20 Things You Didn’t Know about Depop

Depop is the latest shopping platform for finding clothing, accessories, and more. While most of the fashion and advertising is aimed at younger people, vintage items, sports equipment, and more can be found on this site, and there’s no age limit as long as you have legal buying power. Like most sites that allow individual sellers, Depop has a reasonable list of prohibited items. Still, beyond that, it’s a straightforward and transparent platform to use for buying and selling.

20. Shopping Gets Socal

Buyers are tired of supporting big box stores and creating ever more waste globally, so Depop gave them an out. Since they don’t allow any dropshipping, items are new and unused, handmade, gently used, or otherwise marked as used. Instead of supporting a giant conglomerate with abhorrent employment practices, this platform is peer to peer, allowing buyers and sellers to connect. As much a social interaction as a new shopping experience, Depop is making waves with the younger, more ecologically concerned crowds.

19. Kids Are Welcome

If you are under eighteen or shopping for someone who is, this is a great platform with a wide variety. Clothing and even toys are available through Depop. The site clearly states that anyone under eighteen must have access to and permission for a parental account to shop.

18. Beauty Products

People often buy and receive makeup that never gets used. Whether it’s the wrong shade, an unwanted brand or even tools like makeup brushes the seller never needed, literal tons of makeup go to waste every year. Depop allows sellers to get rid of these unwanted products so buyers who want them can get them at a discounted rate. Instead of shopping at a grocery store, or a high-end makeup emporium, Depop consumers can get the perfect shade without contributing back to the culture of waste.

17. Films

Everyone has different tastes in movies. Depop offers buyers a chance to get copies of films they might otherwise have missed in stores. More than that, some ingenious sellers have tapped into the retro trend of VHS tapes. If you really wanted a copy of your favorite 80s or 90s flick on tape instead of DVD, skip eBay and check out the film section here instead. You never know what you’ll find.

16. Offices and Spaces Where Fashion Lives

Depop has offices in Manchester, Milan, and New York City. Their commitment to unique fashion is easy to see by where they’ve chosen to locate. However, more offices are added all the time because this is a fast-growing company. Additionally, they have ‘Spaces’ that are part art exhibition, part hangout spot, and part business. The Depop website calls its “Spaces” a physical manifestation of the brand. You can see exhibitions of some products and so much more just by dropping in. They are open Tuesday to Saturday by appointment only on Sunset Boulevard in LA and by appointment Monday to Sunday on Mott Street in New York’s Chinatown. There’s no better way to get a deep look into how Depop is helping forge the fashion future than by seeing it in person.

15. Jewelry

Whatever your personal style, grabbing some jewelry from Depop is a fantastic way to show it off. Handmade artisan pieces sell for half what you’d pay on a bigger site, and vintage finds abound. Best of all, you’ll find a great variety of styles, colors, and pieces to choose from. Your next favorite piece, a gift for someone special, or a little something shiny to add to your collection are all available at stellar prices. Best of all, you get to feel great about supporting a real person, not just some nameless corporate entity.

14. Get Sporty

Maybe fashion isn’t your ‘thing,’ and you don’t have kids. Depop still has plenty to offer you. Skateboard decks, beach towels, baseball gloves, and sporting equipment have their own section. We all know someone, or we are someone who has some home gym equipment or other sporty stuff laying around collecting dust. Now you can sell it or trade it for something you want more. Alternately, active outdoor enthusiasts will love the variety of cost-effective, mostly like-new gear they can find.

13. Fingernails

There are a lot of unique categories on Depop. However, one of the most unusual is the absolutely massive collection of pres on fingernails and fingernail accessories. It’s no secret that people who paint their nails often love to change their style with every outfit or whim. One way to make it easier is by picking up (unused and still in package) fingernail kits, polish, tools, stickers, and gems.

12. Squashmallows

If you don’t know what a Squashmallow is, we don’t know what to tell you. These wildly popular, squishable pillow-like toys are as popular with adult collectors as they are with children. Squashmallows are this generations’ Beanie Babies, but much much larger. Fans of the round and soft creatures meet up and trade or sell the highly prized plushes. It’s worth noting that most items on Depop that have a high price tag aren’t really selling for a thousand or ten thousand dollars; that’s just a placeholder price to indicate the seller is looking to trade or negotiate.

11. Classic Kicks

Squashmallow lovers aren’t the only fandom that is finding a home on this unique marketplace. Sneaker lovers are trading vintage and new Nikes. Boots, heels, and loafers all have their own spot on the market as well. Plus, unlike a dingy brick-and-mortar thrift shop, you can find quality pieces without fighting the crowds. Best of all, Depop offers both buyer and seller protection and dispute mediation to help make sure sales are smooth, and everyone ends up happy.

