You just sold several items on Vinted, and when it came time to transfer your earnings to your bank account, a message asked you to send an identification document. No detailed explanation, just a requirement. This blockage does not come directly from Vinted, but from Mangopay, the provider that manages the money flows on the platform. Understanding this mechanism helps avoid panic and quickly resolve the situation.
Mangopay and the Vinted wallet: who does what in the payment chain
When a buyer pays on Vinted, the money does not pass through Vinted’s servers. It is processed by Mangopay, a licensed electronic money institution. Mangopay receives the payment, keeps it in a virtual wallet linked to the seller, and then authorizes the transfer to an IBAN when the conditions are met.
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Vinted acts as a showcase and a connection point. Mangopay manages the money, transactions, and identity verification. This division explains why the request for an identification document bears the name of Mangopay in the notifications, even though you have never created an account with this provider directly.
To better understand the link between Mangopay and the request for an identification document on Vinted, one must look at the regulatory obligations that weigh on payment providers, not on marketplaces.
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KYC Verification on Vinted: what actually triggers the request
The acronym KYC (Know Your Customer) refers to a procedure imposed on financial institutions to identify their users. Mangopay, as an electronic money institution, must comply with European anti-money laundering rules. In practical terms, this means verifying the identity of individuals handling funds beyond certain thresholds.
Deliberately opaque thresholds
You may have sold five items without issue, then received the request on the sixth. Someone else receives it after their second sale. The exact triggering thresholds are not made public by Mangopay or Vinted. Several factors seem to play a role:
- The cumulative amount of sales over a given period, exceeding an undisclosed internal threshold
- An unusually high withdrawal compared to the account’s history
- A selling profile perceived as potentially professional (volume, regularity, types of items)
This ambiguity is a deliberate choice. Publishing the thresholds would allow malicious users to stay just below them to evade checks. The downside is that occasional sellers find themselves blocked without understanding why.
Private seller or professional activity: the ambiguity that blocks accounts
Vinted does not clearly distinguish, in its interface, what separates a private seller from a profile associated with a professional activity. Have you been selling the contents of your closets for six months? You are a private seller. Are you buying lots at thrift stores to resell item by item? In the eyes of the regulations, this may resemble commerce.
Mangopay must apply stricter controls to profiles with commercial activity. The problem is that the platform does not inform sellers of the criteria that have pushed their account into this category. The result: users whose wallets are frozen without knowing whether it is the total amount, the frequency of sales, or the nature of the items that triggered the alert.
This gray area fuels the majority of complaints visible on forums and support groups. Affected sellers describe situations where several dozen, or even hundreds of euros remain blocked for days, while Mangopay manually validates the identification document.
Accepted documents and data retention by Mangopay
When verification is triggered, three types of documents are accepted: national identity card, passport, or driver’s license. The photo must be clear, the document must be valid, and the information must be readable without excessive cropping.
What happens to your documents after submission
Mangopay would retain identification documents for ten years after the account is closed, in accordance with anti-money laundering obligations. Vinted would also keep a copy, for a shorter duration. These timeframes may be surprising, but they are linked to the regulatory framework that applies to any payment institution operating within the European Union.
Do you have the option to refuse? Technically, yes. No one is forcing you to send your identification document. However, as long as the verification is not validated, your funds remain frozen. No transfer to your IBAN will be authorized. You retain access to your account, but not to your money.
Unlocking your Vinted wallet: points of caution
The procedure itself takes a few minutes. Send the photo of the document via the Vinted interface (section “Wallet”, then “Identity Verification”). Mangopay processes the request, usually within a few business days.
Some precautions to avoid rejection:
- Photograph the document against a plain, well-lit background, without glare or shadows
- Check that the validity date has not expired (an expired document will be systematically rejected)
- Do not obscure any visible information on the document, including the number and signature
- Use your phone’s camera rather than a scan from a printer, as the resolution is often better
A rejection extends the procedure by several days. If your document is rejected, Mangopay does not always specify the exact reason. Resend a higher quality photo or try another type of document among the three accepted.
The blockage of the Vinted wallet by Mangopay is neither a bug nor a scam. It is a standard banking procedure, applied in a somewhat opaque manner on a platform where most users have never dealt with a payment provider. The real problem remains the lack of clear information on the triggering criteria, which transforms a regulatory formality into a source of concern for thousands of occasional sellers.