A Vinted seller who could not get at almost £6,000 of her own earnings has taken the marketplace and its payments partner to court, and the case is now heading for a hearing in December. The BBC reported on Tuesday that Mali Osmelak, who sells second-hand gymwear through a Vinted Pro account, spent eight weeks stuck behind a failed verification check before she filed a small claims action against Vinted and Mangopay.
Her account was verified three days after the claim was filed. She then won a default judgment of £1,207.50 in June, which she says has still not been paid, and the two companies have applied to have it set aside. A second Pro seller told the BBC he has been unable to withdraw almost £2,500 for more than a year.
The story matters well beyond two sellers. Vinted says it has 17 million UK users, and a growing number of them are small businesses that rely on the platform for income. This article sets out what the BBC found, why Vinted holds sellers’ money at all, which regulated firm actually has your balance, and the practical steps a UK seller can take when a verification check will not clear.
In short
- The case: Vinted Pro seller Mali Osmelak could not withdraw almost £6,000 after verification failed; her account cleared three days after she sued, the BBC reports.
- The court: she won a £1,207.50 default judgment in June covering fees, costs and interest; Vinted and Mangopay have applied to set it aside, with a hearing in December.
- Vinted’s position: the check failed because her documents did not match the name on her account, and 98% of transactions complete without help from support.
- Who holds the money: balances sit with regulated e-money firms, Mangopay (regulated in Luxembourg) or Vinted Pay (FCA authorised since 13 March 2026), not with the marketplace itself.
- Your options: fix name mismatches first, use the formal complaint route, then the Financial Ombudsman or a county court money claim, which cost Mali £455 in fees.
What did the BBC find about Vinted Pro sellers?
The BBC’s business correspondent Emma Simpson and business reporter Danielle Codd published the investigation shortly after midnight on 10 November. It follows the BBC’s August reporting on Vinted users whose accounts had been suspended or banned, after which, the broadcaster says, dozens of people got in touch describing difficulties getting at money held in their Vinted wallets.
The lead case is Mali Osmelak. According to the BBC, she joined Vinted in 2024 as a side income while managing Crohn’s disease and caring for her four-year-old daughter. Demand for her second-hand gymwear grew quickly, and within months she had set up a limited company to expand.
From side hustle to Pro account
This year she signed up for a Vinted Pro account, the version of the platform designed for registered businesses selling in volume. The BBC reports that she generated almost £6,000 in sales within weeks. When she tried to withdraw the money, she found the account had been restricted and was told she needed to complete a verification process.
She told the BBC she had set the business up with an accountant and had every document she expected to need. She also says she spotted an error Vinted had made with her name and flagged it, but the verification kept failing and she found herself in a cycle of automated responses. When she contacted Mangopay, the payments company that at the time operated Vinted sellers’ wallets, she was directed back to Vinted.
The court claim and the default judgment
After eight weeks without access to the money, she took both companies to the small claims court, paying £455 in court fees. She says the account was “magically verified” three days after the claim was filed and she was then able to withdraw her funds.
She pressed on to recover her court fees, costs and interest. In June she obtained a default judgment after neither Vinted nor Mangopay responded, with the court ordering them to pay £1,207.50. She told the BBC she has not received the money, and that both companies have applied to have the judgment set aside, with a hearing scheduled for December.
| Date (2026) | Event in the Osmelak case | Source |
|---|---|---|
| March | Becomes a Vinted Pro seller; sales reach almost £6,000 within weeks | BBC |
| Spring | Withdrawal blocked; verification fails repeatedly; name error flagged | BBC |
| About eight weeks later | Files a small claims action against Vinted and Mangopay, paying £455 in fees | BBC |
| Three days after filing | Account verified; funds withdrawn | Seller’s account to the BBC |
| June | Default judgment of £1,207.50 after no response from either company | BBC |
| Since June | Judgment unpaid; both companies apply to set it aside | BBC |
| December | Set-aside hearing scheduled | BBC |
A second seller still waiting
The BBC also spoke to sportswear seller Azri Mukthar, who says he has been trying to withdraw almost £2,500 for more than a year. He was already trading as a limited company and says Vinted approved his documents at sign-up, after which he made 30 to 40 sales straight away. When he tried to withdraw, he could not.
