Vinted has become France’s top clothing seller, outpacing Amazon and Shein, while reporting a 36 percent jump in revenue to €813.4 million and expanding into electronics, logistics, and investment — redefining the future of sustainable retail in Europe.
What started in Vilnius as a niche site for used clothing is now the largest seller of apparel in France — outpacing Amazon, Shein, and every legacy brand still clinging to linear models of consumption.
This year, Vinted reported a 36 percent jump in revenue, reaching €813.4 million, with profits nearly tripling to €95.4 million, according to its latest financial filings. It is now valued at €5 billion and operates across 23 markets. The French Fashion Institute confirmed what many had suspected: Vinted is officially the biggest clothing retailer in France by sales volume. That puts it ahead of new retailers as well as other secondhand platforms, including the Paris-based Vestiaire Collective.
The recommerce market is growing fast, but Vinted is moving faster. The European second-hand sector is worth €94 billion and projected to grow 14 percent by 2027, according to Ecommerce News Europe. In France alone, pre-owned fashion now represents 10.9 percent of all clothing sales, and among shoppers aged 18 to 34, that number jumps to 16.3 percent. “We see our current position as a solid foundation to build this future on,” said Thomas Plantenga, Vinted’s CEO. “We’ll continue to learn and improve.”
In a retail economy obsessed with novelty, Vinted has bet everything on what’s already been worn. It is a decision both economic and ideological. The company doesn’t just offer bargain finds and celebrity wardrobes — it sells the idea that fashion doesn’t have to be wasteful. While most brands compete over carbon targets and traceability reports, Vinted is building an ecosystem where the clothing is already made; it just needs a second chance.
Vinted’s rise to prominence isn’t just a French phenomenon, but the French embrace of the platform has proven pivotal. This spring, the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) released a sweeping report on retail performance across both online and offline channels. In it, Vinted emerged not just as a digital disruptor, but the top clothing seller overall. Amazon ranked second, followed by Kiabi. Chinese fast fashion giants Shein and Temu trailed far behind, landing in fifth and 24 places respectively.
“Given the potential size of the market, we know there’s a huge opportunity ahead,” Plantenga said. His confidence is well placed. Online apparel now accounts for 29.4 percent of total clothing sales in France, a figure that has steadily climbed year over year. Of that, nearly one-third comes from Amazon, Shein, and Temu combined — yet their influence continues to wane as consumers grow savvier about sustainability and price transparency. Thirty-six percent of all clothing purchases in France occur during promotional periods, and the recommerce economy leans hard into that logic.
That cost-consciousness has fueled a broader rethinking of ownership and longevity. What was once a category relegated to thrift stores and side hustles is now embedded into consumer behavior. Gen Z and younger millennials are fueling the shift. But Vinted’s expansion strategy suggests it is looking beyond fashion.
In 2024, the platform quietly expanded into electronics, allowing users to buy and sell speakers, headphones, fitness trackers, and laptops. It also launched Vinted Ventures, an investment arm designed to back startups in the circular economy. Meanwhile, its payments service, Vinted Pay, debuted in Lithuania to streamline buyer-seller transactions, and its logistics platform, Vinted Go, has been scaling a proprietary network of lockers and drop-off points across Europe.
Each of these moves signals a larger ambition. While luxury platforms like The RealReal or Vestiaire Collective cater to curated niches, and newer startups like Curtsy or Depop ride aesthetic waves, Vinted is engineering something more foundational: a recommerce infrastructure. It doesn’t want to be the eBay of fashion. It wants to be the Amazon of second-hand everything.
Founded in 2008, Vinted was Lithuania’s first unicorn, and today employs more than 2,200 people, most based in its Vilnius headquarters. Unlike many startups at this scale, the company has focused heavily on operational control, reinvesting profits into logistics, fulfillment, and customer support. That might explain why it has gained consumer trust in a space that is often plagued by inconsistent shipping and quality control.
Yet success in the recommerce space is not guaranteed. Fragmented supply, counterfeit risks, and unpredictable demand cycles still pose challenges. Brands entering resale must navigate the tension between margin pressure and brand perception. Vinted, however, has sidestepped much of that by operating as a peer-to-peer marketplace, where it controls the platform — but not the inventory. This approach allows for scale without the complications of warehousing or authentication.
Still, as it enters luxury, expectations will change. High-value goods require trust, and consumers expect both verification and elevated service. Whether Vinted can translate its mainstream appeal into a premium experience remains to be seen. What is clear is that it has become the clearest indicator of where the fashion economy is headed.
Second-hand has always had this stigma of being the lesser option, but the data shows something different. Today, second-hand is the first choice for millions of shoppers. The shift has not gone unnoticed by traditional retailers. Many are launching their own resale initiatives — some in partnership with white-label providers like ThredUp, others through in-house efforts. But the margins are slimmer, and the scale is harder to achieve. Vinted’s edge lies in its singular focus. “This performance is the result of our hard work to deliver products that bring high value for members at the lowest possible cost,” Plantenga said.
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