How Leboncoin Strives to Compete as Vinted Gains Market Ground: A Deep Dive

In a significant surge, the second-hand site Vinted, which saw its net profit jump by 330% to €76.7 million in 2024, has become the top clothing seller in France. According to a report released in late April by the French Fashion Institute, it has overtaken Amazon and Kiabi in sales volume. Elodie Gentina, a professor at Iéseg, attributes this success to its addictive model: “Users come to find a unique product that isn’t available in stores.” Meanwhile, its CEO, Thomas Plantenga, credits “the outcome of our efforts to offer high-value products at the lowest possible cost.”

Originally founded in Vilnius (Lithuania) in 2008, Vinted initially focused on fashion, which still accounts for half of its offerings, before expanding into home goods and electronics. On the other hand, Leboncoin – established in 2006 by the Norwegian company Adevinta – maintains a lead in terms of traffic, but it needs to revise its strategy to avoid being overshadowed by its competitor. In France, it is the leading peer-to-peer sales site with 30 million monthly visitors, compared to 18.6 million for Vinted, according to the Federation of E-commerce and Distance Selling (Fevad).

Leboncoin, which previously attempted to enter the clothing market with the Vide­dressing platform but failed, now boasts 85 categories across 85 million listings, ranging from Star Wars Lego sets to job listings. While home goods remain its flagship category with 24 million listings (compared to 15 million for fashion), the site is now focusing on the automotive and real estate sectors. These areas have not yet piqued the interest of its Lithuanian rival.

Leboncoin particularly stands out with its delivery model. While Vinted has been expanding its network of automated lockers across Europe, the classifieds site launched a new service in early May in partnership with the private carrier Relais Colis. This service, known as XL delivery, covers all of France for products weighing up to 130 kg. This category includes 6 million pieces of furniture and 2 million appliances. “This service was requested by 80% of our users to simplify the use of the platform,” explains its CEO, Antoine Jouteau. This aggressive expansion comes at a time when the rising influence of the Chinese online bazaar Temu is also significantly encroaching on its market.