Your main options
eBay: lowest fees, free authentication from £200
UK private sellers pay no selling fee on eBay. Handbags that sell for £200 or more go through eBay's Authenticity Guarantee automatically, at no cost to you. You send the bag to eBay's authenticator, and you're paid once it passes. Below £200 the check is optional and costs £20.
Vestiaire Collective: higher fees, a luxury audience
Vestiaire takes a 12% selling fee on items from £83 to £16,667, plus 3% payment processing. Under £83 the selling fee is a flat £10. You post the bag to Vestiaire with a prepaid label, and they check it before it reaches the buyer. Payment comes after that check and the buyer's acceptance, so it's slower than eBay or Vinted.
Vinted: no seller fee, optional verification for buyers
Vinted charges sellers nothing. Buyers can pay £10 for Vinted's Item Verification service on eligible designer items. It's optional, so many buyers will still be wary of an expensive bag on a platform known for bargains.
Specialist designer resale sites
Sites such as Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI) focus only on designer fashion. Their fees aren't in our calculator yet, so compare their current commission with the figures above.
Prove it's genuine
- Gather the paperwork. The receipt, authenticity card, dust bag and box all add value and reassure buyers.
- Photograph the tells. Show the serial or date code, heat stamp, hardware engravings, stitching and lining. Authenticators look at these, and so do careful buyers.
- Describe the condition precisely. Mention corner wear, scratches to hardware and marks inside. Undisclosed flaws are the most common reason for disputes.
Price it from real sales
Search for the same model on eBay and filter by "Sold items" to see what buyers actually paid recently. Asking prices on any site can be far above what bags really sell for.
Stay safe
- Keep the sale and payment on the platform. Requests to pay by bank transfer or to move to WhatsApp are a common sign of a scam.
- Send valuable bags with tracked, insured postage, and keep proof of posting.