How to sell on Depop: shop setup, photos, shipping and payments

How Depop works for sellers

Depop describes itself as the fashion marketplace app for everyone, and it reports 30M+ registered users across 150+ countries. You sell on Depop by opening a shop in the app, listing each item with photos, and shipping it after a buyer pays through Depop.

US sellers pay zero selling fees. Each sale pays a payment processing fee of 3.3% + $0.45, charged on the item sale price plus shipping costs and any applicable taxes. Buyers pay their own marketplace fee of up to 5% of the item purchase price, plus a fixed amount of up to $/£1, which does not come out of your payout.

In the US you need Depop Payments in order to be able to list and sell, so set that up before your first listing.

How to set up a Depop seller account and shop

These steps follow Depop's help center for a seller based in the US.

1. Download the app and sign up

   Open the app and sign up with Google, Apple, or your email. Then enter your name, date of birth, and choose a username. You have to be 13 or older to sign up.

2. Secure the account

   Depop's getting-started steps say to enable two-factor authentication to keep your account secure.

3. Set up your shop profile

   Depop suggests you add a shop photo so buyers and sellers can recognise you. Use your bio to say what you make, what it is made from, and how long made-to-order pieces take to ship.

4. Set up Depop Payments

   US sellers need Depop Payments in order to be able to list and sell. Depop Payments runs through Stripe. You must be at least 18 years old to have a Depop Payments account. For younger sellers, Depop says that if you’re under 18, you’ll need a parent or guardian to verify their details on your behalf to sell and get paid.

5. Add a bank account

   Before you can withdraw money, you must add a valid bank account. Depop may also ask for additional identity verification. The details you give must exactly match those you used when you signed up for Depop.

How to list an item on Depop

Each listing needs photos, a description, item details, a price and a shipping option, in the app or on Depop.com.

1. Add photos and a video

   In the app you can add up to four photos and one video. On the web you can add up to eight photos, and you get bulk listings and inline edits. Use photos you took of the actual piece: Depop says your listing will be removed if you use stock images.

2. Write the description

   Describe the item using up to five hashtags. Use the words a buyer would search for. Depop's AI listing tool generates descriptions and attributes based on your images; check what it writes against the piece in front of you.

3. Fill in the item details

   Add the category, brand, size and condition, and up to two colors. Depop's listing tips say sizes vary between brands, so add the exact measurements of the item and let buyers know how it fits.

4. Set a price

   Depop shows suggested prices based on similar items sold on Depop. A one-off piece may have no close match, so price from your materials, your time and the fee on the sale.

5. Choose a shipping option

   Pick Depop Shipping or ship your own way. With Depop Shipping, US sellers can offer $2, $3 or $4 off, or free shipping when listing on the iOS app, to cover some or all of the buyer's shipping cost.

Listing photos for clothes and accessories you make

Depop's listing tips say to include plenty of photos to support your description. For pieces you make, the photos also have to show how the piece is made, not only how it looks.

• Shoot in daylight against a plain wall or sheet, so the color in the photo matches the color that arrives.
• Lead with the whole piece, then show it worn or on a form, then close-ups of stitching, hardware, labels and fabric texture.
• Photograph any variation that comes with the process, such as hand-dyed color shifts or visible mending, and name it in the description.
• Lay the piece flat next to a tape measure for one photo. It backs up the measurements in the text.
• Use the video slot in the app to show drape, stretch or movement.
• Depop lets you edit your images in the app using Photoroom. Keep edits to cropping and light, so the item looks the way it will arrive.

Selling clothes and accessories you make on Depop

Depop lists upcycled and reworked fashion among what sells best on the app, which it describes as handmade, customized, or repaired items that give old clothes a new life. Makers of new pieces can sell too: Depop's dropshipping policy allows handcrafted items designed by the seller and items produced or printed on demand that the seller has designed.

If a workshop or print partner makes or ships your pieces, the same policy asks you to tell buyers three things in the listing:

• Say that you are working with a third party to source or manufacture these items.
• Say where your partner is based.
• Give shipping and delivery timeframes.

The policy also says to take original photographs of the items; stock pictures are not allowed. Do not call a mass-produced piece handmade: Depop's seller misrepresentation policy prohibits misrepresenting mass produced items as handmade.

If a piece is made to order, put the making time in the description and keep it inside Depop's shipping deadline. Orders not shipped within 10 days of purchase are canceled and refunded, so list made-to-order work only when you can finish it in that window.

Depop shipping options for US sellers

You choose how an item ships when you list it. US sellers pick Depop Shipping or their own carrier.

If you choose Depop Shipping when you list, you must then use the label generated on Depop to ship the item. Whichever option you use, ship fast: Depop's help center says most sellers ship within 2 days, and an order that is not shipped within 10 days of purchase is canceled and the buyer gets a full refund.

Depop fees on one sale, compared

The same $30 sale on Depop and on two other places makers sell clothes and accessories, using each platform's own published rates for US sellers.

How Depop pays sellers

Once you make a sale, the money is paid straight into your Depop Balance. Depop sends it there 2 business days after the item shows as delivered or 10 business days after the sale, whichever comes first.

From your Depop Balance you withdraw to your linked bank account. A withdrawal can take up to 5 days to show in your bank account.

If a sale is refunded, all fees will be reversed. Depop also says you need to add a top-up card to your Depop account before you can refund buyers.

Buyers can make offers below your price. You have 14 days to accept, decline or counter, and the offer doesn’t include the shipping price, so decide what you will accept with postage in mind.

How buyers find your listings: search and boosting

When a buyer sorts search results by relevance, Depop matches the search against a listing's description, brand, category, color and more. It also counts views, likes and adds to bag, and more popular listings rank higher. Listing age matters a little: newer items get a slight edge. Depop also looks at information about the seller: how many items they've sold and how many views their items get. A seller's Top Seller status has no impact on where their listings rank.

So fill in every field and use the words a buyer would type for the piece.

Boosting adds an extra placement that helps your items appear higher and reach more buyers. Depop charges a boosting fee of 12% only when a buyer interacts with the boosted listing and buys it within 28 days. The fee is charged on the item sale price (excluding taxes) and, if you haven’t used a Depop Shipping label, the shipping cost.

Sales tax and tax forms for Depop sellers

Depop's help center says Depop automatically calculates, collects, and remits US sales tax on behalf of sellers, so no action is required on your part to collect US sales tax from buyers.

For income tax, Depop sends a 1099-K tax form to sellers who meet federal or state thresholds. The IRS says a payment app or online marketplace must send the form if your payments total over $20,000 in more than 200 transactions. Getting no form does not change what you owe: the IRS says you must report all income on your tax return.

Tax rules vary by state and city, and this page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check your state's revenue agency or a tax professional for your own situation.

Where Nation fits

Questions about selling on Depop