He told the BBC that a Companies House certificate Vinted requested has been declined 15 times, and that each submission brought an immediate rejection. He has stopped selling on Vinted and says he will have to start legal action.
What do Vinted and Mangopay say?
Both companies responded to the BBC, though neither addressed the litigation in detail. Their statements are the only account of the platform’s side, so they are worth setting out in full context.
On Ms Osmelak, Vinted said her check “was not successful because her documents did not match the name on her Vinted account”, adding that it has since helped her update the name and her account is now verified. The BBC says the company did not respond to questions about the legal action she has taken and continues to pursue.
On Mr Mukthar, Vinted said his check “could not be completed because he did not provide all the required documents”, and that its support team is in touch with him to help with verification. More generally, Vinted said sellers may be asked to complete verification checks to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and that 98% of transactions are completed smoothly without needing help from its support team.
Mangopay told the BBC it was “bound to professional secrecy and data protection obligations” and so could not comment on individual cases, accounts, transactions or legal matters. That position is common among regulated payment firms, but it leaves sellers with little visibility into why a specific check failed.
| Party | Position reported by the BBC | What it leaves unanswered |
|---|---|---|
| Mali Osmelak | Name error was Vinted’s; checks failed in a loop of automated replies; cleared three days after suing | Whether the judgment will stand in December |
| Azri Mukthar | All documents submitted; Companies House certificate declined 15 times; almost £2,500 held for over a year | Which specific document Vinted still needs |
| Vinted | Documents did not match the account name; Mukthar has not supplied everything; 98% of transactions need no support | How many sellers are waiting, and for how long |
| Mangopay | Cannot comment on individual cases because of secrecy and data protection duties | Its role in the delay, and in the set-aside application |
Why does Vinted hold sellers’ money at all?
When an item sells on Vinted, the money does not go straight to the seller’s bank account. It lands in a wallet balance, which Vinted calls the Vinted Balance, held by a regulated electronic money institution. The seller can spend that balance on Vinted or withdraw it to a bank account, but only once the payment firm is satisfied it knows who the seller is.
Vinted’s own help centre says the checks are “Know Your Customer” (KYC) and, for businesses, “Know Your Business” (KYB) procedures. It describes them as legally required to meet anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules, and says that if the information is not provided, the payment provider can suspend access to the balance, preventing withdrawals until the check is completed.
Mangopay and Vinted Pay: who holds what
Vinted’s UK help page on payment service providers names two firms: Mangopay SA and Vinted Pay Limited. Sellers who activate a Vinted Balance become clients of these firms and accept their terms. Vinted says this means it does not transfer or hold members’ money itself.
Mangopay has been Vinted’s payments partner for about a decade; Internet Retailing reported in May 2026 that the two extended their partnership across Europe, with Mangopay continuing to supply wallet infrastructure, payment processing and payouts alongside Vinted’s in-house provider. Vinted Pay received its UK electronic money licence from the Financial Conduct Authority in March 2026, according to a Vinted newsroom announcement. The BBC’s wording, that Mangopay operated sellers’ wallets “at the time”, suggests the UK set-up is shifting between the two.
| Feature | Mangopay SA | Vinted Pay Limited |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, Luxembourg | Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference 1037693) |
| Licence | Electronic money institution | Electronic money institution, issued 13 March 2026 |
| Registered office | 2 Avenue Amélie, Luxembourg | 25 Worship Street, London EC2A |
| Role on Vinted, per Vinted | Long-standing wallet, processing and payout provider | Vinted’s in-house provider; UK wallet services licensed |
| Who its UK terms cover | Set out in Mangopay’s own terms | Natural persons using the service “not for any professional purposes” |
| Business (KYB) verification | Handles business checks, according to sellers | “Currently supports identity verification for individuals only”, per Vinted’s help centre |
| FSCS protection | No (e-money is safeguarded, not deposit-protected) | No; funds held in safeguarding accounts at UK credit institutions |
That split matters for Pro sellers. The published Vinted Pay UK terms describe their users as individuals acting for personal benefit, not for professional purposes, and Vinted’s help centre says Vinted Pay currently verifies individuals only. Read together, those documents suggest business accounts are still checked through a different route, which may explain why limited-company sellers describe a separate set of hurdles. Vinted has not publicly confirmed which provider holds each Pro balance.
