Vinted, the European second-hand fashion marketplace, has significantly expanded its operations by seamlessly connecting its user bases in Germany and Austria. This strategic move unites two key Central European markets, allowing users in both countries to buy and sell items directly with one another for the first time. The integration, part of Vinted’s broader plan to link its national marketplaces across Europe, is designed to foster a more vibrant and efficient cross-border trading ecosystem by leveraging the cultural and linguistic similarities between the two nations. This development is a major step in the company’s mission to make second-hand fashion a mainstream, first-choice option for consumers worldwide.
Market Expansion and Strategic Benefits
By connecting the German and Austrian marketplaces, Vinted creates a larger, unified pool of supply and demand. Market strategist Moritz Schmude highlighted that these markets share a community, language, and consumer preferences, which is expected to generate lively and fruitful trade. Sellers in both countries now benefit from a dramatically expanded audience, leading to faster sales and potentially better prices, while buyers gain access to a much wider and more diverse range of second-hand fashion items. Crucially, Vinted has designed the cross-border experience to be frictionless; sellers simply print automatically generated international shipping labels, and the process feels identical to a domestic transaction, removing common barriers to international trade.
The Role of Austrian Post
A key enabler of this cross-border link is the new partnership with Austrian Post. This collaboration integrates comprehensive shipping and pickup options directly into the Vinted app, supported by a network of approximately 3,000 drop-off points across Austria, including post offices, partner locations, and 24/7 parcel lockers. Austrian Post now handles shipments from Austria to Germany, leveraging its own logistical infrastructure and experience from operating its marketplace, Shöpping. This deep integration simplifies the entire logistics chain for users, making international selling as convenient as dropping off a parcel at a local point, which is essential for driving user adoption and satisfaction.
Growth Trajectory and Financial Context
This marketplace connection comes at a time of remarkable growth for Vinted. The company reported a 47 percent increase in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) last year, reaching 10.8 billion euros, with revenue hitting a record 1.1 billion euros. Germany, in particular, has transformed from a challenging market into a top performer for Vinted, thanks in part to significant prior investments. Linking with Austria is a logical next step to further accelerate growth in the DACH region. Concurrently, a recent secondary share transaction valued the Lithuanian company at approximately 8 billion euros. This 880-million-euro transaction, led by investor EQT, provided liquidity for early investors and employees, underscoring strong market confidence in Vinted’s business model and future prospects.
Underpinning Vinted’s marketplace success is its investment in a vertically integrated ecosystem, notably through its logistics arm, Vinted Go, and its payment service, Vinted Pay. CEO Thomas Plantenga has described these services as strengthening the fundamental infrastructure that powers the marketplace, making second-hand transactions more reliable, easy, and affordable at a massive scale. By controlling more of the user experience—from finding an item and paying for it to having it shipped—Vinted ensures consistency and builds trust, which are critical for a platform dealing in pre-owned goods. The integration of the German and Austrian markets, facilitated by partners like Austrian Post, is a concrete manifestation of this strategy, creating a more powerful and seamless network effect across Europe.
