If you are doing a bit of spring cleaning, you may find many items that you would love to go to a new home. There are many e-commerce platforms out there to buy and sell. Depop is an option to sell or expand your customer base. This post will help with what you need to know about selling on Depop.
We will go over quirks to know, tips for selling on the platform, and how Depop compares to its competitors like Poshmark and Mercari. This will set you up so that when you do start selling on Depop, you will not be surprised.
Using The Depop App
To prepare you for some of the quicks, we will go over some points that Depop is not great in. The first thing that Depop needs to drastically improve on is its app. We use a phone, a tablet, and a laptop but we’re not always on our computer.
Despite turning on our notifications, Depop has a lag when someone messages. In the age of using instant messengers, this lag is inconvenient. We could be messaging someone back and forth about an item but the messages don’t come right away. This is not much of an issue, however, it can delay a sale. Especially with different time zones if your potential buyer is across the country or across the world.
Another lag that Depop’s app has is when you are listing or moving posts around. For some reason, it doesn’t update on all devices despite clicking “Save”. These are not life-changing inconveniences but Depop is behind any other platform we have used out there.
The biggest improvement that Depop can have though is allowing more pictures than just 4. You can take 8 to 12 photos on other apps. More pictures can show the condition of your items better so that buyers can feel more confident about what they are buying. Four pictures are hard to capture everything you may need to.
Selling On Depop vs Poshmark
Despite the user-experience quirks that could really use improvement, there are several advantages that Depop has over Poshmark. First, you don’t constantly have to “share” your closet like you would on Poshmark. You can optimize your listing with keywords so that you can be found when someone is searching for your item.
Second, we get fewer “low-ballers” who offer a small fraction of our listing price. This is because there is no “Offer” button like on Poshmark. This makes price negotiations a lot more personal because the buyer has to send you a private message.
You will get your payment in Paypal as soon as the customer purchases your item on Depop. That is if your Paypal account is in all order. If you run into Paypal issues with your Depop account, check out this article here.
Another pro that Depop has over Poshmark is shipping. You can also ship worldwide so you are not limited to selling just in your country. We will go over everything you need to know about shipping with Depop later on. Here are fees to sell on Depop vs Poshmark.
| Depop Seller Fees | Poshmark Seller Fees | |
| Platform fee | 10% | 20% |
| Processing fee | 2.9% + $0.30 | 0 |
| Additional fees* | See section on shipping | See section on shipping |
Selling On Depop vs Mercari
Mercari used to be the cheapest place to sell, charging the lowest selling fee of 10%. However, that advantage is now gone. Mercari charges the same percentage of fees as Depop. The main difference between selling on Depop vs Mercari is the user base. Many users on Depop are younger, Gen Zs. The whole platform is built to be eye-catching like a social media platform.
Mercari is like a smaller version of eBay with much fewer users. Like Poshmark, the item you sold must be delivered to the customer first on Mercari. The customer will then have to rate you or you must wait 3 full days to get your fund.
Depop and Mercari are basically similar when it comes to shipping. Mercari also allows you to buy your own shipping. The only difference is a minor difference in the cost of shipping per tier of weight. Here are fees to sell on Depop vs Mercari.
| Depop Seller Fees | Mercari Seller Fees | |
| Platform fee | 10% | 10% |
| Processing fee | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Additional fees* | See section on shipping | See section on shipping |
Now, let’s go look at shipping.
Selling On Depop: Shipping
Depop’s shipping price goes by the weight of your item, instead of flat (and high!) pricing like Poshmark. Make sure you have a shipping scale and measuring tape so you know exactly what your package weighs. Round up to the nearest ounces.
So why is a shipping price based on weight advantage as a seller? Because you can offer free shipping without taking too much from your cut. Free shipping brings in more potential customers. If you offer free shipping on Poshmark, you would have to pay a $7.67 shipping fee.
You can save even more money by shipping on your own, instead of shipping with Depop. We go over the step on how to buy your own shipping labels for Depop here.
Shipping is one that can make a big difference in your take-home earnings, especially over the course of selling many items. It is something you need to know about selling on Depop and online in general. If you do choose to ship with Depop, here’s the pricing compared with Mercari and Poshmark.
| Weight | Mercari Shipping Cost | Depop Shipping Cost | Poshmark Shipping Cost |
| Under 4 oz | $3.72 | $4.05 | $7.67 $2.46 Discount $1.50 Discount |
| Under 8 oz | $4.87 | $5.05 | $7.67 $2.46 Discount $1.50 Discount |
| Under 1 lb | $6.18 | $7.05 | $7.67 $2.46 Discount $1.50 Discount |
| Under 2 lb | $12.48* | $11.75 | $7.67 $2.46 Discount $1.50 Discount |
| Under 10 lb | $27.40* | $15.75 | Additional charge applies for packages over 5lbs. |
*See FedEx or UPS options for cheaper pricing.
Tips For Selling On Depop
1.Take clear pictures
The first thing you need to know about selling on Depop is to take clear pictures of your item. In fact, it is something you should do no matter what platform you are using. Depop is no different despite only allowing 4 photos. You can utilize the video to capture details that may be missing from pictures.
Make sure you properly steam your clothing items. It is a lot more appealing to click on a picture of a piece of clothing that’s been cared for. A steamer really helps the wrinkles and you can use it at home too.
2. Be as descriptive as you can.
Describe the brand, style, and color. Sometimes items look different depending on the lighting. Describe what you are not able to capture in photos. Be honest about flaws like stains, small rips, pilling, etcetera.
Include measurements if you can. This will help avoid constantly being asked about the length, chest, or something similar.
3. Be Patient
You will often get spam messages, asking you to text them. Ignore the spammers. You can post your shop policies such as “Price firm” or “No trading” but there will always be those that ignore instructions. You can still be messaged for trade or asked for a much lower price than the listed price.
Even if you’re not interested in trading, it is better to ignore it than to respond negatively. The best way is to be nice and say no thank you. So what is trading on Depop?
Trading is when you and another Depop user agree to trade an item from each of your closets. You can set the price of the item that you both “buy” to be whatever number that both agree on. Most people set their items at $1 each. Make sure that the person you are planning to trade with is legit.
4. Relist
While one advantage of Depop is not constantly having to share your closet, your post can get stale. So another way to “share” is by re-listing your post. Relist doesn’t have to mean listing from scratch. Simply click “edit” without having to change anything. Then, click “Save”. Doing this will bring your post to be recent.
Is Selling On Depop Worth It?
If you are not wearing or using items in your closet or home, listing it will give them a chance to go to someone else. If there are items that you may have that were too pricey to donate or give away, recovering some of the cost makes selling on Depop or any other platform worth it.
What you need to know about selling on Depop and other e-commerce platforms is that it can be a side hustle for you. Many people “flip” items, buying lower and selling for higher. If you have a good eye for what is trending and on-demand, you can source items from places like thrift stores and garage sales.
Depop is a lot more friendly to trendier, loud, unique, and vintage pieces than Poshmark or Mercari. You can sell your used items to fund other things you may actually want. It is also a much more sustainable way to recycle by buying and selling used. The idea is that if someone spent money on it, it will prolong the life of the item rather than to a landfill.
If you are still unsure of where to sell, we have an in-depth comparison of Poshmark vs Depop vs Mercari here. The information is still recent but notes that shipping prices fluctuate in small amounts.