Compare Standard vs Pro accounts at a glance
Vinted runs two distinct account types under separate contracts. A standard account is for private individuals selling their own pre-loved items. A Pro account is for sole traders, companies and non-profits selling as a business. The two account types are governed by different Terms of Use and carry very different legal responsibilities.
Straight from Vinted's own pages
Every claim in the tables below is anchored to Vinted's published rules. If you want to check any of it against the source, these are the five pages you need:
- Commercial Selling policy — Vinted's definition of who counts as commercial and must go Pro
- Catalogue Rules — what can and cannot be listed by any seller, plus Pro-specific carve-outs
- Pro Sellers' Guide — Vinted's own summary of what a Pro account permits
- Pro Seller Terms and Conditions — the contract Pro sellers sign up to
- Pro Sellers' Standard Terms of Sale — the consumer contract with buyers
The one line that unlocks the whole debate, verbatim from Vinted's Commercial Selling page: "Commercial selling is only allowed for Pro sellers on Vinted as part of our Catalogue Rules." A Pro account is not a warning label. It is the account type Vinted's own rules say commercial sellers must use.
Here is a side-by-side comparison based on Vinted's own Terms and UK consumer law:
| Area | Standard account | Pro account |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Private individuals clearing out their own pre-loved items across clothes, home, electronics, entertainment, hobbies and sports | Sole traders, limited companies and non-profits selling as a business |
| What you can sell | Second-hand items only in practice. New items are heavily restricted and can trigger a ban if Vinted flags the account as commercial | The Pro Terms do not restrict Pro sellers to second-hand goods, but Section 4.2 still prohibits "a large number of brand new items, including items with tags". That threshold is undefined |
| Legal status of the seller | Private seller. Buyers have very limited statutory rights on private sales | Business seller under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Buyers get the full suite of consumer protections |
| 14-day cooling off period | Does not apply. A private seller is not required to offer returns | Applies. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, buyers can return goods within 14 days of delivery for any reason |
| Warranty and defects | Item must be as described. No obligation to match a legal warranty | Item must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Buyers can request repair, replacement or refund under CRA 2015 |
| Additional Policies page | Not required | Required. Pro sellers must publish refund, warranty and complaints procedures on their Vinted profile |
| Fees paid by seller | No seller commission. Listing and selling are free. The buyer pays the Buyer Protection fee. Standard sellers can optionally pay for Item Bump (around £0.95/3 days) or Wardrobe Spotlight (around £6.95/7 days) | Fees apply, but Vinted does not publish Pro commission rates publicly. Rates are set per category and disclosed to the seller on signup, plus optional paid visibility features |
| VAT | Not applicable to occasional private sales | Must register for VAT once taxable turnover exceeds the UK threshold of £90,000 in a rolling 12-month period. VAT is charged on top of the sale price |
| Refund handling | Disputes go through Vinted's Buyer Protection process | Pro sellers cannot refund buyers directly. Refunds are issued via Vinted's payment system once the buyer uses the "I have an issue" flow |
| HMRC reporting | Reported to HMRC if you cross 30 sales or roughly £1,700 in a calendar year | Always reported. Pro sellers are automatically treated as trading and expected to be registered for Self Assessment |
If you have received a message from Vinted telling you to convert to Pro or lose access to the platform, this is the framework being applied to your account. See Q19 for who can register as Pro in the UK and Q21 for what HMRC expects from Pro sellers.
