Inside the seedy underworld of Vinted where sellers use five-letter secret code to flog unwashed underwear & socks

The Sun

4 hours ago

VINTED is an easy money-maker for millions of users across the country.
From secondhand clothing and accessories to old books and toys, savvy sellers can top up their income by hundreds of pounds a month.
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It's completely free to upload clothes to the app and Vinted does not take a cut of sellers' profits - instead charging buyers a small fee to purchase each item.
But beyond the innocent sales and haggling, there's a seedy "underworld" on the marketplace app.
That's because sneaky Vinted users have sussed out a way to target the fetish market and flog worn and dirty tights, socks and underwear for up to £100.
Selling goods which "do not comply with hygiene standards" is prohobited on Vinted and can see users banned from the app.
Described as "unsafe items", this includes worn underwear, handmade underwear bottoms, shorts worn as underwear - such as sleep shorts, corsets, body shapers and shapewear with bottom parts, protective underwear bottoms for sports.
The Vinted guidelines add: "For hygiene reasons, only new underwear can be sold - you must clearly show the attached tags and/or original packaging in your item's pictures. Composition and brand labels inside do not count as tags.
"Worn bras, swimming costumes, tights and socks can be sold as long as they are properly washed and the description clearly states that the item has been worn."
But TikTok posts have revealed the five-letter code that sellers are using to flog such items without raising the alarm with Vinted.
The hashtag 'iykyk' - an acronym for 'if you know, you know' - has soared in popularity on the app.
The Scottish Sun investigated the secret tactic to see just how many sellers managed to avoid Vinted's strict rules and filters.
Within seconds, we were confronted with pages of listings with seemingly innocent packs of 'new with tags' thongs, socks and bras.
But the descriptions showed the telling code word and immediately asked prospective buyers to "message on TG for details".
TG, short for Telegram, is an encrypted messaging service and social network.
Secret Chats on the platform come with additional privacy features which means messages can't be forwarded, and you can set a self-destruct timer, with intervals ranging from one second to one week.
It is here that the Vinted users can engage with potential customers directly to sell filthy, used belongings.
Apart from the 'iykyk' hashtag, the prices some items are being flogged for are an additional red flag.
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One user - Emma, from Glasgow - is advertising a five-pack of Tesco tights, originally purchased for £5, at £5 per pair. This works out at a 400 per cent profit.
Her description reads: "Price per pair. Selling as I bought the wrong shade. Iykyk Message for more info TG."
Another seller advertised a used Boohoo bikini that's been "worn a lot over two summers" for £20.
Her description adds: "Please text me on TG, I don't get the messages from here."
And someone else is flogging a "variety of tights, socks and stockings" for £20 with the 'iykyk' hashtag and a note to "see bio" where her Telegram account is listed.
Air hostesses have also jumped on the trend, trying to sell tights and cabin crew shoes worn on flights.
One user is demanding £110 for a "crew shoes and tights" bundle, while another boasts her £8.50 tights - in a "satisfactory" condition - have been "worn to and from Turkey on over 100 flights".
Vinted has been approached for comment.
New Vinted rules to be aware of
IF you fancy clearing out your wardrobe and getting rid of your old stuff on Vinted, you'll need to consider the new rules that recently came into play.
If people are selling personal items for less than they paid new (which is generally the case for second-hand sales), there is no impact on tax.
However, since January 1, digital platforms, including eBay, Airbnb, Etsy, Amazon and Vinted, must share seller information with HMRC as part of a crackdown.
You're unlikely to be affected if you only sell a handful of second-hand items online each year - generally, only business sellers trading for profit might need to pay tax.
A tax-free allowance of £1,000 has been in place since 2017 for business sellers trading for profit - the only time that an individual personal item might be taxable is if it sells for more than £6,000 and there is a profit from the sale.
However, firms now have to pass on your data to HMRC if you sell 30 or more items a year or earn over £1,700.
It is part of a wider tax crackdown to help ensure that those who boost their income via side hustles pay up what they owe.
While your data won't be shared with HMRC if you earn between £1,000 and £1,700, you'll still need to pay tax as normal.