MUM Paulomi Debnath spends just a couple of hours a month selling her son’s old clothes on Vinted – but she’s already made £500.
The 44-year-old, who lives in Romford, east London, with her husband, Avik, and their 13-year-old son, uses the app to make extra cash.
Paulomi Debnath, who is the founder and artist of sustainable jewellery and home decor brand, Handmade by Tinni, has revealed the exact time you need to list items to guarantee an quick sale.
The best time to add an item is after 6pm, says Paulomi.
“I find this is when buyers tend to be most active,” she said.
“This gives me the best chance of getting some responses – and hopefully of selling within 24 hours.
“When I list things at different times of day, I don’t tend to get anywhere near as much traction.”
Before listing an item she researches the market price, and then she lists it at an amount that is just below the top price on the site.
She said: “The key is to leave a little wriggle room for negotiations. I’ve found that typically, buyers like to ‘offer’ at around 10% below the asking price.”
Paulomi’s aim is to price things so that they will sell relatively quickly with a little bit of a margin.
“But if, say, I’m listing a jumper that my son has worn a few times, I know I can’t ask too high a price for it,” she said.
“In that scenario, I tend to go for a ‘base level’ that will cover the cost of packaging and ensure a fast sale.”
She will also delete old listings and add them again in a bid to sell them.
“If an item has not had many views, I would recommend taking it down if it hasn’t sold within a week,” she said.
“You can then add it again for free after a month with refreshed titles and hashtags – and perhaps with new pictures.”
The entrepreneurial mum set up an account on Vinted almost a year ago and started going through her son’s cupboards.
“I listed good-quality hoodies, jumpers and shoes and they proved popular and sold fast,” she said.
“This spurred me on to list more items, so I went through my wardrobes and started putting up items that I was no longer wearing, including a load of skirts and dresses.”
And it doesn’t take her much time.
“I don’t devote a set amount of time to selling each week or month,” she said.
“I just list items of clothing and accessories that were owned by me, my son, or my husband as and when we want to get rid of them.”
The mum fits this in as and when she can, around running her own business full-time.
VINTED shared with The Sun some of the most popular items on the app:
If you fancy following in Paulomi’s footsteps and flogging your old stuff on Vinted, you need to get up to speed with the new rules on tax.
The good news is, if you only sell a handful of second-hand items online each year – and are selling personal items for less than you paid when they bought them new – there should be nothing to worry about.
But what you need to know is that since January this year, platforms such as Vinted, eBay, Amazon and Etsy have been required to share seller information with HMRC.
As part of a crackdown, data must be passed to HMRC if you sell 30 items or more a year – or if you earn more than £1,700.
If you’re selling items online, you may be liable to pay tax if you earn £1,000 or more.
This isn’t a new tax.
It has always been the case that sellers who earn over £1,000 in 12 months must declare that income – and pay income tax on it.
You do this by filling out a self-assessment tax return.
The aim of the crackdown is to ensure that individuals who boost their income with a side hustle pay up what they owe. Read more here.
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