10. Swap Music

Looking for something new, exotic, or vintage to listen to? Depop has your back with a music selection as widely varied as its international clientele and sellers. Trade tunes, find unique music equipment or pick up an old favorite from a new friend.

9. Check Out Unusual Art

From the classic to the truly odd, handmade, or vintage, the art on Depop is a little bit of everything. Plus you can find art clothing and even artistic toy in this area. You can even get stickers. There’s a lot more to Depop than ‘just’ clothing.

8. Shipping For Sellers and Buyers

Getting products to people all around the world is a complex process. In the UK, sellers have the option of having Hermes Home Collection, which picks up items from their homes. While this service isn’t available for every country, it does make things easier for some sellers. Depop also allows users to choose their own shipping, Depop shipping, or third-party shippers. As for the pricing, some sellers include shipping in the price, and others opt to add the shipping fee at the end of the sale. Regardless, buyers are often getting a screaming deal on outstanding items.

7. Vintage and New

Depop has a reputation as a vintage clothing seller, but you can also find the latest styles, retro-inspired pieces, and lots of recent-season buys. This applies across the board, not just for clothing items. For example, you may find vintage brooches and pins beside brand-new handmade items. The only real difference is what the buyer wants. People with timeless classic wardrobes, vintage tech, and retro homes will find plenty to love, but anyone who wants all the tags on last season’s steals will also get what they need. Part of the fun of using this site is looking around and bargain hunting for things with the perfect aesthetic for you.

6. Reading is Fundamental

Most people enjoy a good read. Depop includes books and magazines in its offerings to satisfy the bibliophiles out there. Sometimes comic books are on offer, and others you may find college textbooks, political moves, or photobooks like the Pictoral Tribute to Elvis. Game guides are also a frequent seller in this category. Because sellers and buyers come from everywhere in the world, you’ll see science fiction beside books about gender identity and Stephen King next to Bette Midler’s autobiography. Every possible reading preference is represented. Like a physical thrift shop, but without the risk, you’ll find plenty to read for far less than you’d spend on a newer copy.

5. Growing Global Following

Launched in 2011, Depop has been around for longer than most people think. It takes time to grow your brand and start to get noticed. However, once a fantastic company like this gets rolling, there’s no stopping the momentum. The global reach of Depop grows daily, but it is especially popular in the UK, where it was founded, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Italy. Doubtless, the trend toward sustainable fashion culture isn’t going to change anytime soon. It won’t be surprising if this brand is a household name in another few years.

4. Cost-Effective

Everyone who knows a small business person has heard the stories of woe. They have a platform to sell on, but the hidden fees are killing them. Sellers don’t know when, how, or why they’ll be charged, and re-listing fees every month are taking out of their already shallow, hard-working pockets. Mystifying language hidden pages deep in overwhelming rules is so twentieth-century. Depop charges sellers a flat rate for only the sales they make. Plus, the site offers general current price guides on most payment processing fees and even helps sellers ship with simple, well-explained options. It’s a no-muss, no-fuss system that makes everything clear.

3. Waste Less, Share More

It’s the inclusivity for us. Not only is Depop an openly inviting, community-minded business, but they encourage buyers and sellers to connect. There aren’t enough businesses that are working on getting people together in a way that benefits everyone. Someone has to find ways to forge a path forward and reconnect everyone who has become so disconnected over the last couple of years. Offering innovative social-media-esque, eco-friendly shopping is a fantastic way to help bring that about.

2. Sustainability

With the success of Vinted, the Lithuanian unicorn startup worth over a billion dollars, it’s not hard to see that sustainable practices are in demand. The fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to global waste. Businesses like Depop are doing more than mouthing the right words to consumers. You can read all about their sustainability practices right on their website. Yet, it goes deeper. This company actively supports users and encourages sellers to make their own practices more sustainable.

1. Fashion For Anyone

If the last couple of decades has taught us anything, it’s that today’s youth doesn’t adhere to classical ideals about which gender wears what. No matter your size, type, style, or physical characteristics, you can find everything you need to dress well on Depop. Someone somewhere is ready to get rid of their old gear, from shoes and even underwear to skirts, suits, casual wear, or vintage pieces. Yet Depop manages not to feel at all like a thrift store. This is less of a website and more of an experience. In fact, Buzzfeed did a story last year about some of the hilarious posts on this highly social peer-to-peer site.

Bonus

According to CNN, Etsy bought Depop earlier this year. The handcraft and vintage site, known for its jewelry and art, spent an incredible $1.63 billion to gain the Gen-Z-oriented resale business.

Final Thoughts

Depop is definitely trending. This is one smart, sustainability-minded business that is looking to the future. With its transparent pricing and easy-to-use shipping options for sellers, Depop knows its audience. When it comes to seeing a need and filling it, there’s nothing quite like this unique business that makes younger adults feel more in control of their shopping experience. The environment is welcoming, and the intuitive user interface is superb.

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