What you can and cannot do on each account
This is the practical version. What actually happens when you try to do each of these things on a standard account versus a Pro account:
| Activity | Standard account | Pro account |
|---|---|---|
| Sell brand new items with tags | Not permitted at scale. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy lists "Large quantities of items with tags and/or brand-new items" as a criterion that reclassifies you as commercial, which means the account must convert to Pro or be banned | Yes. Vinted's own Pro Sellers' Guide states verbatim: "You can list as many items as you want, for free." Vinted's Commercial Selling page confirms: "Commercial selling is only allowed for Pro sellers on Vinted." No published cap on brand-new items on a Pro account |
| Sell multiples of the same item in different colours or sizes | Not permitted. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy explicitly lists "Identical or similar items in multiple different colours and/or sizes" as a commercial-activity flag. Standard accounts caught doing this are required to convert to Pro | Yes. Listing identical items in multiple sizes and colours is exactly the behaviour Vinted's Commercial Selling policy says a Pro account is needed for. No published rule prohibits multi-variant listings on a Pro account |
| Sell bulk stock (pallets, wholesale, job lots) | Not permitted. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy flags sourcing patterns that suggest "a regular income or profit from Vinted". Pallet or wholesale sourcing lands squarely in this. Standard accounts must convert to Pro | Yes. No published Vinted rule prohibits pallet, wholesale or job-lot sourcing on a Pro account. Pro accounts exist precisely to permit this kind of sourcing under UK consumer law |
| Sell large volumes of similar items | Not permitted. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy lists "Identical or similar items from the same category and/or brand" and "Large quantities of low-value items" as commercial-activity flags. Standard accounts must convert to Pro | Yes. Vinted's Pro Guide permits unlimited listings. No published Vinted term sets a numerical volume ceiling on Pro accounts. Where Vinted are enforcing an internal threshold against Pro sellers, that threshold has never been published — see Q26 |
| Sell over 30 items a year | Allowed but reported. Vinted will share your details with HMRC once you cross 30 sales or roughly £1,700 in a calendar year. You may still not owe tax if it is a genuine wardrobe clear-out | Yes. High volume is expected. Always reported to HMRC regardless of number of sales |
| Buy items specifically to resell | Not permitted. Meets the HMRC Badges of Trade test. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy flags selling "with the goal of making a regular income or profit from Vinted." Standard accounts must convert to Pro | Yes. Buying stock to resell for profit is the defining activity of a business account. Vinted's Commercial Selling policy is explicit: "Commercial selling is only allowed for Pro sellers." No published rule prohibits resale sourcing on a Pro account |
| Sell handmade or crafted items | Occasional only. One user was told directly by Vinted: "a small number of unique handmade items is allowed if this activity is occasional and they comply with the catalogue rules". Duplicates or high volume trigger the commercial classification and account suspension | Effectively no. The same Catalogue Rules apply. Handmade cosmetics, electronics, kids' toys, decor, school supplies, pushchairs, safety equipment and nursing or feeding items are fully banned for both account types. Anything beyond occasional makes the account commercially non-viable |
| Sell items at a mark-up over what you paid | Case by case. An occasional vintage find that appreciated is fine. Consistently pricing above cost is a Badges of Trade indicator | Yes. Selling at profit is the point of a business account |
| Modify or repair items to improve resale value | No. Upcycling for resale is trading, not personal selling | Yes. Permitted. Modified items must still be accurately described |
| Offer paid promotion or bumps on your own listings | Yes. Standard accounts can use Vinted's paid visibility features | Yes. Pro accounts get expanded paid visibility options |
| Refuse a return or refund | Often yes. Private sales carry no automatic right to return unless the item is not as described | No. Pro sellers must honour the 14-day cooling off period and CRA 2015 rights. Refunds are processed by Vinted, not by the seller directly |
| Trade above the £90,000 VAT threshold | Not applicable. Turnover at this level is not consistent with a standard account and would be reclassified | Yes. Permitted, but you must register for VAT and charge VAT on your prices |
| Sell cosmetics or beauty products | New and sealed only. Standard sellers may list unused cosmetics, perfume, makeup, skincare and hair-care products, provided they are new, unopened, in the original packaging and not expired. Used, opened, tested or unpackaged cosmetics are banned | Fully prohibited. Vinted's Catalogue Rules state "Pro sellers are not allowed to sell items of the cosmetic category". Any cosmetics listed on a Pro account will trigger removal and may lead to suspension |
Colour key: Green is clearly allowed, amber is technically allowed but risky or capped, red is prohibited or a trigger for enforcement.