TL;DR: You can make money selling on Vinted and eBay in 2026 with almost no costs: on Vinted UK the buyer pays the fee, and eBay UK charges private sellers no selling fee on their first 300 listings a month. Clearing out what you already own is the quickest, lowest-risk way to earn online, but it runs out when your wardrobe does. Buying stock to resell can become a side business, and from then on it counts as trading for tax.
Selling second-hand things online is the most direct way there is to make money online: you already own the stock, the platforms bring the buyers, and in the UK the two biggest marketplaces now charge private sellers nothing to sell. This guide explains how to make money selling on Vinted and eBay in 2026, what each platform charges according to its own pages, what sells, and where a clear-out ends and a reselling business, with tax to think about, begins.
The figures below are from the platforms’ UK pages and HMRC’s guidance as they stood in October 2026. Fees and rules differ by country, so if you sell elsewhere, check your own marketplace and tax office.
What It Costs to Sell on Vinted and eBay
Vinted: the buyer pays the fee
On Vinted, the platform’s fee is paid by the buyer at checkout and added to the price of the order. Vinted’s help centre says it is usually 3% to 8% of the item or bundle price plus a fixed 30p to 80p, depending on the item and the order. Its price list shows no fee for listing or selling. The only costs a seller can choose are optional promotions: bumps, which push a listing up for 3 or 7 days at a price that depends on the duration and the item, and Showcase, priced at checkout.
eBay: free for private sellers, within limits
eBay UK says private sellers based in the UK pay no final value fee and no regulatory operating fee when their items sell, except in motors (cars, motorcycles and vehicles). Each month you get 300 free listings; after that, each extra listing costs 35p. If you sell to a buyer outside the UK, eBay takes an international fee of 3% of the total sale. Business sellers pay a different set of fees.
The practical difference: Vinted is built around clothes, shoes and accessories, and buyers there expect low prices and quick postage. eBay covers almost everything, from electronics and books to collectables, and its auctions can find the real price of something unusual.
How to Make Money Selling on Vinted: What Sells
Clothes sell best when they are clean, in good condition and from brands people search for. A few habits make the biggest difference:
- Photograph in daylight against a plain background, showing the whole item, the label and any flaws.
- Write the title the way buyers search: brand, item, size and colour, for example “Levi’s 501 jeans W32 L32 dark blue”.
- Price against sold items, not listed ones. What similar things actually sold for is the real market; asking prices are wishes.
- Bundle small items. Several cheap pieces sell better together than one by one, and save you trips to the post office.
- Post quickly. Fast dispatch earns good reviews, and good reviews sell the next item.
On eBay, the same rules apply, plus one more: for anything rare or hard to price, an auction lets buyers set the price for you.
How Much Can You Make?
A clear-out pays once. As an illustration, if you sell 40 pieces of clothing at an average of 8 pounds each, that is 320 pounds, with no selling fee on either platform if you stay within the free listings. Your costs are packaging, any postage you agree to cover, and your time.
The time is the hidden cost. Photographing, listing, answering questions and posting all take time: if each item takes you 15 minutes, those 40 items are 10 hours of work, or 32 pounds an hour, and an item that sells for 3 pounds earns very little for its quarter of an hour. Our side income calculator turns your own numbers into an hourly figure. Selling a few higher-value items is often worth more than a pile of cheap ones.
From Clear-Out to Reselling Business
Some sellers go further and buy to resell: charity-shop and car-boot finds, end-of-season sales, or job lots, sold on for more. It can work, but it changes the maths and the rules:
- You now risk your own money. Stock that does not sell is a loss, and fashion goes out of date.
- It becomes trading. HMRC treats buying items to sell at a profit as trading.
- Margins need to cover everything: what you paid, packaging, the 35p listings once you pass 300 a month on eBay, and your time.
If you enjoy it and want to grow, the next steps look a lot like running a small shop; our guide to starting a webshop from home covers that. If you would rather sell things you design yourself, see print on demand.
Tax When You Sell Online
In the UK, HMRC’s guidance is reassuring for ordinary clear-outs: if you sell your own personal possessions, you probably do not have to pay Income Tax on them. Capital Gains Tax can apply if a single item sells for more than 6,000 pounds.
Trading is different. If you buy items intending to sell them for a profit, or make things to sell, your income counts as trading. The first 1,000 pounds of trading income in a tax year (6 April to 5 April) is covered by the trading allowance; above that, you need to tell HMRC.
Platforms also report sellers to HMRC. Under the digital platform reporting rules, they do not need to report a seller who makes fewer than 30 sales of goods and receives 2,000 euros or less (about 1,700 pounds) in a year; above that, your details are shared. HMRC points out that a report does not by itself mean you owe tax, but you may still need to tell them about your income. Keep a simple record of what you sold, for how much, and what you paid for anything you bought to resell.
Staying Safe
Most problems come from leaving the platform. Keep messages and payments inside Vinted or eBay, where buyer and seller protection apply; never accept payment by bank transfer from a stranger who asks to “skip the fees”, and never click payment links sent in messages. Post with tracking, and photograph valuable items before they go in the box.
Your Checklist
- Start with what you own, and pick the platform that fits: Vinted for clothes, eBay for everything else.
- Photograph well and title the way buyers search.
- Price against sold listings, and bundle cheap items.
- Post fast to build reviews.
- Track your time and takings, and keep records if you start buying to resell.
Selling what you own is the quickest way on this blog to turn something into cash, and it risks nothing. Decluttering can pay within days of listing. Selling what you already own risks nothing; buying stock to resell puts your own money at risk. For ways to earn that keep going after the clear-out, compare the options in our comparison of ways to earn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you pay fees to sell on Vinted?
On Vinted UK the buyer pays the Vinted fee at checkout, usually 3% to 8% plus 30p to 80p, and the price list shows no fee for listing or selling. Sellers only pay if they choose optional promotions such as bumps or Showcase.
Is selling on eBay free for private sellers?
For UK private sellers, yes within limits: no final value fee or regulatory operating fee when items sell, 300 free listings a month and 35p per listing after that. Sales to buyers outside the UK carry a 3% international fee, and motors are excluded.
Do I have to pay tax on things I sell on Vinted or eBay?
In the UK, selling your own personal possessions is probably not taxable, though Capital Gains Tax can apply to an item sold for more than 6,000 pounds. Buying items to resell at a profit counts as trading, with a 1,000 pound trading allowance per tax year.
Will Vinted or eBay report me to HMRC?
Platforms report sellers who make 30 or more sales of goods or receive more than 2,000 euros (about 1,700 pounds) in a year. A report does not by itself mean you owe tax, but HMRC says you may still need to tell them about your income.
