Research has shown that fashion competitor Vinted has the highest ratings by buyers and sellers, beating second-hand market competitors including Amazon (AMZN), eBay and Facebook.
Sellers and buyers have praised the platform and it has an overall customer score of 75%, according to a new analysis from Which?.
Vinted, a fashion and home décor marketplace, also has five stars for its search functionality and ease of communicating with sellers, making an offer and listing items for sale.
Social media giant Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, two more established platforms that sell a wide range of items, came in second, with 68% customer share. The ease of Facebook listing is rated five stars and two stars for paying for items. Gumtree received three or four stars in each category.
eBay and community organization The Freecycle Network followed with 67%.
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Amazon Marketplace ranked fourth with 64% of customers. However, satisfaction with using the powerful technology marketplace and the likelihood of people recommending it declined, compared to its competitors and the average customer score across all platforms, which was 66%. Rated five stars for the search functionality and ease of making an offer or purchase.
Depop, which specializes in fashion and home décor like Vinted, has become a popular choice for young people, who make up 90% of its global user base, but has a score of 61% of customers.
The Preloved Classifieds veteran scored the lowest customer score at 56%. I only get 2 stars for contacting the seller and 2 stars for paying for items.
The consumer group said 66% of the 4,000 people surveyed about buying used an online marketplace and 63% of those asked about selling had sold something used since January 2020.
Despite this, 10% of buyers have filed a complaint with their platform of choice in the past two years, citing goods that are counterfeit or not as described, and not being able to contact customer services when there is a problem.
A fifth of buyers (18%) and 23% of sellers said they had set up accounts in the past year, as the cost-of-living crisis put pressure on family budgets and people looked to shop in a more sustainable way.
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Who else? The research found that 59% of consumers had to make an adjustment of some sort, including selling items, to cover basic spending in the past month.
Natalie Hitchens, which one? The Head of Home Products and Services said: “People are eager to find new ways to save money amid the cost-of-living crisis and shop in a more sustainable way, so it is perhaps unsurprising to see shoppers flock to their flea markets.
“Our research shows that some of the lesser known platforms are highly rated by consumers and can be a good choice for buying and selling used items. However, it is worth considering the buyer protection that different markets offer before parting with your hard-earned cash.”
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