Former Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead has been accused of requesting freebies for everything from luxury holidays to birthday cakes and even wedding stationery.
She has spent the past week under fire from small businesses who have exposed her repeated demands for free gifts in return for a favourable post on her social media account.
Indeed, two cake sellers and an illustrator, so far, have claimed that a member of Binky’s team got in touch asking for complimentary services in return for ‘exposure’ as payment.
Now, I can reveal, she is facing fresh embarrassment after attempting to cash in on her cast-off clothes at prices that would make even the most profligate shopper wince.
Binky’s profile on Vinted – an online marketplace for second-hand fashion – is raising eyebrows as never before.
Her account is plastered with one-star reviews and customer complaints referring to ignored messages from would-be buyers and unfulfilled sales. Other social media comments accuse her of being: ‘The tightest woman in showbiz’.
Take, for example, a pair of cowboy boots the mother-of-three, 35, listed for £40. Visibly worn, marked with stains and notably lacking any branding label, they are hardly the sort of item shoppers might expect to command such a price – particularly on a platform built around affordable second-hand clothes.
Next there is a Marks & Spencer coat, listed at £50 and described by Binky as having a ‘slight stain’ on the front.
Except that a glance at the accompanying photographs shows the marks appear anything but slight, and the damage to the garment is hard to ignore.
Further down Binky’s profile is a knitted baby cardigan from Mimi Odette. Clearly not brand new and appearing to be in a ‘used’ condition, it is being sold for £40.
The issue? That’s roughly the same price the item retails at when brand new. Comparable second-hand versions available elsewhere on Vinted sell for closer to £15.
And perhaps the most striking items of all are the children’s dresses from the luxury brand La Coqueta.
Retailing at around £84, Binky has listed multiple worn versions for £80 – a price point that far exceeds similar listings, where most sellers appear to charge closer to £10 for second-hand versions of the same clothes.
‘I certainly couldn’t see any [others] at all listed over £40,’ one Vinted user noted. ‘Her prices on Vinted are just astronomical.’
Even a simple M&S jumper costs £40 – again raising questions about how such figures are calculated.
On social media the verdict has been blunt.
‘Selling some things for as much as they sell for in the shops… so tight!’ wrote one user.
Yet what truly adds insult to injury, her followers say, is the context in which these items are being sold by the star.
Because Binky has previously promoted Vinted on her Instagram account as part of a paid partnership.
In a sponsored post, she described the app as ‘such a great platform’ that is ‘completely free to download, really simple to use and absolutely no seller fees’.
In other words, she is not only charging near-retail prices for second-hand goods, but is likely being paid by the app to do so.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction from buyers has been far from glowing.
One particularly scathing review said: ‘Would leave no star if could. Terrible! No response to messages sent despite them being seen. Really disappointing. Would not recommend.’
Another disgruntled customer wrote: ‘My daughter is v disappointed not to be able to use [it] at the party.’
There are multiple one-star ratings, which are generated automatically after sales were not completed, suggesting that items were purchased but never posted by the seller, resulting in cancelled transactions.
It is, of course, not the first time Binky’s expectations have provoked criticism.
On Friday, Reshmi Bennett, owner of west London cake business Agnes de Sucre, publicly called out the star for asking for a ‘gifted’ yellow train cake for her toddler Wilder’s third birthday. The cake was ‘big enough to serve ten’, which she wanted free in return for posting a picture of it on Instagram.
Wittily sticking the knife in, Reshmi set up a mock GoFundMe campaign with a goal of £1.4million – a reference to Binky’s 1.4million followers – called ‘Raise Funds for Binky Felstead’s 3-Year-Old’s Birthday Cake’.
Accompanying an AI image of the cake, Reshmi posted: ‘We recently received a lovely request from the team of Binky Felstead for a very special cake – a yellow train creation for her soon-to-be three-year-old son.
‘We were genuinely thrilled. Children’s cakes are some of our favourites to make and this one sounded like a joy and for such a popular reality TV star.
‘However, there was just one small hiccup… the proposed payment method was an Instagram story. Now, we completely understand that times are tough, especially for influencers…
‘Unfortunately, our energy supplier is very old-fashioned and continues to insist on being paid in actual money rather than exposure or engagement.’
Even more embarrassing for Binky, it also emerged that she had approached the owner of Funfetti London in 2021, asking the baker to make her a wedding and birthday cake in exchange for posts on her Instagram account. The cake maker claims she duly obliged, only to find herself ghosted. Even her £75 travel costs were turned down.
And the stories surrounding Binky Felstead’s freebies does not end there.
Illustrator Alice Peto has now claimed she was approached ahead of Binky’s lavish 2022 wedding in Corfu and asked to provide invitations, menus and stationery free of charge.
Alice shared a screenshot of a 2021 email which read: ‘The wedding is in Greece and we would be looking for three invitations plus menus, table names and place names. The couple would be looking for the design free of charge in exchange for exposure on their social media accounts.’
Alice politely declined.
‘Life is a dream for Binky,’ says one of her former associates. ‘She loves a freebie. In fact, you’d think she doesn’t like to pay for anything. If you look at all those holidays, you have to wonder if she has any time left to work. It is becoming disgusting these days. Reality stars expect small companies to give them free stuff in return for a plug.’
Another added, more bluntly: ‘She literally has no shame.’
Against that backdrop, her Vinted venture begins to look less like a harmless clear-out and poorly managed side-hustle and more like part of a wider pattern.
It is an awkward look, particularly given her long-standing partnership with Marks & Spencer, which provides her with much of her food shopping and with whom she launched a children’s clothing collection last year.
Yet here she is selling pre-owned M&S pieces at inflated prices – a contradiction that will not be lost on followers.
Indeed, her Instagram offers a polished window into a world of sun-soaked beaches, designer outfits and carefully curated family moments with her three young children and wealthy husband Max Darnton.
But behind the filters, the reality appears rather less flattering.
Because when even your second-hand wardrobe is being monetised to this extent – complete with sponsorship deals and disgruntled buyers – it risks tipping from aspirational into something altogether more unpalatable.
As one observer put it: ‘At some point, you have to ask… when is enough, enough?’
Binky Felstead has been approached for comment.
