Vinted took the world by storm a few years ago. It's Lithuania's first "unicorn." In case you're wondering, that's not a mythical horse-like animal, but rather tech speak for a private start-up with a valuation of at least $1billion.
The online thrift shop had been around for a while before it gained traction. It was the brainchild of then 22-year-old Milda Mitkute and her friend, Justas Janauskas. In 2008, Mitkute bumped into Janauskas at a house party. She told her friend that she was moving and wanted to clear out her closet. Janauskas happened to have programming experience.
"Two weeks later, they launched a website to sell 100 items of Mitkute’s clothing," reports the Guardian. "It was an amateur effort; initially, they forgot to include a 'buy' button."
#2 I Cant Stop Laughing, One Of The Funniest Encounters Ive Had! (No Personal Info)
#3 This Is The Second Most Sweet Thing I Have Had A Vinted Seller Do For Me
Mitkute says that, for her parents in Soviet Lithuania, “you bought second-hand because you didn’t have money”. Today, it's a different story. “Our mission is to make second-hand the first choice globally,” says Vinted’s CEO, Adam Jay, who himself is a Vinted user.
While Vinted grew a lot in Lithuania in the early days, it would be a while before the company really made waves. Mitkute and Janauskas could barely afford their server bills, reports the Guardian. But that all changed in 2011, when Lithuanian businessman Mantas Mikuckas came on board as an angel investor.
The businessman reportedly said, "Guys, do you understand what you have created?" And the founders responded by saying, "Yes, it’s a platform for girls to sell items."
"No," said Mikuckas, "It’s much bigger.’” And he was right.
Today, Vinted has over 75 million users, is backed by a number of venture capital funds, and has made Mitkute a household name in Lithuania and further afield.
As this listicle proves, the platform is not devoid of drama. And disputes are Vinted's curse, or main appeal, depending on how you look at it, reports the Guardian.
"The Instagram account @DMDrama documents fraught and often hilarious Vinted interactions to its 617,000 followers," reveals the media outlet. "Highlights include a potential buyer who offered 17p for a single pair of baby socks, a user who found a piece of broccoli in a pair of shoes and a pair locked in a tense six-page message thread over a minuscule stain on a £1.50 top."
@DMDrama’s anonymous founder say the worst offenders are “the Y2K girlies who love Brandy Melville – they’re very sassy”, or “the streetwear cool kids who get loads of money from mum and dad to spend on Supreme”.
The IG account's founder says “Someone has died, or something to do with hospitals” are frequent excuses for not posting items on time – as are women claiming to be in labor.
"When buying from private sellers on Vinted, your rights are nowhere near as strong as when buying from a shop," warns the Money Saving Expert site. "Buy from a private seller and the only protection is that it's correctly described and the owner has the right to sell it."
#15 I Came Across A Really Interesting Way Of Presenting Clothes And Wanted To Share
