How to Send a Vinted Parcel with Royal Mail

When a buyer chooses Royal Mail on Vinted, you do not get a ready-made label to print. You get a QR code, and the label is printed for you at the drop-off point. That catches a lot of first-time sellers out, so here is the whole process from sale to drop-off in one place, with links to the detail behind each step.

Step 1: Check the deadline

The buyer pays with Buy now and picks Royal Mail at checkout. From that point you have 5 business days to send the order, so do not leave it sitting.

Step 2: Get your QR code

Open the conversation with the buyer and press Get shipping label. Vinted sends the QR code to the Vinted app and by email. On the website you can also open the sold order and tap Open QR code to see the “Digital shipping label” window.

The code is the label. Royal Mail scans it and prints the real one at their end. For the background, see the Royal Mail QR code label explained and what Royal Mail Labels to Go is.

Step 3: Pack the parcel

Pack the item properly. Vinted says that if a parcel is damaged in transit because of poor packing, it may cancel the order and refund the buyer. Take a photo of the packed parcel before you go, in case you need evidence later.

Leave one flat side clear for the label. Our guide to packing and labelling a Vinted Royal Mail parcel covers what to use and how to stick the label down.

Step 4: Pick a drop-off point

Vinted lists four kinds of Royal Mail drop-off point:

Post Office branches
Royal Mail shops (Vinted lists these as Collect+ parcel shops)
Royal Mail parcel lockers
Customer service points, such as delivery offices

Which one suits you comes down to opening hours and how much you like queuing. Where to drop off a Vinted Royal Mail parcel compares them, and using a Royal Mail parcel locker walks through the self-service option.

Step 5: Scan, print and stick

Show the QR code at the counter and staff scan it and print the label. At a locker you scan the code yourself, the locker prints the label, and you stick it on before scanning the barcode to open a compartment.

Either way, the label goes flat on the largest side of the parcel with the barcode fully visible.

Step 6: Keep proof and watch the tracking

Vinted asks you to keep proof of shipping until the order is complete. That can be the drop-off receipt, an email confirmation or a copy of the label. Both you and the buyer can follow the parcel in the conversation screen, but allow up to 48 hours for tracking to appear. More in Vinted Royal Mail tracking and proof of postage.

What not to do

Do not stick the printed QR code on a parcel and put it in a postbox. Vinted says Royal Mail cannot register that parcel, so there is no tracking, no delivery and no compensation. See can you post a Vinted parcel in a postbox.

Want a paper copy of the code?

You never have to print the code, but a paper copy is a handy backup if your phone battery is low. Print it large and sharp, because a code shrunk onto a corner of an A4 page scans badly. Crop My Label puts it on a clean 4×6. See how to print Royal Mail labels from Vinted for the steps.

Quick answers

Do I need a printer to send a Vinted parcel with Royal Mail? No. The label is printed at the drop-off point when your code is scanned.

Where do I find the QR code? Press Get shipping label in the conversation with the buyer. It also arrives by email.

What if the code will not scan? See Vinted Royal Mail QR code not working.

How long does the code last? Check the expiry date in the Digital shipping label window. See how long a Royal Mail QR code lasts.