True story: there’s nothing more delightful than eyeing up a new pair of boots IRL and then snapping them up for half price on a resale app, like eBay, Vinted, Depop or Facebook Marketplace – or being the person to make a sale yourself (especially in the run-up to pay day).
Unfortunately though, as with any online interaction in our era of AI slop and high-level fraud, you need to keep your wits about you.
New data unearthed by Experian reveals that almost two-fifths of us (37%) have been scammed while indulging in a spot of secondhand shopping online, with 1 in 4 of us having lost up to £100. Ouch! Despite being the most confident age group in spotting dodgy dealings, over half of Gen Z (58%) said they’ve been exposed to a scam at some point, too..
So, what are the tactics we should all be aware of right now? The biggest issues, say the experts, are often stemming from fresh AI schemes…
Fake goods on eBay, Vinted, Depop and Facebook Marketplace
While both eBay and Vinted have a service that allows designer items to be verified as authentic by an independent expert before being passed along to the buyer, Depop and Facebook Marketplace can be a little trickier when it comes to luxury goods. The latter in particular as it encourages IRL meet-ups and cash-in-hand exchanges. Also, not all sellers will opt in to the verification schemes that are available on eBay and Vinted… So if that ‘Genuine vintage Chanel handbag!’ seems too good to be true, it probably is, says John Webb, Consumer Expert at Experian.
“We’re now also seeing fraudsters use AI to make fake listings look more convincing or to sell counterfeit versions of popular items,” he explains, highlighting another way that AI has upped the scamming game of late. “When you’re shopping online, it’s worth taking a moment to double-check before you buy. It’s easy to get caught out, especially when 39% of people say they’d pay by bank transfer to secure a high demand item, which offers little protection if things go wrong.”
Everyone's clicking on...
Elsewhere, one Reddit user highlighted a Vinted profile that appears to be made up of entirely AI-generated images, pointing out that “the shelving units are wrong and change each picture, the fake girl changes her facial features and size each time, everything is just weird and fake [...] I believe it's highly misrepresentative of the clothes as they won't fit like the pictures”. Other reposts have flagged similar profiles.
It’s a reminder to pay close attention to not only the ‘people’ and ‘clothes’ in images, but to look for any warping or discrepancies in the background, especially between separate listings posted by the same account.
Webb also nudges that “unlike credit cards or secure marketplace payments, bank transfers typically don’t offer buyer protection, so once the money’s gone, it can be very hard to get it back”. So, if someone is trying to pressure you into making a transfer consider that a huge red flag.
Highlighting what it’s doing to help cut fraud on its site, Facebook Marketplace has introduced additional checks when it comes to accounts that look suspect (moving messages from those that look dodgy into the spam folder – so avoid selling to anyone you find in there!), and is working hard to roll out anti-scam warnings, designed to educate people on ways to spot scams and which can be triggered by requests to pay in advance, share phone numbers or emails to communicate outside Messenger, or to follow off-platform links to third-party websites or payment apps.
Buyers trying to scam refunds
This has been an issue since the dawn of resale sites, but now, AI is making it even harder to fight your corner if a buyer claims their top has arrived stained or that the scarf you sold them for an incredibly fair price has a rip in it. Yep, sadly it’s possible to generate images of items looking damaged, even when they’re not.
One Vinted user recently posted that after they sold a Lacoste co-ord, the buyer sent what the seller believes to be an AI-generated photo of a ‘hole’ in the fabric and that Vinted initially refunded the buyer. “My item was in perfect condition,” the seller later told The Times. “The material looked off and the photo looked fake, but Vinted refunded the buyer instantly, without asking for more proof, and they didn’t make him return the goods.” After being contacted by the press, the platform later did issue the seller a refund in this case.
When asked about the rise of AI scams on secondhand shopping apps, a Vinted spokesperson told Cosmopolitan UK it works hard to try and remedy any disputes as quickly as possible, explaining, “The vast majority of transactions on Vinted take place without issue and our security teams work hard to ensure a smooth trading experience for all our Vinted members. When a dispute does occur between a buyer and a seller our teams will mediate - working closely with our delivery partners - and will take action against any accounts which are found to violate our guidelines.”
The app advises users to check a buyer or seller’s reviews before dealing with them, to reach out to Vinted directly with any concerns or for help with an individual case, and using its item or electronics verification service wherever possible. If you’re a seller, the app adds that it’s important to keep hold of any tracking information and package items securely to avoid damage in transit.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