Why Pro accounts face a heavier check
A private seller’s check is mostly about identity: a passport or driving licence, and sometimes a selfie, bank statement or proof of address. A Pro seller has to prove the business exists too. For a company, Vinted’s help centre lists a representative’s identity document, the registered legal name and address, a business email, and proof of registration such as the certificate of incorporation from Companies House.
Every one of those details has to match. Vinted Pay’s terms say that if information does not match other sources, such as an identity document or online registers, the firm will either correct it or ask the user to explain. They also reserve the right to suspend or limit access to the wallet if information cannot be verified. A mismatched spelling, a former director on an old filing or a trading name that differs from the registered name can each stall a payout.
How does a Vinted Pro account differ from a standard one?
Vinted Pro is open to sole traders, charities and registered companies incorporated in the UK and seven EU countries, according to Vinted’s help centre. Signing up means giving up some of the simplicity that made the app popular, in exchange for the ability to sell as a business openly.
| Requirement | Standard (private) account | Vinted Pro account |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Individuals selling their own items | Sole traders, charities and registered companies |
| Registration data | Name, email, phone; bank details to withdraw | NINO (sole traders) or business registration number and tax ID; VAT number if registered; business address |
| Verification | KYC: identity document, sometimes selfie or proof of address | KYC plus KYB: proof of registration, incorporation certificate, representative ID |
| Product information | Not required | Manufacturer details and labelling or safety information in categories such as clothing, toys and electricals |
| Buyer’s window to raise an issue | Two days after receipt | 14 days, as buyers from Pro sellers have trader rights |
| Switching over | Not applicable | All orders must be completed and the balance withdrawn first; a new balance is created |
The two-day and 14-day windows come from Vinted’s statements to the BBC in August. The difference reflects the law: a buyer dealing with a trader has statutory rights, including a cooling-off period for most distance sales, that do not apply between two private individuals. Going Pro is therefore the honest route for anyone trading as a business, but it is also the route with the heaviest paperwork.
The contrast with larger marketplaces is instructive. Amazon has been moving the other way on payouts for UK businesses, and its Seller Wallet GBP launch for Amazon.co.uk sellers was built around free transfers to UK bank accounts. Vinted’s model began as a peer-to-peer app with no seller fees, and its business tier is still catching up with the compliance load that comes with professional sellers.
How widespread are Vinted account and payout problems?
There is no official figure for how many UK sellers are waiting on verification. Vinted’s 98% figure describes transactions that complete without support, which does not say how many sellers are restricted or for how long. On 17 million UK users, even a small percentage of problem cases would be a large absolute number, though the BBC did not put a figure on it.
The strongest independent signal so far comes from a seller-run tracking site. In August, the BBC reported that more than 4,000 Vinted users had logged experiences on sadvintedfaces.com, a website set up by marketer Catherine Warrilow. She logged 2,609 users who said they had been banned or suspended, 1,618 with a permanent ban and 2,526 who said they had been ignored by customer service.
Bans, verification and automation
Those figures are self-reported and cover bans as well as payouts, so they cannot be read as a measure of wallet problems alone. But they share a theme with the latest cases: sellers describe automated decisions, template replies and difficulty reaching a person. Vinted told the BBC in August that appeals are always reviewed by its human team, and that it uses a mix of trained moderators, member reports and detection tools.
The scrutiny on Vinted is also arriving from several directions at once. The government is considering whether online marketplaces should fall within a wider ban on under-16s, and the reporting on plans to bar under-16s from eBay and Vinted has put the platform’s account controls in the political spotlight in the same week as the BBC’s payout investigation.
What should a Vinted seller do if their money is stuck?
The cases the BBC describes suggest most verification failures start with something small: a name that does not match, an out-of-date document or a business record that shows old details. The aim is to remove every reason for the check to fail before escalating, and to build a written record from the first day.
- Read the restriction notice. Vinted Pay’s terms say it will notify you of the reason for a delayed payment and how it could be resolved, unless the law prevents it. Screenshot the notice.
- Match every name. The name on the Vinted account, the bank account, the identity document and the Companies House record should agree letter for letter. If Vinted has your name wrong, ask in writing for it to be corrected before resubmitting.
- Use current documents. Download a fresh Companies House record that shows the current directors and officers; expired or out-of-date documents are a common cause of rejection.
