A buyer has up to 2 days after receipt to report a problem on Vinted via "I have an issue", and roughly 85 to 90% of disputes over a parcel not received are decided in their favour (France Litige); hence the point of never refunding out of your own pocket or sending an item back before the investigation ends, and of systematically keeping proof of drop-off and photos of the packed item before shipping. As long as the buyer has not received the item under the announced conditions, you remain responsible for the proper execution of the sale; loss in transit, damage, non-conformity. This guide details the procedure on the seller's side, what changes depending on the marketplace, and above all how to limit the risk of a dispute before you even stick on the label.
You have been there: a sale that goes well, a parcel shipped on time, and then a message "I have an issue with my order" that lands five days later. The natural reaction is panic: should I refund right away, send an item back, reply with what? The good news is that the procedure is well mapped out and, if you have the right prevention reflexes, most disputes are resolved without you losing a cent.
What happens when a buyer clicks "I have an issue"?
The buyer has 2 days after delivery to open a dispute by specifying the nature of the problem; item not received, damaged in transit, or not as described are the three reasons recognised by Buyer Protection (Adéas, WhatsUpTiger). Vinted first encourages an amicable resolution between seller and buyer before arbitrating.
In practice, the buyer must provide photos or a precise description of the defect found, or report the absence of a parcel. You, as the seller, receive a notification and can reply directly in the conversation linked to the order, which is often where everything is decided. A seller who replies quickly, with the right evidence (photo of the item before shipping, proof of drop-off, parcel tracking), defuses a good share of disputes before a human arbitrator even has to decide. If no agreement is reached between the two parties, it is Vinted support that decides based on the evidence provided by each side (Le Médiateaseur).
The point to remember: once this 2-day period has passed without any report, the payment is automatically released and paid to the seller. It is a short period on the buyer's side, but it also means that the risk window for you as a seller is clearly defined in time, it does not drag on indefinitely.
Who is responsible if the parcel is lost in transit?
As a seller, you remain responsible for the proper execution of the sale until the buyer actually receives the item, so it is up to you, not the buyer, to contact the carrier in case of loss (Ekie). The good news is that you are not financially responsible if you have kept your proof of drop-off.
The typical procedure looks like this: you gather your evidence (shipping label, proof of drop-off, possibly a photo of the packed item), you inform the buyer through the marketplace's messaging to reassure them that you are handling the problem, then you contact the carrier to open an investigation. The carrier then has 15 to 21 working days to rule; often 10 to 15 days for Mondial Relay or Colissimo, a little less for Chronopost (Fripio). Once the investigation is closed, if the loss is confirmed, Vinted refunds the buyer in full (generally within 5 working days), and it is the carrier that compensates on its side, up to its own ceiling, not you.
This is where the golden rule takes on its full meaning: never refund the buyer out of your own pocket, and never send a replacement item before the investigation concludes. If you do, and the carrier then pays compensation as normal, you do not get back the money that went out prematurely, you lose twice for a single incident.
Who pays if the buyer receives a damaged item?
If the item arrives damaged in transit, it is in practice the carrier that pays, through the insurance included in the shipping price; the buyer is refunded by the marketplace, which then turns to the carrier if the investigation confirms a handling error (Vinted, official help centre). The seller only refunds out of their own pocket if the evidence shows that the defect already existed before shipping.
This is exactly why photographing the item just before packing (its real condition, any small defect already visible on the listing) protects you twice over: it proves that the item matched the description at the time of shipping, and it allows you to show that damage found on arrival happened afterwards, during transport. Without this evidence, a seller ends up having to take the buyer's word for it, or to contest with nothing concrete to put forward.
How long does it take, and who decides in the end?
The marketplace's support decides based on the evidence provided by both parties: about 72% of disputes are resolved thanks to visual evidence (Vendy Studio), and the rate of decisions in the buyer's favour rises to 85-90% for parcel-not-received cases; the simplest case to document on the buyer's side. This figure is not a fatality against the seller: it mostly reflects that the majority of reported disputes are real cases of loss, where the buyer is indeed right.
Your best lever is therefore not to hope to win a power struggle, but to document every shipment systematically so as to be on the right side of the 15-30% of disputes that do turn in the seller's favour when the evidence allows. Once the decision is given, refund times are quick: a few hours to 5 working days for a transfer to the buyer's wallet when a dispute is decided in their favour.
