work out who the claim is really against — the seller, or Vinted — then prepare and file it for a fixed price.
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