How Long Do You Have to Post a Vinted Parcel?

Once a Vinted item sells, a clock starts. Sellers have 5 business days to send the order. This applies whichever courier the buyer picked, and it catches out more people than you would think, especially with a Royal Mail QR code that has to be taken to a drop-off point.

How the deadline works

You have 5 business days from the purchase to send the order. Think of business days as working days. Weekends do not count, and it is safest to assume bank holidays do not either. Vinted’s lost-parcel page explicitly leaves out both weekends and bank holidays when it counts days.

If you cannot meet the deadline, you have two options: ask for more time, or let the order go.

Asking the buyer for more time

From the conversation screen you can ask the buyer to agree to extend the shipping deadline by 3 or 5 additional business days. The new deadline only applies once the buyer accepts, and they are free to decline. If they decline, the original deadline stands.

Ask early, with a short, polite reason. Buyers are more likely to say yes when they have a few days of notice than when you ask on the last day.

What happens if you miss it

Vinted says that if you do not send the item by the applicable deadline, the order will be cancelled automatically. The buyer’s payment goes back to them, and you can use Re-upload item in the conversation screen to put the item back on sale.

”But I did post it”

Sometimes the parcel is on its way and tracking has not appeared. Vinted says tracking can take up to 48 hours to show. If the order is at risk of being cancelled, press “I confirm that I’ve sent this order” in the conversation screen. Our guide to Vinted Royal Mail tracking and proof of postage explains the steps, including what proof to keep.

The Royal Mail QR code has its own date

The Digital shipping label window shows an expiry date for the code. It is separate from the 5 business day deadline, so check both. See how long a Royal Mail QR code lasts. If you cannot find the code at all, read what to do when the QR code has not arrived.

Tips for hitting the deadline

Aim for day 3 or 4. That leaves room for a closed shop, a full locker or a code that will not scan.
Do not leave a Saturday drop-off until the last day. A parcel left in a Royal Mail locker on a Saturday afternoon may not be collected until Monday, and tracking can be slow to appear.
Get the label early. If the code is missing, you want to find that out on day 1, not day 5. See how to send a Vinted parcel with Royal Mail.

Quick answers

How long do I have to post a Vinted parcel? 5 business days from the purchase.

Can I get more time? You can ask the buyer for 3 or 5 more business days. They can say no.

What if I miss the deadline? The order is cancelled automatically and you can re-upload the item.

Does the deadline pause if tracking is slow? No. Press the confirmation button in the conversation screen if you have already sent the parcel.