Core Skills Analysis
Mathematics
Evie entered the purchase price, expected selling price and shipping cost for each item into her spreadsheet and used simple formulas to calculate the profit margin. She added together all costs, subtracted them from the selling price, and then expressed the profit as a percentage of the original cost. By doing this she practiced addition, subtraction, multiplication and percentage calculations in a real‑world context. The activity also introduced her to basic budgeting concepts and the idea of tracking income versus expenses.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Evie created a Vinted seller account and set up a new spreadsheet to record each listing, demonstrating competence with online account creation and digital safety. She organized the data into columns, used sorting functions to view items by price, and applied basic cell formulas to automate profit calculations. This gave her hands‑on experience with spreadsheet software, data entry, and file management. She also learned how to export and back‑up her work, reinforcing good digital‑citizen habits.
Business Studies / Enterprise
Evie researched comparable listings on Vinted, chose appropriate asking prices, and wrote product titles that highlighted key features. She explored how market demand influences pricing and discovered the importance of clear photos and accurate descriptions for successful sales. By tracking her listings, she began to understand supply‑and‑demand dynamics, profit planning, and the basics of running a small online business. The activity sparked entrepreneurial thinking and responsibility for managing a personal venture.
English Language
When listing each item, Evie drafted concise, persuasive descriptions that used adjectives, correct spelling and appropriate punctuation. She tailored her language to appeal to potential buyers, practicing audience awareness and persuasive writing techniques. The process also required her to edit and refine text for clarity and impact. Through this, she strengthened her written communication skills and learned how language can influence consumer decisions.
Tips
1. Have Evie conduct a mini‑market‑research project by comparing prices of similar items on other platforms and summarising the findings in a short report. 2. Design a weekly budgeting worksheet where she records actual sales, fees and net profit, then reflects on trends over time. 3. Role‑play buyer‑seller negotiations at home, encouraging her to practice persuasive dialogue and price‑bargaining strategies. 4. Extend the spreadsheet work by introducing simple macros or conditional formatting to highlight items that meet a chosen profit threshold, turning data handling into a coding adventure.
Book Recommendations
- Kid's Guide to Money: How to Make It, Save It, and Spend It by Steve Otfinoski: A friendly introduction to basic financial concepts, budgeting and entrepreneurship for pre‑teens.
- The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies: A story about sibling rivalry turned into a business challenge, illustrating profit, competition and marketing.
- Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World by Reshma Saujani: Encourages young girls to explore coding and digital problem‑solving, perfect for extending spreadsheet skills.
Learning Standards
- Mathematics – National Curriculum (Key Stage 3): Number – use of money, percentages and simple profit calculations.
- ICT – National Curriculum (Key Stage 3, 3.1): Create, edit and use spreadsheets to store, sort and analyse data safely.
- Business Studies / Enterprise – National Curriculum (Key Stage 3, Enterprise Education): Understand buying, selling, pricing strategies and basic budgeting.
- English Language – National Curriculum (Key Stage 3, Literacy): Write clear, purposeful texts for a specific audience using appropriate vocabulary and persuasive techniques.
Try This Next
- Worksheet: Calculate total profit for each listing using cost price, selling price, Vinted fees, and shipping, then graph the results.
- Quiz: Match common Vinted terms (e.g., ‘bundling’, ‘shipping label’, ‘reserve price’) with their definitions.