Do the rules change depending on the marketplace (Vinted, eBay, Leboncoin)?
Yes, each marketplace has its own deadlines and its own arbitration mechanism, even if the general principle (the seller remains responsible until receipt, evidence decides) remains broadly the same. If you sell on several marketplaces at once, knowing these differences saves you from handling every dispute with the same reflexes everywhere.
| Marketplace | Buyer reporting deadline | Who decides | Who compensates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinted | 2 days after receipt ("I have an issue") | Vinted support, based on the evidence | Carrier (confirmed loss/damage), buyer refunded by Vinted |
| eBay | Up to 90 days for a payment/return dispute (eBay) | Seller accepts or contests, otherwise eBay arbitrates through the eBay customer guarantee | Seller (refund) or funds held on eBay's side for up to 90 days |
| Leboncoin (secure payment) | 72h after confirmed delivery, 3 days to report a non-conformity (Leboncoin, help centre) | Leboncoin support, protection capped at €2,500 | Carrier (according to its ceiling), marketplace for the rest covered |
The full comparison between these three marketplaces, beyond disputes alone, is detailed in our article Vinted vs eBay vs Leboncoin: where to sell what. One constant to remember on eBay in particular: unlike Vinted, a payment dispute can hold the seller's funds for up to 90 days during the investigation, a much longer period that is worth knowing if you manage your cash flow tightly.
How do you protect yourself before even shipping the parcel?
The best protection against a dispute is not reacting well afterwards; it is never leaving room for doubt before shipping: photo of the packed item, honest description of flaws, careful packaging, and a carrier with systematic tracking. A seller who documents every shipment spends the least possible time handling disputes, simply because they have fewer.
A few concrete reflexes that make a real difference:
- Photograph the item just before closing the box or envelope, with a timestamp if possible. It is your only proof that the item was conforming and in good condition at the time of departure.
- Mention every flaw honestly in the listing, even minor, a pulled thread or a stain flagged upfront can no longer serve as a legitimate reason for a dispute afterwards. Our method for photos that sell and our guide on descriptions that convert detail how to stay honest without devaluing your listing.
- Pack carefully, thinking about real transport (knocks, crushing), not just the look of the parcel.
- Always choose a shipment with active tracking, never a shipment without traceability: without it, you have no way of proving a drop-off in case of dispute. Our guide on shipping with Vinted Go, Mondial Relay and Colissimo details how to choose the right carrier according to what you sell.
- Keep your proof of drop-off (scanned or photographed shipping label) until receipt is confirmed, it is the document that clears you in case of loss.
If the value of the item exceeds the carriers' basic compensation ceilings (about €23/kg for Colissimo, €25 incl. VAT for Mondial Relay, or Chronopost's Ad Valorem bands (€500, €1,000, €2,000, €5,000)), remember to take out an additional declared value at the time of shipping. Without it, in case of confirmed loss, the carrier's compensation may be well below the real selling price of the item.
And if the decision really seems unfair?
If you disagree with the decision given and the dialogue with the marketplace's support does not succeed, you can refer the matter free of charge to a consumer mediator, provided you have first sent a written complaint that went unanswered or was answered unsatisfactorily. Vinted, a member of FEVAD (the French e-commerce and distance selling federation), is required to give you access to this independent remedy, with a processing time that can go up to 90 days (France Litige).
It is a last-resort remedy, rarely necessary if you have kept your evidence from the start, but useful to know, especially if a dispute seems to you to rest on a manifest error of judgement rather than on a real disagreement over facts.
If you sell on several marketplaces in parallel, keeping track of every order and every conversation with the buyer in one place (rather than juggling the messaging of Vinted, eBay and Leboncoin) avoids losing precious time the day you have to pull out a piece of evidence quickly. This is one of the concrete benefits of a crosslisting tool like StoFlow: your sales stay centralised, so an order's history can be found in seconds, not by rummaging through three different apps.
Remember the essentials: a dispute is neither a fatality nor a judgement on your reliability as a seller; it is a mapped-out procedure, with precise deadlines and rules known in advance. Document every shipment before it leaves, never refund before an investigation ends, and know your carrier's ceilings. The rest, in the vast majority of cases, is resolved without you having to take a cent out of your own pocket.