Depop Is a Quick Way to Buy and Sell Your Old Clothes

What are people buying on Depop?

From the second you download Depop or look at its website, you get the sense that fashion is its whole deal. I am a faithful user of Poshmark, where you can (and I do) buy and sell literally everything from electronics to candles in addition to clothing and accessories. But Depop, while similar, seems focused much more squarely on clothes. It's not a hard and fast rule that it's clothing only, but the listings I usually see are similar to the type of finds you'd stumble across in a very cool, very affordable thrift store. You might see some cool non-fashion stuff, but that's not really why you're there.

To be clear, this does not mean the things you list for sale have to be ultra high-end or super on-trend. There is plenty of that on Depop, and if you have fancy or of-the-moment goods to sell, the platform is a great place for them. But you can also find loads of items from Forever 21 or other random mall and fast-fashion chains. Largely, shoppers head there to find something unique and cool or to build a whole outfit. A lot of my friends exclusively use Depop as their resale shopping platform and I asked them to give me some words to describe the experience: "Trendy" was in there, as were "cheap," "cool," and "interesting."

Buying is easy, but searching isn't

The best thing about Depop from a buying standpoint is that prices tend to be really low. Yes, sellers set their own prices, so you might occasionally run across a listing for something exorbitant, but Depop incentivizes lower prices by taking a very small cut of your sale. Depop only takes 10% of the sale profit and shipping cost combined. My beloved Poshmark takes 20% of the sale price (and shoppers cover shipping, the same as they do on Depop) and other apps take more convoluted cuts. Vestiaire Collective, for instance, takes a 10% cut, plus a payment processing fee that can vary, but is never less than 3%.

Like other apps, Depop also allows potential buyers to send "offers," meaning if you have something listed for $20, someone can offer to buy it for $15. The seller has to agree or can send a counter, but once they approve the offer, the buyer is notified and then has the option of completing the purchase for the new, agreed-upon price. This differs from Poshmark, where, when a seller approves an offered price, the sale goes through instantly for that price. If you're used to that system, this can be confusing. I thought I made a sale a few days ago on Depop because I approved an offer, but realized hours later that, in fact, I hadn't; the buyer never completed the purchase. Perhaps they just wanted to see if I would go for it. Not nice! But in general, in my experience, sellers do accept offers regularly, and it is nice for buyers to know that they're not committed to a purchase just because they asked about a lower price. In fact, I've had more luck sending successful offers as a buyer on Depop than on Poshmark or Vestiaire Collective.

All of that said, the search function leaves a little to be desired. My favorite search features are the ones on The RealReal and Poshmark, where you can sort by all kinds of factors, from size to brand, and see search results that match your needs and interests perfectly. On Depop, you can set your preferred sizes so you don't have to weed through listings for things that won't fit you, as well as filter by brand, color, condition, and location. But once that's done, you can only sort by price or newly-listed items. If you think that doesn't sound so bad, consider this: Depop doesn't show names in search results. Other apps will give you a list of relevant items with listing names like "NWT Adidas sneakers." Depop simply shows you pictures and, since these pictures just come from regular people selling their own clothes, you could be looking at a blurry pic of a jacket flung over a chair and need to tap into the listing to learn anything about it. This does track with Depop's ethos of being more vibes-based, but it replicates the experience of being in a thrift shop a little too well. Thrift stores might thrive on the idea of finding clothes based on how they stick out on a rack, but the issue is this isn't a thrift store, and when I'm at home and have the whole internet at my disposal, I'm not shopping based on casual vibes. When I'm using an app, I typically want to find something very specific, and these vague search results can get tiresome.

Selling is easy, too

Even if buying can get frustrating on Depop, selling is, at least, very easy. Last week, I made a new Depop account and migrated some of my listings over from Poshmark. (I used a cross-listing app called Vendoo to do this, which I recommend to anyone selling across multiple platforms). I had interest—a lot of likes and offers—right away and made a sale in about two days, which is a good speed, since I only had about 19 listings up. I'm very picky about the apps I use for reselling, because I don't want them to make me put in a bunch of extra work. I love Vestiaire Collective, for instance, because you can buy and sell really high-quality, nice stuff—but I avoid selling on there because I don't have a printer and self-printing the shipping label is your only option on VC. I'd rather let something sit in my Poshmark or Depop a few extra weeks and sell it more easily than have to go to the print shop, procure a label, buy a box, and already be down no less than $5 in supplies before the profit even hits my account.

