A woman who ordered a Hollister top through Vinted was left baffled when her parcel contained a retired Jellycat sweetcorn toy instead. The plush, a Vivacious Vegetable Sweetcorn, has been discontinued on the Jellycat website, meaning it is only available through secondhand sellers, where it can be priced as much as £30.
TikTok unboxing reveals the mix-up
The shopper, named Jem, shared a video on TikTok of herself unboxing the parcel. She had paid for a secondhand Hollister top to take on an upcoming holiday. Instead, she pulled out a cuddly toy in the shape of an ear of corn, which turned out to be a Jellycat, a brand of plush toys that collectors love.
In the video, she said: "I'm extremely confused. What's happening? This is supposed to be a cute top from Hollister that I was planning to take on holiday when I go on holiday in a few days. This is not a cute top from Hollister, this is a corn Jellycat."
Confusion grows with packaging clues
Jem's suspicions were first raised when she opened the plastic postal bag to find a white paper bag inside, not the kind of packaging you'd expect for a clothing item. Her confusion only grew as she dug deeper and the cuddly toy came into view.
With her holiday just days away, Jem found herself without the top she had been counting on to pack, and with very little time to resolve the situation before she was due to travel. She noted that this kind of mix-up had never happened to her before, and she wasn't entirely sure how best to handle it.
Viewers offer advice and share stories
In the caption of her video, she revealed she had "submitted a review" with Vinted in an attempt to get her money back. Whether that has led to a resolution remains unclear, as she has yet to share a follow-up video.
The comments section quickly filled with advice from fellow Vinted users. Many urged Jem to reach out to the seller directly, suggesting the most likely explanation was a simple labelling error, meaning whoever had ordered the Jellycat corn had probably received her Hollister top by mistake. Others felt she had taken the right approach by going straight to Vinted. Although the platform doesn't directly facilitate sales, it does step in to manage disputes and issue refunds when things go wrong. Buyers are given two days after delivery to check their item and confirm that "everything is okay", a step that triggers the release of funds to the seller. If something isn't right, buyers can raise a complaint and may be asked to submit photographic evidence, with Vinted staff ultimately determining whether a refund should be issued.
One commenter shared a relatable story from the other side of the transaction: "This happened to me as a SELLER! I'm a fool and mixed up two labels. Both buyers were lovely and let me pay for new shipping labels, and both shipped each other their parcels." Another pointed to a potentially positive sign in Jem's package: "That must have been a mistake! It even has tags." A third offered a glimpse of what the outcome might look like: "You'll get to keep it and get your money back, but the Hollister top is long gone. I was supposed to receive some brand new gym leggings, and instead I got 13 DVDs. I got to keep them and got my money back."
