Shein clothing sold as vintage on Vinted, DR finds

Clothing resembling products from Chinese ultra-fast fashion retailer Shein is being sold as vintage on the second-hand platform Vinted, an investigation by DR has found.

The listings appear under the category Vintage Love, where tops without visible brand labels are presented as second-hand finds. DR found 10 examples in a few hours of research by comparing images from Vinted with images on Shein.

Vinted is an app and website where users buy and sell second-hand clothing, shoes and other items.

Shein clothing is often listed at higher prices under Vintage Love, or without a category, than when it is identified as Shein clothing. One grey top with a slightly high neckline and buttons was listed for between 7 and 70 kroner when Shein was named as the brand. Similar listings without a brand or under the vintage category were priced at up to 200 or 260 kroner.

Daniel Mathias Bager, a senior legal adviser at the Danish Consumer Council, reviewed DR’s examples and described the listings as misleading.

“You believe you are buying an old second-hand garment, but end up buying clothing from the lowest end when it comes to quality and the environment,” he said.

He said this was particularly unfortunate because many people are likely motivated by the desire to do something positive for the environment when they buy second-hand clothing.

However, Bager said it was doubtful that buyers would be able to recover their money in such transactions. The sales take place between two private individuals, meaning consumer rights are not immediately as strong as when buying directly from a company, he explained.

Vinted told DR that selling Shein clothing as vintage violates the platform’s guidelines.

“We want people to know what they are buying on Vinted, so presenting products misleadingly in any way is against our guidelines,” the company’s press service wrote.

Seller says the clothing is no longer new

DR contacted several users who were selling Shein clothing as vintage. One seller offering a white lace top with short sleeves said she saw no problem with the listing because the blouse had become second-hand.

“It is not new. I assume we sell everything that has been used here, under Vintage Love? I bought it from a friend and am now selling it,” she wrote.

“With all my clothes where I do not know the brand, or where the brand is not known, I just tag them Vintage Love. Not a big deal,” she wrote.

Shein is a Chinese online retailer selling what is known as ultra-fast fashion. The term refers to the continuous arrival of new products, at an even faster pace than at fast-fashion chains such as H&M and Zara.

Bager said that distinction did not apply to vintage clothing. While second-hand refers to all reused clothing, he said vintage clothing is generally understood to have a certain age and presumably a certain level of quality.

“In my assessment, Shein clothing is not vintage, and it probably never will be, because it will wear out before it can become vintage due to its poor quality,” he said.

Other users contacted by DR said they regretted listing Shein clothing as vintage and had not known what they were doing.

One seller said she had taken the blouse from a friend and therefore did not know it was from Shein. She said it was annoying when people described Shein clothing as vintage and deleted her listing.

Another seller said she had bought the top at a second-hand shop, where it had no brand label. She apologised and called it embarrassing that she had unknowingly been part of the practice. She also deleted her listing.