Dani Bekyarova-Delev of Stockport paid £400 for a Prada handbag on Vinted in 2024, including a £10 fee for the platform's authentication service, only to be told by staff at Prada's Trafford Centre store that the bag was counterfeit. A genuine version of a similarly styled bag retails for around £1,500 on Prada's own site.
Because she had already accepted the item as genuine per Vinted's process, she was initially unable to get a refund despite the platform's own verification having cleared it. Vinted refunded her only after the BBC made contact, and told the broadcaster that its trained specialists assess stitching, logos and materials, but that 'original documents may be reviewed' without guaranteeing authenticity — leaving buyers two days after verification to still raise doubts.
Christine Colbert, an independent authenticator in Cheshire, said she's seen a 'big shift' of customers bringing in Vinted-verified bags that her service then flags as fake. Citizens Advice reported a 30% year-on-year rise in counterfeit goods complaints in 2025, and Depop and eBay have made similar counterfeit-policing promises to Vinted's.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.