When Mali Osmelak joined Vinted in 2024, she saw it as a way to earn a living while managing Crohn's disease and caring for her young daughter. The platform, popular for buying and selling second-hand clothes, seemed like the perfect side hustle. Within months, demand for her gymwear grew so rapidly that she set up a limited company to expand. But what started as a promising venture soon turned into a financial nightmare.

A Growing Business Hits a Roadblock

In March, Osmelak signed up for a Vinted Pro account, designed for business sellers. She quickly generated almost £6,000 in sales. However, when she tried to withdraw her earnings, she discovered her account had been restricted. Vinted required her to complete a verification process, but despite providing all the necessary documents, the checks kept failing. "I thought, 'That's OK. It's not rocket science,'" she says. "I'd set up the business with the help of an accountant and had all the information they needed."

Osmelak says she spotted an error Vinted had made with her name and flagged it, but nothing was done. She found herself stuck in a cycle of automated responses. She also contacted Mangopay, the payments company that operated Vinted's wallets at the time, but was directed back to Vinted. After eight weeks without access to her money, she decided to take legal action, spending £455 in court fees to file a small claim against both companies.

Legal Action and a Partial Victory

Three days after the court claim was filed, Osmelak says her account was "magically verified" and she could withdraw the funds. She still pressed ahead with the case to recover her court fees, costs, and interest. In June, she obtained a default judgement after neither Vinted nor Mangopay responded, with the court ordering the companies to pay £1,207.50. But she has yet to receive the money. She has since been informed that Vinted and Mangopay have applied to have the judgement set aside, with a hearing scheduled for December.

"It's been ridiculous and incredibly stressful," she says. "I need that cash. I will fight it. I'm going to tell the court their system is completely broken. I needed help and nobody helped me."

Vinted said: "Ms Osmelak's check was not successful because her documents did not match the name on her Vinted account. We have since helped her update it, and her account is now verified." The company did not respond to questions about the legal action. Mangopay said it was "bound to professional secrecy and data protection obligations" and could not comment on individual cases.

Another Seller's Ordeal

Azri Mukthar, a sportswear seller, has faced similar difficulties. He has been trying to withdraw almost £2,500 from his Vinted account for over a year. Mukthar, who was already registered as a limited company, was happy to become a Pro seller. "I submitted all the documentation they requested and got the go-ahead from Vinted. So then I uploaded all the products and got 30 to 40 sales immediately," he says. But when he tried to withdraw his earnings, he found he couldn't. "They said my verification was pending," he says.

Mukthar claims he has repeatedly submitted documents only to have them rejected. He says a certificate from Companies House that Vinted requested has been declined 15 times. "It's frustrating and annoying as there's no clear system to follow," he says. "You contact customer support and they say you've not submitted X, Y or Z. But I know I have done all they're asking for." Mukthar has now stopped selling on Vinted and says he will start legal action.

Vinted said: "Mr Mukthar's check could not be completed because he did not provide all the required documents. Our support team is currently in touch with him to help with his verification."

Wider Concerns

Vinted, which has 17 million users in the UK, does not charge sellers a fee for listing items. It says sellers may be asked to complete verification checks to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and that 98% of transactions are completed smoothly without needing help from its support team. However, after the BBC reported on users whose accounts had been suspended or banned, dozens of people got in touch describing difficulties accessing money held in their Vinted wallets. The cases of Osmelak and Mukthar highlight the frustration and financial strain that can occur when automated systems fail and human support is hard to reach.