# 'Small and Healthy' and £20,000: How Vinted Toy Listings Have Sparked Child Trafficking Fears > Source: > Published: 2026-06-30 01:56:44+00:00 # 'Small and Healthy' and £20,000: How Vinted Toy Listings Have Sparked Child Trafficking Fears ## Social media claims about Vinted listings prompt investigations in France and Germany amid fears of child trafficking Listings for stuffed toys and figurines priced at thousands of pounds have sparked alarm across Europe after social media users began claiming that advertisements on secondhand marketplace Vinted contained coded language allegedly used to disguise the sale of children. Screenshots and videos spread rapidly from mid-June 2026, with users pointing to descriptions referencing ages, heights, weights and phrases such as 'small and healthy' as evidence of something far more sinister than a toy sale. **The Listings That Started It** One of the most widely shared examples was a Harry Potter figurine priced at £25,890, described as '13 years old, 1.58m.' Another showed a small rose listed at £17,240, described as 'one month old, to collect in person in Portugal.' A third listing described a stuffed bunny as 'three years old, female, 91cm, 13kg' and an 'obedient girl,' priced at over £860. A TikTok posted by @djena_story was viewed more than seven million times in under a week, triggering a wave of reports to authorities across Europe. On Threads, user @_bellathadon posted screenshots with the caption 'THEY ARE SELLING CHILDREN/BABIES ON THIS WEBSITE,' attracting 25,000 likes. **France and Germany Launch Investigations** France's High Commissioner for Childhood, Sarah El Hairy, was among the first officials to act. On 19 June she referred the matter to Arcom, France's digital media regulator, and to PHAROS, the national platform for reporting illegal online content, stating that 'predators are getting organised.' She also filed a formal report with the justice system compelling prosecutors to be informed of a potential crime. By 25 June, the public prosecutor's office in Nanterre confirmed a preliminary investigation had been opened, with the Juvenile Office, a unit specialising in crimes against minors, assigned to carry out initial checks. As of publication, authorities have not found evidence linking the listings to child trafficking, though enquiries remain ongoing. Separately, Frankfurt police said they were reviewing the claims to 'rule out any danger or criminal activity,' but added there were already 'strong indications' the posts were fabricated. **What Vinted Says** In a statement provided directly to IBTimes UK, Vinted's Communications Manager Kingsum Li said the company had 'thoroughly investigated the listings currently being shared online and found no credible cases linking them to child trafficking activity,' adding that the conclusion had 'also been reached by the German police force and an independent fact-check.' Li explained that age fields on listings refer to the age group a toy is intended for, used across all product categories on the platform, much like the age label on a toy's packaging. High prices, the company said, likely reflect 'genuine collector value, negotiation tactics, or trolling and listings designed to create viral misinformation.' Vinted confirmed it had been removing fabricated listings and banning accounts while collaborating with authorities. It also warned against vigilante behaviour, noting a rise in users creating fake listings to catch suspected wrongdoers. 'This kind of behaviour amounts to harassment,' Li said, 'makes it harder for us to moderate the platform effectively, and can interfere with genuine investigations.' **Not the First Time** This episode closely mirrors the 2020 Wayfair controversy, in which the US furniture retailer faced near-identical viral claims that items listed at unusually high prices were being used to traffic children. Those allegations were fully debunked after investigations found no supporting evidence. The two cases have no confirmed connection, but the pattern of viral screenshots, coded-language theories and rapid official response is strikingly similar. Both the French and German investigations remain ongoing and no formal conclusions have been reached. © Copyright IBTimes 2025. All rights reserved.