A THRIFTY fashionista has shared her top Vinted selling tips after making £1,200 on the app – and she’s even flogged a dress to a BAFTAs guest.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, 37, has loved vintage clothes and thrift shops for as long as she can remember.
Her passion for second-hand clothing was sparked by her mother Marie-Therese who would take her to thrift stores in France during her childhood.
Zakia, who now lives in Edinburgh, said: “My mum was the best at finding treasure, sometimes matching outfits for me and my sister and stuff.
“When I grew up, that was the only thing we could do really, because we didn’t have the money to go and buy new clothes all the time. And we had really nice clothes because my mother was really good at this.
“She loved it. So she would take the time to do it. This is the only thing I would say, it’s really demanding, it takes time. If you’re shopping quickly, then it’s not for you.”;;
Vintage and second-hand items now make up 90 per cent of Zakia’s wardrobe.
She’s made a commitment to stop buying brand new clothing but admits it can be tough if she needs a piece of clothing for work.
She said: “It’s really hard because a lot of the basic items that you may need are really hard to find second-hand.
“So it doesn’t work all the time, but I’m trying.
“Like if you need something specific, like work trousers or something specifically smart for something, it’s a lot easier to just pop into M&S and just buy something rather than try to search for it.”;;
But Zakia doesn’t just buy second-hand and thrifted items, she sells on items from her wardrobe too.
In the past two years, she has flogged 48 items on Vinted – making an impressive £1,200.
Vinted is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell second hand clothes, shoes and accessories.
It’s completely free to upload clothes to the app and Vinted does not take a cut of sellers’ profits and instead charges buyers a small fee to purchase each item.
Zakia chose the username @VintageMamaScot which showcases her wardrobe style and is a nod to her beloved mum, who passed away during the Covid pandemic.
She said: “I only sell vintage or retro-inspired pieces on Vinted. I think unique items sell well.
“If it’s something you definitely cannot find somewhere else, whether it’s a dress that has a particular vibe or era, that might sell a lot quicker.
“But also good brands. So if you sell something that is a little bit pricey on the high street at an affordable price, that will get snapped up quickly. COS for example, or even things that are no longer made anymore.
“Cosmetics as well, it’s not only clothing, it’s also the beauty brands and stuff. That’s where you can make a lot of money.”;;
She continues: “If you’re anything like me at Christmas, somebody gives you something and it’s totally not you. You can sell it.
“As long as it’s brand new in packaging, as long as it’s not been used, then that’s absolutely fine. I’ve sold perfume and creams and stuff on there and that’s because the retail price is so high, so you can really make money on that.
“I’ve also been gifted pieces from Uniqlo, which is totally not me. So that sold really, really well because I think it’s a good brand and it can be quite pricey.”;;
Zakia is the CEO and founder of Invisible Cities – which arranges walking tours by people who have experienced homelessness. She travels a lot for work, which means she has the chance to find unique pieces along the way.
She said: “I’m very lucky to be able to be in different places and buy different things from different cities.
“In turn, that means that somebody from the UK or from Scotland might be able to buy a dress that is actually coming from the other side of the world – but it’s second-hand and came back in my luggage.”;;
Selling tips
But having interesting items isn’t always enough to get them sold on Vinted.
So Zakia has picked up some handy tips during her time on the app, and they always help her to get the sale.
First up, she maintains the ‘Frequent Uploads’ badge which Vinted gives to sellers if they regularly list five or more items, even if she doesn’t have new clothes to flog.
She said: “If you don’t have too many things to sell, say you only have five items, there’s only so many times you can post, right?
“So what I do is I delete the post and then I upload it again. So Vinted believes that I’m putting up new stuff all the time.”;;
Revealing her next hack, she adds: “And then I always start by knowing what I would absolutely sell it for at a minimum, so that I can reduce the price if needed. Once it’s posted online, I just want it to sell.
“So if I’m reposting, I knock off £1 or 50p. Reducing your items regularly works quite well.”;;
And her most exciting sale to date? A red sequins maxi dress which she had found in a New York thrift store for just $6 (£4.49).
Zakia was gutted when she realised the bargain buy was too big for her so decided to sell it instead.
She managed to sell it on for £15, three times what she paid for it, and even discovered the frock had made it all the way to the BAFTAs.
Guests at this year’s glitzy award bash had been encouraged to “make sustainable fashion choices”;; and buyer Jackie quickly snapped up the sparkly dress. She was so happy with her buy that she sent Zakia a picture from the event.
Zakia said: “It shows how we can absolutely make vintage work on the red carpet.
“It’s an old vintage Debenhams brand. So it must have been the late 80s or maybe the early 90s, I would say.
“And this is just the story of this dress with two of us in it over the last three months. So imagine the stories this dress has seen from the moment it was made.”;;