- Make a formal complaint. Use the complaint form rather than the general chat. Vinted Pay’s terms commit to a response within 15 business days, and a final response within 35 business days if it needs longer.
- Ask for your data. A subject access request under UK data protection law can show what information the decision relied on; consumer campaigner Helen Dewdney suggested this route to the BBC in August.
- Escalate. Take the final response to the Financial Ombudsman Service, or file a county court money claim if you are owed a fixed sum.
Before you switch to Pro
Vinted’s help centre says you cannot convert a standard account to Pro while you have ongoing orders, and that you must withdraw your existing balance first. Doing that cleanly, before any business verification starts, keeps personal sales money out of the business process. It also helps to confirm your trading status for tax: since the Budget, the rules for occasional sellers have changed, and our guide to the trading allowance rising to £3,000 for Vinted and eBay sellers explains where the line between a hobby and a business now sits.
If verification keeps failing
Keep a dated log of every submission and every rejection message, as Mr Mukthar’s 15 declined certificates show how quickly the trail becomes hard to prove. Ask support to state in writing which document is missing or wrong. If the answer is a template reply, say so in the formal complaint and ask for a named handler.
Avoid creating a second account or sending money through a different route. Vinted’s help centre warns that submitting suspicious or fake documents can lead to withdrawals being permanently blocked or an account being banned, and a workaround can look like exactly that to an automated system.
How does a small claims court case against Vinted work?
In England and Wales, what used to be called the small claims court is a county court money claim, which can be filed online. The fee depends on how much you claim, including any interest. Mali Osmelak’s £455 fee is consistent with the official band for claims between £5,000.01 and £10,000, which fits a claim built around almost £6,000 of sales.
| Amount claimed | Court fee to issue (England and Wales) | Fee as share of the top of the band |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 | 11.7% |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 | 10.0% |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 | 7.0% |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 | 5.3% |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 | 3.8% |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 | 4.1% |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 | 4.6% |
| £10,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the claim | 5.0% |
Gov.uk notes that further fees can follow, for example if there is a hearing or the judgment has to be enforced, and that people on low incomes can apply for help with fees. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate procedures. A successful claimant can usually ask for the issue fee to be added to the judgment, which is what Ms Osmelak sought.
What a default judgment is, and why it can be set aside
A default judgment is entered when a defendant fails to respond to a claim in time. It is not a ruling on the merits, so the court can set it aside. Under the civil procedure rules, a court will typically look at whether the defendant has a real prospect of defending the claim, or some other good reason, and how promptly it applied.
That is the question for December. Ms Osmelak’s sales money was released three days after she filed, so the dispute is now over who pays the fees, costs and interest that her claim generated. Whatever the outcome, the timeline she describes, eight weeks of failed checks then clearance within days of a court claim, is the detail most sellers will remember.
Can a small business seller go to the Financial Ombudsman?
Vinted Pay’s UK terms say that if a user is unhappy with its final response, they can refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months. The FOS route is free for complainants and is often faster than court, but who can use it depends on who you are and which firm you are complaining about.
Individuals can use it. Under the FOS rules, very small businesses, known as micro-enterprises, can also bring complaints if they have fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than EUR 2 million (about £1.67 million at current rates). Many Vinted Pro sellers will fall well inside that definition.
The less certain question is the firm. A complaint about Vinted Pay Limited, an FCA-authorised firm, sits squarely within the ombudsman’s remit. Where a balance is held by Mangopay, which is regulated in Luxembourg, the route depends on how that firm serves UK customers, and a seller should ask the final response letter to state which ombudsman or dispute body applies. A regulated firm’s final response is expected to set out the complainant’s referral rights.
| Route | Cost to the seller | Typical timescale | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinted support chat | Free | Varies; often template replies, sellers report | Simple fixes and document resubmission |
| Formal complaint to Vinted Pay | Free | 15 business days, up to 35 for a final response | Creating a record and triggering escalation rights |
| Subject access request | Usually free | One month in most cases under UK GDPR | Finding out what a decision relied on |
| Financial Ombudsman Service | Free | Complaint must be made within six months of the final response | Individuals and micro-enterprises disputing a regulated firm |
| Information Commissioner’s Office | Free | Varies | Data protection failures |
| County court money claim | £35 to £455 for claims up to £10,000, plus any hearing fee | Weeks to months | Recovering a fixed sum, fees and interest |
What does this mean for the UK resale market?