Depop, blessedly, is better off in that regard. Like Poshmark, it generates a QR code that you can just show to the people working at the post office. The QR code entitles you to a shipping envelope or box (the size depends on the weight of the goods and the buyer pays the shipping cost based on that number) and all you have to do is stuff the item(s) in there, hand it to the agent, scan the code, and be done. When the buyer gets the package, the money shows up in your balance. From there, you request a direct deposit to your bank and, in about two weeks, it shows up.

One thing I don't like is that you can't use your Depop balance to make purchases on the platform, which you can do on Poshmark or the clothing rental app Pickle. As a casual seller, I think of my use of these apps as a continuation of my adherence to the one-in-one-out rule of decluttering: If I sell something, I get to buy something. If I do not sell something, I do not get to buy something. Keeping all the earned money from my sales available for buying new things is an easy way to manage that, but unfortunately, to use Depop earnings to buy Depop outfits, I have to initiate a bank transfer, then go back in and pay with my debit card.

Getting started making sales

If you've ever listed anything on another resale platform, the system for creating listings on Depop won't be foreign to you. It's very intuitive, but here's a quick rundown.

Creating a Depop listing Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Open the Depop app and look at the bottom of the screen. You'll see a menu: Home, Discover, Sell, Inbox, and My Depop. Home will be a feed of items you might like, based on your past searching and buying history, as well as "favorite brands" you can input in your settings. Discover shows you what's trending for the week and lets you tap into categories, like men's and women's clothing, for easy shopping. Inbox is where you answer or ask questions about listed items and see your offers. My Depop is where you customize your settings, like setting your preferred sizes and adding your bank account info. To start a sale, tap Sell. Then, you'll upload a picture or pictures of the item, followed a description. (Since there is no title on your listing, make sure to stuff the description with any word someone might conceivably search for that could bring up your item.) Set a price, indicate what you originally paid for it, and use the provided text-entry boxes to select a category (like Women - Shirts), brand, size, and condition (like Used - Excellent). Depop will show you some similar items that have sold recently to give you an idea of how you should price your listing. You'll then be prompted to enter in an approximate weight and size for the parcel, which determines the shipping price the buyer will pay. Then, just tap Post listing, and the listing will appear on your profile page. If and when it sells, Depop automatically moves it out of your available listings, but keeps it publicly viewable in a "sold" section.

Depop's trustworthiness and reputation

I have gotten so many sick things off Depop. I vividly remember the joy I experienced scoring a Fendi crossbody, YSL sweater, and American Apparel skirt for unbelievably cheap in 2018. Seven years later, I still think about that day and say, "Oh, hell yeah." That said, some people haven't been as lucky. I'm always surprised to see poor ratings and reviews for apps that have always been perfectly pleasant for me, but if you look on Trustpilot, that's what you'll see for Depop: A paltry 1.3 stars out of 5.

The main complaint on these reviews is related to how long the app takes to pay you after you make a sale. Waiting two weeks for a payout is annoying, so avoid selling on this app if you're looking for fast money. It might be more worthwhile to sell on Poshmark or Vestiaire Collective in that case, because while they do take a larger cut, you get your money a lot faster. My Poshmark balance updates as soon as the package is marked received by buyer by USPS and, when I have used VC, I've gotten my Venmo payout within two to three days of the package's receipt.

Outside of that, I'll also say that a lot of negative experiences on reselling platforms come from scammy sellers, not necessarily the apps themselves, so always—always—err on the side of assuming that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Reach out to sellers with questions. Don't ever agree to make a transaction outside of the app. And know that, even if you do get scammed, it's still the app's responsibility to be responsive and protect you. I've never had to go to customer service for an issue with a Depop purchase, so I'm lucky there, but according to reviews on Trustpilot, they are responsive and will refund you if there's an issue.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many times, you're dealing with casual sellers (although there are definitely pros and thrift stores who use the app to move their goods). In a world where we're used to the speed of Amazon Prime, it can be frustrating when an item doesn't get shipped quickly. But since the people I'm buying from are often just other people like me, I try to give them grace. I know, personally, that it's just not always feasible to get to the post office within 24 hours of a sale. Your purchase could be in storage, or the seller could be on vacation, or they might just be busy. As a rule, don't ever buy on a resale app if you need the thing you're buying in less than a week (although, if speed is a concern, you could try messaging the seller first and confirming they'll be able to ship your purchase fast).

Should you use Depop?