Depop is not like other reselling platforms. It's part marketplace, part social network, built around a Gen Z audience that values aesthetics, sustainability, and one-of-a-kind finds. If what you sell fits that vibe — vintage clothing, streetwear, reworked pieces, handmade accessories — Depop can be one of the best places to sell it.
And as of July 2024, Depop charges zero seller commission in the US. You only pay payment processing. Here's everything you need to know to get started.
Setting Up Your Account
Download the Depop app or go to depop.com. Sign up with your email, Google, or Apple account. You'll need a phone number for verification.
Age requirement: You must be 13 to create an account, but 18 or older to sell. Selling requires identity verification through Depop Payments (powered by Stripe), which means providing a photo ID and linking a bank account.
Before you sign up, choose your username carefully. Depop usernames are lowercase only — no capital letters, no underscores, no hyphens, no special characters. Just lowercase letters and numbers, minimum 3 characters. And you can only change it once every 30 days.
This matters because Depop has the strictest username rules of any major reselling platform. A name like "Thrift_Queen" works on eBay and Poshmark but fails on Depop. Check that your preferred name is available across all your target platforms before committing. For the full rules, see our username guide for every platform.
Fees: The Lowest of Any Major Platform
Depop's fee structure is simple and seller-friendly:
- Seller commission: 0% (eliminated July 2024 for US and UK sellers)
- Payment processing: 3.3% + $0.45 per transaction
That's it. No listing fees, no monthly subscription, no closing fees.
Here's what you keep on a sale:
| Sale Price | Processing Fee | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | $1.28 | $23.72 |
| $50 | $2.10 | $47.90 |
| $100 | $3.75 | $96.25 |
| $200 | $7.05 | $192.95 |
The processing fee is calculated on the total transaction amount — item price plus shipping plus sales tax. If you offer free shipping and build the cost into your item price, the processing fee applies to that higher price.
Separately, buyers pay a marketplace fee (up to 5% of the item price plus up to $1). This doesn't come out of your earnings.
How that compares
| Platform | Approximate Fees on $100 Sale | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Depop | ~$3.75 | ~$96.25 |
| Etsy | ~$9.95 | ~$90.05 |
| Mercari | ~$10.00 | ~$90.00 |
| eBay | ~$14.00 | ~$86.00 |
| Poshmark | ~$20.00 | ~$80.00 |
Depop gives you the best margins of any major reselling platform. For detailed breakdowns of the others, see our fee guides for Poshmark, eBay, and Mercari.
What Sells Best on Depop
Depop's audience is roughly 90% Gen Z (ages 18-26). They're shopping for style, not just stuff. The best-performing categories reflect that:
- Vintage clothing — Y2K (early 2000s nostalgia), 90s pieces, vintage athletic wear, vintage denim (Levi's 501s and 550s are perennial sellers)
- Streetwear — Supreme, Palace, Bape, Nike, Champion, Adidas
- Designer resale — COS, The Row, and trending luxury brands
- One-of-a-kind pieces — reworked, upcycled, or customized items
- Accessories — handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, hair accessories
- Handmade items — especially those with strong aesthetic identity
What doesn't sell well: Generic fast-fashion basics, electronics, home goods, items in poor condition, and anything without visual appeal. Depop is a fashion-first platform. If it doesn't look good in a photo, it won't sell here.
If you're selling general items, electronics, or non-fashion goods, you'll do better on Mercari or eBay. Many sellers list fashion items on Depop and everything else elsewhere — see our guide to selling on multiple platforms.
Creating Listings That Sell
Depop listings live or die on their photos. This platform is more visual than any other reselling marketplace.
Photos
You get 4 photo slots plus 1 video per listing (Depop is rolling out 8 photo slots for some users). Use every slot.
- Modeled shots perform best — wear the item, show how it fits, show it styled. This isn't eBay — white-background flat lays look like stock photos on Depop and get scrolled past.
