The Rise and Fall of Depop: A Market Shift
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What was once the place to be for sweet deals on secondhand finds is now a wasteland of overpriced Shein items with inflated shipping prices. So, what happened to Depop?
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
The Beginning
Launched in 2011, Depop is a second-hand shopping platform where sellers list their items and buyers browse. Clothing, accessories, and other fashion items are commonly sold on Depop. It is community-driven and social. You can message sellers directly with any questions or concerns, both pre and post-purchase.
Depop makes shipping easy. When someone buys an item, the seller receives a QR code to take to the USPS store, where they can print and label the package for shipping. Sellers are never responsible for paying for shipping, just packing materials like bags and boxes.
All payments are processed through Depop, which makes it seamless to manage sales.
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Fees
Though Depop boasts no selling fees, there are a slew of other fees that buyers are beginning to take note of.
Boosting fees: For a seller to “boost” an item, it is an 8% fee off of the item price. This does not affect the buyer, just the seller. Boosting an item just increases its visibility in the Depop marketplace. Sellers also have the option to boost their entire shop for a 12% fee.
Marketplace fees: In 2024 when Depop removed fees for sellers, they introduced marketplace fees. Depop says that marketplace fees are an investment in Depop protection, customer support, new features and improvements, and community growth.
The fee is up to 5% of the item purchase price plus a fixed amount of up to $1. This fee excludes shipping and taxes.
Expensive Shipping
If sellers choose to use Depop’s shipping function, which most do, since it is cheaper than the alternative, they select a “size” for the item, which estimates the shipping fee. Packages range from extra small to extra large, depending on their weight.
However, recently buyers have noticed an increase in shipping prices. Even the small setting results in a $12 shipping fee. This is exorbitant for a lightweight shirt.
Whether Depop or USPS is to blame for the shipping price shooting up I’m not sure, but everyone has noticed a painful increase that causes buyers to change their minds about items that they have bagged.
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Buyer Disappointment
Buyers have expressed shock and horror when they see a $10 turn into a $21 item with shipping. Why is it that retail stores can ship multiple items for $10 shipping (or less) and Depop charges $11 for just one shirt?
Memes like “when the price is right but the shipping is tripping,” express users’ feelings of Depop’s audacity. Other users wonder if “Depop is dead.”
Some blame Depop, but others blame “scalpers” who buy items for low prices at the in-person thrift store, then list them for higher prices and refuse to go lower. It ruins the community spirit that Depop used to have.
The Verdict?
Depop is no longer the place to go for a good deal on a second-hand item. Sellers notice the decline as buyers shy away from even browsing the app. I know I have been using Depop less and less. I don’t want to risk receiving a less-than-perfect item that I can’t return. It is easier, and now, cheaper, to just buy retail unless you’re looking for a specific vintage item.
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Author: Jayne Turner is a freelance writer from Orange, California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on language and cognition. She has ten years of musical theatre experience and a lifelong love of reading. Utterly excited by the brain, she brings a fresh Gen Z perspective to the topics that intrigue us most.