Second-hand selling has become a mainstream income source in Britain, and the infrastructure behind it is being professionalised quickly. Vinted reported revenue of about EUR 1.1 billion (roughly £918 million at about 83p to the euro), up 38% year on year, alongside an EUR 8 billion valuation (about £6.7 billion), Internet Retailing reported in May. Growth on that scale brings regulated payments, tax reporting and product rules that a casual app never needed.
Since January 2024, UK digital platforms have had to report seller income to HMRC under international rules, with sellers who make 30 or more sales, or earn about £1,700 or more, in a year included in the reports. For business sellers, that reporting sits on top of payment checks, consumer law duties and the product information Vinted now requires from Pro accounts in categories such as clothing, toys and electricals.
Pressure on charity shops and the high street
The shift is visible off the platform too. Resale apps are now competitors for donated stock and bargain hunters, and the fall in Oxfam’s charity shop profits was partly put down to the pull of Vinted. For small traders who built their businesses on the app, though, the BBC’s cases show that the platform’s growth has a cost in rigid processes that are hard to challenge.
Trust in payouts is a competitive issue for every UK marketplace. New entrants are pitching to the same small sellers, and when Comet relaunched as an online marketplace the pitch to independent retailers centred on fees and access to customers. Sellers who cannot get their money out reliably have a reason to spread their stock across platforms.
What happens next?
The immediate date is the December hearing on the application to set aside Ms Osmelak’s default judgment. The BBC did not give the exact date. If the judgment stands, Vinted and Mangopay will owe her £1,207.50; if it is set aside, the claim over fees, costs and interest would go back to be decided on its merits.
The bigger question is how Vinted handles UK wallets as Vinted Pay takes on more of the work. Vinted’s March announcement said UK members would receive more information before Vinted Pay’s wallet services launched, and its help centre now lists both providers. Any change in provider means a fresh round of terms, and possibly fresh checks, for millions of UK sellers.
For now, the practical message is simple. A business seller should treat verification as part of opening a business account, not an afterthought: match names exactly, keep Companies House records current, and use the formal complaint route early. Ms Osmelak told the BBC she would tell the court that the system is “completely broken”; December will show whether the judge agrees that the companies should bear the cost of that.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I withdraw money from my Vinted wallet?
The most common reason is an incomplete or failed identity check. Vinted’s payment providers must carry out Know Your Customer checks under anti-money laundering rules, and they can suspend withdrawals until the check is completed. Mismatched names, expired documents or out-of-date company records are frequent causes.
Who actually holds my Vinted balance?
Vinted says balances are held by regulated electronic money institutions: Mangopay SA, regulated in Luxembourg, and Vinted Pay Limited, authorised by the FCA since March 2026. Vinted says it does not hold or transfer members’ money itself.
Is money in a Vinted wallet protected if the company fails?
It is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Vinted Pay’s terms say wallet funds are safeguarded in separate accounts at UK credit institutions, so they cannot be used to pay the firm’s debts and would be returned, minus insolvency costs, if it stopped trading.
What documents does a Vinted Pro seller need?
Sole traders need a National Insurance number, business address and representative’s identity document. Companies need the registered name and address, a business registration number and tax ID, a representative’s identity document and proof of registration such as the Companies House certificate of incorporation.
How long should a Vinted complaint take?
Vinted Pay’s UK terms commit to a response within 15 business days. If it cannot resolve the complaint in that time, it must explain why and send a final response within 35 business days of receiving the complaint.
Can I take Vinted to the small claims court?
Yes. In England and Wales you can file a county court money claim online. The issue fee ranges from £35 for claims up to £300 to £455 for claims between £5,000.01 and £10,000. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate processes.
Can a limited company complain to the Financial Ombudsman?
Micro-enterprises can, if they have fewer than ten employees and turnover or a balance sheet of no more than EUR 2 million (about £1.67 million). Vinted Pay’s terms confirm the ombudsman route after its final response, and complaints must be made within six months.
Does going Pro on Vinted change my buyers’ rights?
Yes. Buyers from Pro sellers deal with a trader and have statutory consumer rights. Vinted told the BBC that buyers of Pro items have 14 days to raise an issue, compared with two days for purchases from private sellers.