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Subito, Vinted, eBay or Wallapop: where to buy second-hand

4 minute read Editorial team

If you're looking for something second-hand in Italy, you probably open several apps: Subito, Vinted, eBay, Wallapop, maybe Facebook Marketplace. Each works a little differently for buyers: how you pay, how the item reaches you and what protection you get if something goes wrong. Here's a practical overview.

Subito

Subito is a general classifieds site: you'll find almost anything, from electronics to furniture, bikes to homeware, from private and business sellers all over Italy.

  • How you buy: you message the seller in the chat and arrange to collect in person, or you buy with TuttoSubito on listings with shipping: you pay online with the available methods, such as card or PayPal, and receive the item at home or at a pickup point.
  • Protection: with TuttoSubito, Subito holds the money and only releases it to the seller after you've received and checked the item. Its purchase protection refunds you if the parcel doesn't arrive or doesn't match the listing, but only if the whole deal took place in the official chat.
  • Best for: bulky items to collect in person, local searches, and any time you want to see the item before buying.

Vinted

Vinted is a platform for buying and selling second-hand items between private individuals. It's best known for clothes, shoes and accessories, but it also has categories such as home, electronics, books, hobbies and sport.

  • How you buy: tap "Buy", pay on the platform and choose how to receive the parcel. The seller has 5 working days to ship, and delivery usually takes up to 5-7 working days.
  • Protection: buyer protection covers items that don't arrive, arrive damaged or are significantly different from the description, with a mandatory fee added to every order. You have 2 days from the delivery notification to report a problem. If you buy from a professional seller (Seller Pro), you also have 14 days to return the item for any reason, with some exceptions.
  • Best for: fashion, children's clothes and small items that are easy to ship.

eBay

eBay is an international marketplace with private and business sellers, new and used items, auctions and fixed-price listings.

  • How you buy: you bid in an auction or buy straight away at the listed price, and pay through eBay with one of the accepted methods, such as card or PayPal.
  • Protection: the eBay Money Back Guarantee covers most purchases: if the item doesn't arrive or doesn't match the description, you can get a refund. You normally have 30 days to report the problem, counting from the delivery date (or the estimated delivery date, if the item never arrives). Exclusions include items paid for outside eBay and vehicles.
  • Best for: collectables, spare parts, electronics, rare finds and buying from business sellers, including from abroad.

Wallapop

Wallapop is a buy-and-sell app between private individuals with a strong local focus: you search, message the seller in the chat and decide whether to meet or ship.

  • How you buy: with Wallapop's shipping service you pay in the app, and in Italy parcels travel with Poste Italiane or InPost. You pay for shipping plus the cost of Wallapop's protection, which depends on the item's price.
  • Protection: once the parcel shows as delivered, you have 48 hours to open a dispute if the item isn't as agreed.
  • Best for: local bargains, electronics, home and sport.

Facebook Marketplace and specialist platforms

Facebook Marketplace is widely used for local deals: you message the seller on Messenger and usually meet up. According to the Facebook Help Centre, items exchanged in person and paid for in cash or with other person-to-person methods aren't eligible for Purchase Protection, and when we checked the page from Italy, Purchase Protection was shown as not currently available in our area. In practice, your protection is the checks you do before paying.

For luxury fashion and vintage there are also specialist platforms such as Vestiaire Collective and Depop. For Facebook Marketplace, Vestiaire Collective and Depop, our search gives you a direct link, so you can check there too in one click.

Shipping or collecting in person?

Shipping

  • You get the platform's protection, as long as you pay through it.
  • The choice is wider: you can buy from people who live far away.
  • There are shipping costs and a few days' wait.

Collecting in person

  • You see and test the item before paying.
  • No shipping costs: ideal for furniture, bikes and appliances.
  • If you pay cash there's usually no platform protection, so take your time checking everything.

Buyer protection in a nutshell

Names and rules vary, but the pattern is similar everywhere:

  1. Pay through the platform, never outside it: if you pay elsewhere, you lose your protection.
  2. A small buyer-protection fee is often added at checkout.
  3. Check the item as soon as it arrives: the window to report a problem can be short, for example 2 days on Vinted and 48 hours on Wallapop.
  4. If something's wrong, open a dispute in the app, within the deadline.
  5. Keep the whole conversation in the official chat.

Always read the buyer protection terms before paying: they differ from platform to platform and can change.

Why search them all at once

The same bike or smartphone model might be on Subito at one price, on Vinted at another and on eBay in an auction that's about to end. Checking each site by hand takes time, and the best listing is often the one you didn't see.

With Rovista you type what you're looking for once and see results from Subito, Vinted, eBay and Wallapop together. Compare prices, condition and platform, then complete the purchase on the original platform, with its protection. Try the search.

Information checked in September 2026: platform terms may change.