Depop

Sort of, it depends on your market. In the US, Depop removed its 10% seller fee in 2023, which sounds like a win. But payment processing fees (roughly 3.3% + $0.45 via Stripe) still eat into every sale, and if you ship through Depop's label system, those costs come out of your pocket too. Internationally, seller fees still apply, so 'free to sell' is a US-only headline.

Because Depop's in-app shipping rates aren't always the cheapest option, they use carrier partners (USPS, UPS, etc.) at rates that may or may not beat what you'd get booking directly. Sellers also frequently underestimate the actual weight and dimensions of their parcels, so they list low shipping prices and then get burned. The short version: Depop doesn't subsidize shipping the way Amazon does, and real postage just costs that much.

Yes, with caveats. When you pay through Depop's checkout (not off-platform), you're covered by Depop Purchase Protection, which means you can dispute items that don't arrive or don't match the listing. The danger zone is sellers who push you to pay via Venmo, cash, or direct PayPal Friends & Family, those transactions have zero protection. Stick to in-app checkout and your risk drops dramatically.

On a $40 sale in the US, you'd pay approximately $1.77 in payment processing fees (3.3% + $0.45), leaving you roughly $38.23 before shipping costs. If you're covering shipping yourself, subtract that too, a typical USPS Ground Advantage label for a light clothing item runs $4–$7. So your real take-home on a $40 sale is realistically around $31–$36, depending on the shipping weight.

Yes, Depop is a legitimate, established marketplace owned by Etsy, Inc., a publicly traded company. It has tens of millions of registered users and processes a large volume of real transactions daily. 'Legit site' and 'risk-free experience' are two different things, though, the platform is real, but not every seller on it is trustworthy.

Yes, buying on Depop is reasonably safe when you use the platform's official checkout. Depop Purchase Protection covers you if an item never arrives or is significantly not as described. The safety collapses the moment a seller asks you to take the transaction off-app, that's almost always a scam setup, and Depop will not help you recover money lost that way.

The list is real: inconsistent counterfeit enforcement, a buyer transaction fee that inflates prices, unreliable seller quality (anyone can list anything), patchy customer support that's notoriously slow to resolve disputes, and an algorithm that heavily favors accounts that post frequently and use promoted listings. For sellers, visibility is brutal unless you're already established or willing to pay for boosts. For buyers, 'vintage' and 'rare' labels are slapped on items that are neither.

Depop scamming typically takes a few forms: sellers listing counterfeit or misrepresented items, sellers taking payment and never shipping, fake 'buyers' sending fraudulent payment confirmations and asking sellers to ship before the money clears, and, most commonly, sellers asking buyers to pay outside the app to avoid fees, then ghosting. Off-platform payment requests are the single biggest red flag on Depop.

Yes, but only if you paid through Depop's in-app checkout and the scam falls within their Purchase Protection policy (item not received, or item significantly not as described). File a dispute through the app first; if that fails, you can escalate through your payment provider or card issuer. If you paid off-platform, Depop will almost certainly decline to help, and their terms of service explicitly warn against it.

Yes, if you paid through Depop checkout and report the issue promptly. Depop Purchase Protection is the mechanism, open a dispute within the required window (check current terms, as timelines update). The refund process can be slow and requires you to provide evidence like screenshots and tracking info. Off-platform payments are not covered, full stop.

Both, and that's the honest answer. The majority of items are genuine secondhand goods sold by real people. But counterfeit streetwear, fake designer bags, and replica sneakers do appear on the platform regularly, despite Depop's stated prohibition. High-demand brands like Nike, Supreme, Stone Island, and luxury labels are the most common targets for fakes. If a deal looks too good for the brand, treat it like a red flag, not a score.

Yes, under the same conditions as above: in-app payment, timely dispute, documented evidence. Depop's support has a reputation for being slow, but Purchase Protection does result in refunds when the criteria are met. The fastest path is to open the dispute in-app, document everything with screenshots, and follow up persistently if you don't hear back within their stated response window.

No, Depop's policies explicitly prohibit counterfeit and replica goods. But in practice, fakes do get listed and sometimes sold before being caught. Enforcement relies heavily on user reports rather than proactive scanning, which means the system is reactive, not preventive. If you receive a fake item you believed was authentic, report it immediately, that's grounds for a refund under Purchase Protection.

It's not hard if you ignore the warning signs, accepting off-platform payment requests is the most reliable route to getting burned. If you use in-app checkout, avoid deals that seem impossibly cheap, check seller reviews, and refuse any request to 'pay directly,' your scam risk is low. The scams that succeed on Depop almost always require the victim to override their own instincts and ignore at least one obvious red flag.

In the US, Depop charges sellers 0%, it dropped its 10% seller fee in 2023. Instead, a payment processing fee of approximately 3.3% + $0.45 applies to every transaction (charged by Stripe). Depop also charges buyers a transaction fee that varies but typically ranges from around 3–5% of the order total. Outside the US, seller fees still apply, check Depop's current fee schedule for your country, as rates vary.

On a $100 sale in the US, the seller pays roughly $3.75 in processing fees (3.3% + $0.45), netting about $96.25 before shipping. The buyer, meanwhile, pays a separate Depop transaction fee on top of the $100 listing price. So the total cut Depop and its payment processor extract from a $100 transaction, across both sides, can be $6–$9 combined, depending on the buyer fee applied.

Because most sellers are individuals clearing out their closets, not retail businesses with overhead and markup. Secondhand goods are priced to move, not to maximize margin. Depop's social feed also creates pricing pressure, if your item is priced higher than a similar listing two scrolls down, buyers will skip you. That competition keeps prices competitive, sometimes uncomfortably so for sellers who paid real resale prices for inventory.

Visibility is the main wall. Depop's algorithm rewards frequent posting, fast shipping, and high seller ratings, all things that take time to build. New sellers with no reviews are competing against established shops with thousands of sales and algorithmic favoritism. Add in that buyers can lowball you with impunity via DMs, the search function is notoriously imprecise, and promoted listings cost money, and you've got a platform that feels tilted toward the already-established.

Poshmark takes a flat 20% on any sale over $15, so on a $100 sale, Poshmark keeps $20 and you receive $80. That's a significantly higher seller fee than Depop's current US model. Poshmark's trade-off is that it provides a prepaid shipping label and handles more of the transaction infrastructure, but the 20% cut is steep and non-negotiable regardless of how much effort you put into the listing.

Depop wins on fees for US sellers, 0% seller fee vs. Poshmark's brutal 20%. Poshmark wins on structure: prepaid labels, a more established buyer base for mid-range fashion, and a slightly more standardized transaction process. Depop is better for streetwear, vintage, and youth-oriented fashion; Poshmark skews toward mainstream brands, women's clothing, and a slightly older demographic. The honest answer is that serious resellers often use both and let the audience decide.