On April 27, Vinted, a leading player in Europe’s resale market, was reported to have reached a valuation of €8 billion. The milestone comes on the back of an approximately €880 million share transaction led by EQT.
However, this transaction differs from a typical fundraising round. Rather than raising new capital, it is a secondary sale in which existing shareholders and long-serving employees sell their shares to generate liquidity. The ability to increase its valuation without needing fresh capital reflects where Vinted stands today.
Summary
- Vinted reaches an €8 billion valuation through a secondary share sale
- The deal, worth approximately €880 million, is aimed at providing liquidity rather than raising new capital
- The valuation marks a roughly 60% increase from €5 billion in 2024
- The company has expanded to over 25 markets in Europe, with more than 100 million users
- While describing itself as “IPO-ready,” Vinted has not set a timeline and continues its secondary-driven strategy
A Shift in Capital Strategy Through Secondary Transactions
The transaction was led by EQT, with Schroders Capital and Teachers’ Venture Growth joining as new investors. Existing backers include Accel, Insight Partners, EQT, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Sprints.
What stands out is the scale of valuation growth. From €5 billion in October 2024, the company’s valuation has increased by roughly 60%. Achieving this uplift without an IPO, purely through secondary transactions, signals both strong growth fundamentals and high investor confidence.
Platform Maturity and Scalable Growth
Founded in 2008 by Milda Mitkutė and Justas Janauskas, Vinted initially launched as a peer-to-peer clothing marketplace. It has since expanded into categories including electronics, books, toys, and video games.
As of 2025, the company operates across more than 25 European markets and has surpassed 100 million users. In France, it has established a leading position in apparel resale, surpassing players such as Amazon and Shein on a volume basis.
A key driver of this growth is its integrated infrastructure. Vinted combines its proprietary payments system, “Vinted Pay,” with its logistics network, “Vinted Go,” reducing friction in C2C transactions. Its recommendation algorithms further enable large-scale matching between buyers and sellers.
This level of integration remains difficult to replicate across multiple markets simultaneously, even for competitors such as Depop, Poshmark, and ThredUp.
In addition, the company launched its investment arm, Vinted Ventures, in 2024, backing re-commerce startups at Series A to C with investments ranging from €500,000 to €10 million. This marks a shift from a single platform to a broader ecosystem player.
Why Vinted Is Not Rushing Toward an IPO
The expansion of the secondary market reflects a broader shift in how tech companies approach capital strategy. Firms can now provide liquidity to shareholders and employees without going public, reducing the urgency of an IPO.
Vinted fits squarely within this trend. Its shares are not widely available, and this limited access has increased their appeal among investors. As demand concentrates around scarce opportunities, the company’s attractiveness as an investment target continues to grow.
CEO Thomas Plantenga explained the company’s direction during its 2025 financial results: “To make second-hand first choice, we know what we need to do: we need to be the most cost-efficient, be the most reliable and easy to use.”
While the company states that it is “IPO-ready,” it has not announced any timeline. For now, it continues to balance growth and liquidity through secondary transactions.
A New Capital Model Emerging from the Resale Boom
Resale has long been discussed in the context of sustainability, but it has now evolved into a large-scale commercial market.
Within this shift, Vinted has positioned itself as more than just a marketplace. By integrating payments, logistics, and investment capabilities, it has built a vertically integrated platform.
More importantly, its growth is not dependent on going public. By leveraging the secondary market, Vinted is managing both valuation and stakeholder returns on its own terms.
This approach could signal a new standard for European startups, where IPO is no longer the default end goal but one of several strategic options.
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