- Monumental Magazine
How to Be a Successful Depop Seller
Includes Six Tips For Selling On Depop From a Five-Star Depop Creator
By: Isabella Stoepel
“I just did a major Shein haul, do you want to see what I bought”?
The infamous line I’ve been hearing these past few weeks. It’s that time of year where many are looking to spice up their summer wardrobes. Shein is a popular way to do so. Shein, a fashion website, sells trendy clothes for extremely cheap. For college students on a budget, this seems like the perfect way to buy new clothes, but how does Shein make their clothes so inexpensive?
Shein is one of many brands that utilize fast fashion methods to make their products. So what is fast fashion? Fast fashion brands use unethical methods in order to produce clothing cheaply and quickly. They often use sweatshops in developing countries with lenient child labor laws to produce products cheaper. Additionally, fast-fashion brands often dispose of unused materials through low-cost and convenient methods, such as landfill disposal. Ultimately, fast-fashion websites are producing cheap clothes at the expense of the environment and the well-being of thousands of child workers.
As a college student, I understand how hard it is to buy clothes from expensive and sustainable brands; however, what if I told you there's a way to shop ethically while making money? Depop describes itself as a marketplace app where consumers can discover unique items. Users can buy products from individual vendors while selling their products.
Often people will criticize Depop sellers for upselling products from websites like Shein and other fast-fashion websites, but fail to acknowledge that a large number of Depop sellers are creative content makers who produce their own, unique clothing. Other sellers may lack the skill or money to craft new clothing; however, selling worn clothes is more ethical than disposing of them and contributing to environmental waste.
Depop sets itself apart from other marketplace apps by valuing environmental sustainability, individual creativity, and diversity. In their 2021-2022 sustainability plan, Depop vows to address United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which includes providing resources to help entrepreneurs, offsetting shipping emissions, and conducting a pay gap diagnostic to ensure both sellers and workers receive equitable wages.
Depop values its community, the environment, and its sellers. The marketplace app makes it easy for any individual to get started and make a profit.
Sydney Crister, a five-star Depop seller, has sold all her clothes she listed on Depop while being a full-time college student at Pennsylvania State University. Sydney claims that after creating a Depop account in 2019, she has purchased 90% of her clothes off of Depop. Here are some of her tips for selling clothes on Depop:
Have a picture of you with the item on! I have found that your clothes will be more likely to sell if someone is trying them on because it shows the true fit of the item. You do not have to show your face in these pictures, and I highly recommend you do to hide your identity from strangers.
Offer a discount on bundles! This discount does not have to be high, I used to offer 10% off on any bundles, and my items sold much quicker. Many people offer free shipping with bundles, but be careful with that because shipping can get extremely expensive.
Set your own shipping prices based on size and weight! A hoodie will not cost $4.50 to ship, and it can be upwards of $10. I ended up losing money on my first few sales because of this mistake, and I want to ensure you are earning.
Be careful when agreeing to ship internationally! International shipping averages around $25, so I personally do not offer it.
Use hashtags and product descriptions! Put the brand, size, a comment about it, and use some hashtags! For example, if you are selling a cropped tank, you could include some hashtags like a tank, cami, cropped, cute, crop top, color, tight, etc. Personalize these hashtags!
Respond quickly! Do not leave your customers waiting, try to respond and ship out items as soon as possible, for this could affect your rating in the future.
Check out Sydney’s Depop account!- @sydneyc1919
For this upcoming hot-girl summer, opt to switch out Shein bikinis for Depop ones. Not only will you expose yourself to more creative designs, but you will support a brand that values sustainability and workers’ rights.
Good luck potential sellers and happy shopping!