A guide for parents
Is it worth selling children's clothes on Vinted?
Sometimes. Here's the actual maths, including the bit nobody calculates: what you earn per hour of doing it.
What's in here
- How long selling on Vinted actually takes
- The argument that matters more than the hourly rate
- When Vinted is worth it
- When it is not worth it
- The other places to sell
- Selling against swapping, the same bundle both ways
Vinted works. Millions of people use it and plenty do really well out of it. The question isn't whether it works, it's whether it's worth your evening for the thing you're actually trying to sell.
Designer coat? Absolutely. Bag of babygros? Less obvious than you'd think.
How long selling on Vinted actually takes
One thing to get out of the way first. Sorting the pile into sizes is a job you're doing whatever you decide, whether that's selling, donating or anything else. So it's not really a Vinted cost and it doesn't belong in the sums.
What Vinted specifically costs you, per bundle you list:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Laying out and photographing | 8 min |
| Title, description, size, condition, price | 5 min |
| Messages and haggling | 5-15 min |
| Packing | 8 min |
| Getting it posted | 10 min |
| Roughly, per bundle sold | 40 min |
A bundle of four or five baby items typically sells for five to ten pounds, so that's somewhere around eight to fifteen pounds an hour on the bundles that sell.
Two things that drag it down
Not everything sells. A listing that sits for three months still cost the same thirteen minutes to create. Averaged across everything you list rather than everything you sell, the rate falls.
And the postage trip is only cheap if you're going anyway. A special trip for one parcel can cost more in time than the parcel earned.
The argument that matters more than the hourly rate
And here's the bit that actually settles it, which has nothing to do with how long the listing takes.
You sell a bundle for eight pounds. Then your child needs the next size, and you spend thirty on it secondhand or sixty new. You're twenty-two to fifty pounds down, and you spent an hour getting there.
Selling doesn't solve the problem. It softens it by a few pounds, and the money goes straight back out again on the same category of thing you just sold.
When Vinted is worth it
Branded single items. A Boden coat, a pair of barely-worn Clarks, anything with a name people search for. These sell quickly at a decent price and justify their own listing.
Bundles by size, priced to move. Buyers want a size at a time, so a lot of ten items in 2-3y sells far better than ten separate listings. Less effort, better price, faster.
When you enjoy it. Genuinely. Some people find it satisfying, and if you're one of them the hourly rate is beside the point.
When it is not worth it
Everyday basics. Supermarket vests and sleepsuits are worth so little secondhand that the postage eats the sale.
Anything with a mark. It won't sell, or it will sell and come back, and the return costs you more than the sale was worth.
A whole wardrobe at once. Eleven sizes listed individually is dozens of hours. Most people start and give up around size three, which is why lofts are full of half-sorted bags.
The other places to sell
Local selling groups. Faster than Vinted for bundles, no postage, and the buyer is a parent nearby who wants exactly what you've. The trade is messages that go nowhere and arranging to meet someone.
NCT nearly new sales. You sell at a local event, keep most of the proceeds and buy at the same time. Genuinely good, and the limitation is that they run a few times a year.
Charity shops. No return at all, but the fastest possible route to empty. Most donated clothing gets baled and sold on rather than sold in the shop.
The full comparison, including where each one leads, is in our guide to outgrown clothes.
Selling against swapping, the same bundle both ways
Take a bundle of five items your child has grown out of, and a bundle of five in the next size that they need.
| Selling on Vinted | Swapping on Swapaboo | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting it listed | Photograph, write, price, answer messages | One photo per item, about a minute |
| Waiting | Days to months, or it never sells | Listed straight away |
| What comes back | £5 to £10, minus postage | Credits for every item |
| What you still need | The next size, around £30 secondhand | Nothing, that is what the credits are for |
| What you end up with | £8 and an empty drawer | Five things that fit, for the collection fee |
Both assume a typical five-item bundle. Secondhand replacement priced at roughly 70% below new.
That last row is the whole thing. Selling solves half the problem: the clothes are gone and you've a few pounds. But the child still needs the next size, so the money goes straight back out and you're where you started, minus a morning.
I sold three bundles on Vinted, then worked out what I had earned an hour. I have not listed anything since.
🌱 What the swap does differently
Nothing to write. One photo per item and you're done. No title, no description, no price to guess at, no "is this still available" three times.
It lists straight away. No waiting for a buyer, no relisting something that sat for a month, no reducing the price to shift it.
You skip the buying half entirely. That's the real difference. Selling gets you a few pounds you then spend on the next size. Swapping turns what you've finished with directly into what you need next, with no cash in the middle.
You pick every piece yourself. Any size, any style, from the whole catalogue. It's never a mystery bag, and you're never waiting to see what turns up.
Every item is checked and graded first. No holes, no stains, no heavy wear, and the condition is shown before you claim it. If something arrives not as described, your credits come straight back. Nobody is relying on a stranger's photograph taken in bad light.
Nobody to meet, nothing to chase. No messages, no haggling, no doorstep handover with someone you've never met.
And it keeps going. What arrives becomes the next bundle a few months later, so the same clothes can dress four children instead of one. The only money that changes hands is the delivery or collection, from £1.99.
We're opening in small batches and it's invitation only for now.
Common questions
How much can you get for children's clothes on Vinted?
A bundle of four or five baby items typically sells for five to ten pounds. Individual branded items do considerably better, and everyday supermarket basics often sell for less than the postage costs. Bundling by size usually earns more per hour than listing items separately.
Is Vinted worth it for baby clothes?
It depends what you are selling. Branded items and bundles by size are worth the effort. Everyday basics generally are not, since a bundle takes around forty minutes to photograph, list, answer questions on and post, for five to ten pounds. The bigger issue is that the money goes straight back out on the next size, so selling softens the cost rather than solving it.
What sells best on Vinted for kids?
Recognisable brands, anything barely worn with tags, and bundles grouped by size. Buyers of children's clothes generally want a size at a time rather than one item, so a lot of ten in one size will usually outperform ten separate listings.
What is the fastest way to get rid of children's clothes?
A charity shop, if you want nothing back. A local selling group or a bundle listing, if you want some money for modest effort. A clothes swap, if you want the next size rather than cash. Listing items individually is the slowest route by a wide margin.
Is it better to sell or swap children's clothes?
Selling converts clothes into a small sum you then spend on the next size. Swapping converts them directly into the next size, so nothing needs listing and nothing needs buying. Selling is better if you want cash for something else. Swapping is better if what you actually need is more clothes.