- Use natural lighting and clean, simple backgrounds
- Shoot square (1:1 ratio) at a minimum of 1280 x 1280 pixels
- Show details: close-ups of labels, tags, fabric texture, stitching, and any flaws
- Add a video if you can — it increases the chance of selling within the first month
- No stock photos, watermarks, or borders — Depop's editorial team won't feature them, and buyers find them untrustworthy
Title and description
Depop combines title and description into a single 1,000-character field. The first 4-5 words matter most for search visibility.
Lead with keywords: "Vintage Nike ACG Fleece Jacket Men's Large 90s" tells the algorithm and the buyer exactly what they're looking at. "Super cute cozy jacket" doesn't.
Include: brand, item type, size, color, era/style, condition, measurements (especially for vintage), materials, and any flaws. Be specific and honest.
Hashtags
You get 5 hashtags per listing. Use them all, but keep them relevant:
- Mix broad and niche: #vintageNike, #Y2K, #gorpcore, #streetwear, #90sfashion
- Never keyword-stuff with irrelevant brand names — it violates Depop's rules and kills buyer trust
Pricing
Search for your item and filter by "Sold" to see what buyers actually paid. Price at or slightly below that range. Depop buyers expect deals compared to retail but will pay premiums for the right aesthetic and rare finds.
Your lower fees mean you can undercut sellers on other platforms while keeping the same margins. A $50 sale on Depop nets you $47.90. That same $50 sale on Poshmark nets $40. Price accordingly.
Shipping
Depop offers three approaches:
Depop shipping labels (USPS)
The easiest option. Select a prepaid label when listing, and Depop generates it when the item sells. Approximate rates:
| Weight | Cost |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 oz | ~$4.50 |
| Up to 8 oz | ~$5.50 |
| Up to 1 lb | ~$7.00-$8.00 |
| 1-2 lbs | ~$10.25 |
| 2-3 lbs | ~$12.00-$13.00 |
Labels include tracking and insurance up to $200. The buyer typically pays the shipping cost.
Ship on your own
Buy labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, or a third-party service like Pirate Ship (which offers commercial pricing well below retail rates). Enter the tracking number manually in the app. You get more control over carrier choice and packaging, but you're responsible for getting competitive rates. See our free reseller tools guide for shipping rate comparison tools.
Free shipping
Build the cost into your item price. Attractive to buyers, but it raises the total the processing fee is calculated on. Works best for lightweight, high-margin items like jewelry and accessories.
Always weigh your items before listing. Underestimating weight causes shipping label issues that you'll have to eat the cost of.
Getting Paid
Depop Payments (powered by Stripe) is the only payment system for US sellers. PayPal is no longer used.
- Payouts go to your linked bank account via ACH transfer
- Funds are released 2 business days after delivery confirmation, or up to 10 business days after the sale date if tracking isn't updated
- No instant payout option — funds arrive on Stripe's standard schedule
- No additional payout fee beyond the processing fee already deducted at sale
Tip: Upload tracking numbers immediately after shipping. It's the fastest way to get your money.
The Depop Algorithm
Understanding how Depop ranks listings is the difference between getting views and getting buried.
Three things the algorithm cares about:
- Freshness — newly listed items rank higher than old ones. This is the single biggest factor.
- Relevance — keyword match between your listing and the buyer's search query
- Engagement — likes, comments, saves, and follower activity
The relisting strategy: If an item hasn't sold in 2-3 weeks, delete it and create a brand-new listing. Relisted items outsell merely refreshed (edited) ones by roughly 18%. You lose the likes and comments, but you get fresh algorithm treatment. This is the most effective free tactic on Depop.
