the fall of Vinted
+ new emotional support water-bottle brand and haribo power-banks
Is your Vinted off? You’re not the only one.
My [Ilze writes] biggest flex of 2024 was booking my Tokyo flights entirely with Vinted earnings. But lately, when my sales dried up, I dug around and realised there’s a wider wave of dissatisfaction with the platform.
Users complain about items getting zero visibility, bizarre recommendations showing up in their feeds (think random plates and kids’ toys), and the marketplace being swamped with fast fashion, counterfeit luxury, fake accounts, and even AI-generated modelling. On top of that, sellers say buyers are getting ruder and more impatient.
Vinted’s new terms and conditions, rolled out on Sept. 8, haven’t helped—most notably banning the tactic of re-listing items to push them back to the top of search results.
So, is Vinted’s golden era over? For some, it’s a minor setback—there goes your weekly almond croissant money. But for others who rely on it as a main source of income, the decline hits harder.
Lesson learned: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify. Try eBay, Vestiaire Collective for the luxury stuff, Marktplaats if you’re in the Netherlands. And word is, Sellpy is booming in Scandinavia.
You can now flex your Duolingo scores on your LinkedIn profile.
London: Car-free Oxford street?
All’Antico Vinaio, Florence’s legendary schiacciata shop, opened in London and TikTok queues are queuing.
Boycotts can work: Jimmy Kimmel put back on air.
Aitana Bonmati, first player to win women's Ballon d'Or three times.
House of Guinness premieres today, Sept 25, on Netflix.
Audio erotica app Quinn tapped Chris Briney from TSIP to narrate a story.
UniQure’s gene therapy has shown promise in slowing Huntington’s disease progression, marking a potential first for treating the fatal genetic disorder.
Thinnest Video
Instagram has a new micro-trend; these 5120x1080 videos have us all squinting trying to see them on our homepages.
Originally, it was a trend in the videographer/film community, creating these uber aesthetic shots. Now, content creators (and some marketing teams) are hopping on. Seems like even videos aren’t safe from the super skinny beauty standards.
LOL debate
Gen Zers are calling out millennials for overusing LOL at the end of every sentence, while millennials clap back that it softens tone, makes it less serious, adds cheek.
It’s not the first generational clash over online behavior (remember the millennial pause?). Honestly, embrace your generational cringe.
Lol.
Owala
Talking emotional support items: there’s a new it water bottle in town. Owala’s been trending in the US for a while, and the wave has now hit Europe too, first popping up at Urban Outfitters before launching an online store.
Loved for its one-handed use, leak-safe build, and easy cleaning, the bottle’s trademarked FreeSip lid—letting you both sip and chug—was even named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2023. Throw in playful color palettes and limited-edition drops and you’ve got the recipe for hype.
Snooping around a local gym in Ams, we found a few Owalas but Stanley cups clearly reign supreme.
Haribo Powerbank
Call up your hiker friend: Haribo (yes, the gummy bear) has an electronics merch line and their powerbank is going viral for those into minimizing the grams of their outdoor gear. It is allegedly the lightest 20,000mAH power bank (pretty powerful), at a little over 280 grams.
But everyone who seems to have it in Europe just got it from the US recently. So for now, it’s a search for the same powerbank without it being corporate merch. Or patience.
A long-time hiker shared, “It’s mostly a cute power bank. When every [gram] counts for your hike, it’s good to have. But not more than any other regular light but powerful power bank.”
Funnel necks
This autumn we’re saving on scarves with high-collar jackets—spotted on both NYFW runways and the streets. It gives this full spy-on-duty look – mysterious and unattainable.
Jade Bracelets
They’re no trend to people of East Asian heritage; jade bracelets are getting popular in the West. It’s part of the growing curiosity of Asian cultural accessories, often bleeding out as a trending topic.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of orientalism thrown in there. But the jade quality check videos and put on videos might be more responsible for piquing the interest than a genuine desire to own a jade bracelet.
Electrolytes
The casual electrolyte hype we told you about last year, like all health trends, is coming to an end with actually it was just another thing the neoliberal capitalistic agenda wants you to spend your money on for ‘self improvement’.
This article in DAZED explains more about hydration and the health industry.
Chess
Chess is the new thing
Glasses
Glasses really are everywhere, like we said. Silver, thin, oval frames seem to be reigning supreme atm.
As a self-identified "blind as a bat" person, the glasses trend makes me feel seen (pun intended) 👏👏👏