Other visibility tips:
- List new items regularly — daily if possible, weekly at minimum
- Be active on the platform (follow buyers, respond to comments, engage with similar shops)
- Post during high-traffic windows — Sunday evenings tend to perform well
- Put your most searchable keywords in the first 4-5 words of your listing
The Explore page
Depop's Explore page is curated by an editorial team, not the algorithm. They look for original, high-quality photography with strong aesthetic identity — no stock images, watermarks, or cluttered backgrounds. Getting featured is aspirational, not guaranteed, but producing great photos is the only way to get noticed.
Boosted Listings
Depop's optional paid promotion feature. Your listing appears in premium placements across the app, marked with a "Boosted" label.
How it works: You're charged only if a sale results from a boosted view within 28 days. The fee is 8% of the item sale price for US sellers — on top of the standard processing fee.
Example: A $50 boosted sale costs you $2.10 (processing) + $4.00 (boost fee) = $6.10 total. You keep $43.90.
Should you use it? Only on listings that already have good photos, titles, and descriptions. Boosting a poorly optimized listing wastes the fee. Try the free boost week Depop offers new sellers to test whether it works for your items.
The Top Seller Program
Depop awards a blue tick badge to high-performing sellers. Requirements:
| Criteria | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Monthly sales | $1,000+ for 4 consecutive months |
| Average rating | 4.5+ stars |
| Shipping speed | 90%+ shipped within 5 days |
| Refund rate | Below 5% |
| Policy compliance | No violations |
Benefits include the verification badge, better search visibility, priority customer support, early access to new features, and faster payouts. It typically takes 4-5 months of consistent performance to qualify.
You don't need Top Seller status to succeed on Depop — but it's a good long-term goal that naturally follows from running your shop well.
Returns and Buyer Protection
Depop Protection covers all purchases made through the app's Buy button:
- Buyers can report issues within 30 days of purchase
- Covers items that don't arrive, arrive damaged, or are significantly not as described
- Refunds include the purchase price, shipping, and fees
For sellers: Always ship with tracking and upload the number immediately — it's your proof of delivery. Photograph every flaw before shipping. Never transact outside the app (no PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App side deals) — it voids all protection for both you and the buyer.
Depop Is a Social Platform
This is the most important thing to understand about Depop: it's not just a marketplace. It's a social network where you happen to sell things.
Success on Depop requires community engagement, not just good listings:
- Follow active buyers who shop similar items — they'll discover your shop through their feed
- Respond to messages quickly — unanswered DMs are lost sales
- Like and comment on other sellers' and buyers' posts
- Build a cohesive shop aesthetic — your profile should tell a visual story, not look like a random pile of items
Depop rewards sellers who are active participants in the community. If you're just listing items and waiting, you'll be outperformed by sellers who treat it as a social platform.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using one photo per listing. Buyers assume you're hiding something. Use all available slots.
White-background product shots. This isn't eBay. Styled, modeled, or aesthetically curated photos perform dramatically better on Depop.
Vague descriptions. "Cute yellow top" doesn't get found. "Y2K Zara Cropped Cardigan Size M Butter Yellow" does.
Keyword stuffing with irrelevant brands. Tagging "Nike Adidas Supreme" on a no-brand item violates Depop rules and damages trust.
Ignoring messages. Depop buyers expect fast responses. Slow replies kill sales.
Never relisting. Old listings get buried. Delete and relist stale items every 2-3 weeks for fresh algorithm placement.
Transacting outside the app. You lose all buyer and seller protection. Don't do it, no matter what the buyer suggests.
Getting Started
Setting up a Depop shop takes about 10 minutes. Before you do:
- Check your username is available on Depop and every other platform you plan to sell on
- Remember Depop's strict rules: lowercase letters and numbers only, no special characters
- Find a name that works everywhere — see our guide to choosing a username for your reselling brand
If your ideal name is taken on Depop, don't settle for a different name on this one platform. Find an alternative that works everywhere. Our guide on what to do when your desired username is taken has strategies for finding available alternatives.
Ready to sell beyond Depop? See our guide to getting started on every major reselling platform for step-by-step setup instructions across all seven marketplaces.