How to start reselling clothes on Depop

You have a closet full of clothes you do not wear, or a thrift store down the street with a dollar rack, and you keep hearing that people pay real money for this stuff on Depop. Then you open the app and every top seller has perfect modeled photos, a brand name you have never heard of and prices that look made up.

The good news: Depop is one of the easiest places to start. Listing is free, US sellers pay no selling fee, and the buyer covers shipping by default. The bad news is that most new shops stall for the same three reasons: flat photos, guessed prices and the wrong items for the audience.

This guide fixes those three things, then shows you when the same shirt belongs on Poshmark instead.

What do you need to start selling clothes on Depop?

You need a phone, the Depop app, a payout method, poly mailers and a cheap kitchen or shipping scale. That is it. A printer is optional: after a sale, Depop gives you a QR code and the post office will print the prepaid label for free, as several r/Depop sellers point out.

Two terms you will see everywhere:

• Sold comps: the prices similar items actually sold for, not what people are asking. This is how you price.
• Boosting: Depop's paid promotion. In the US it costs 12% of the sale on boosted listings that sell through the boost (from March 23, 2026, as reported by Rollo). It is optional.

Should you start with your own closet or buy inventory?

Start with your own closet. List 10 to 20 things you already own before you spend a dollar on stock. Every mistake you make (bad lighting, wrong parcel size, a price that sits for a month) costs you nothing when the item was free.

This also gives you data. After a few weeks you will see which of your pieces got likes and offers, and that tells you what to look for on the rack. If money is tight, our guide to starting reselling with no money shows how to roll closet sales into your first sourcing budget.

How do you take photos that sell on Depop?

Shoot in daylight, on a plain background, and show the item the way it looks on a person. Depop buyers shop by style, so a modeled or styled first photo usually beats a flat lay on a messy bed.

The photo set for every listing

1. Cover shot: modeled, or styled on a hanger against a plain wall.
2. Full front, then full back.
3. Brand tag and the size or fabric tag.
4. A close-up of the fabric or print.
5. Every flaw, up close, even small ones.
6. A short video of how it moves, if the fabric drapes.

Get the color right

A popular r/Depop post showed the same items shot in different spots at noon, and the colors shifted dramatically. Sellers in that thread recommended a neutral background and, when one photo is the most accurate, saying so in the description. Black is the hardest: some light makes it look faded.

Tip: Write "Photo 3 is the truest color" in your description. It heads off "not as described" disputes, which Depop support does uphold when the photos mislead.

How do you write a Depop listing?

Lead with brand, item type, style words and size, then give measurements and condition. Buyers search by brand and aesthetic, so put both in the first line.

Vintage Levi's 550 relaxed jeans, light wash, 90s, W30
Measurements (flat): waist 15", rise 11.5", inseam 30"
Condition: great, light fading at hems (photo 6)
100% cotton. Ships in 1 to 2 days.

Name the fabric correctly. One r/Depop post complained that "silk" listings are often polyester satin; tag the real fiber so the right buyer finds you.

How do you price clothes on Depop?

Price from sold comps, then check what you actually keep. Search the item on Depop and filter to sold, and check eBay sold listings too. Price near the middle of real sales and leave room for offers, because buyers will send the lowest offer the app allows.

Here is the arithmetic for a US sale of a $40 thrifted jacket that cost you $6:

(Processing is charged on the item plus shipping, so the real figure is slightly higher.)

Watch out: Buyers in a large r/Depop thread said they abandon carts when fees and shipping appear at checkout and a $5 item turns into $20. Very cheap items rarely sell. Bundle them or skip them.

What brands and items move on Depop?

Pieces with a look move: vintage, Y2K and 90s, streetwear, band and graphic tees, workwear and quirky designer. Sellers active on both apps describe Depop buyers as shopping style over brand, and one said they would pay several times retail for the right piece.

Good rack targets for Depop:

• Vintage denim (Levi's, Wrangler) and workwear (Carhartt, Dickies)
• Band, tour and graphic tees with real age
• Y2K pieces, baby tees, low-rise jeans, going-out tops
• Streetwear and skate brands
• Small, odd designer pieces with a clear aesthetic

What usually does not move on Depop: plain fast fashion with no style hook, worn basics and heavy coats with high shipping. For the full sourcing list, see the best things to resell from thrift stores. The Reselling pack adds the sourcing checklist and the buy-ceiling method used here.

Depop vs Poshmark: where should your clothes go?

Use Depop for style-driven pieces and Poshmark for mall and contemporary brands. One r/Depop seller put it plainly: Poshmark is closer to what you find at TJ Maxx and Marshalls (Coach, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Anthropologie), while Depop is streetwear, quirky vintage and avant-garde.

A $40 sale keeps about $38 on Depop before boosting and $32 on Poshmark. Many sellers cross list the same item on both and delist the moment it sells. If you cross list, update the other app immediately: buyers report sellers cancelling because an item already sold elsewhere, and that costs reviews. Comparing more platforms? See how to start reselling on eBay.

How does shipping work on Depop?

Pick a parcel size by weight when you list, then after the sale scan the QR code at USPS or print the label at home. Weigh the item packed in its mailer; if it weighs more than the size you chose, you pay the difference.

1. Weigh the item in its mailer and pick the matching size.
2. When it sells, fold it neatly, add a short thank you note.
3. Print the label on plain paper and tape over it, or show the QR code at the counter or kiosk.
4. Ship within 1 to 2 days. Depop cancels orders not shipped within 10 days.
5. Payout reaches your balance 2 business days after delivery (Rollo, October 2026).

Packaging matters more than you think. Two of the year's biggest r/Depop posts were about items shipped in used fast food bags and boxes.

What mistakes do new Depop sellers make?

Most mistakes cost reviews, and reviews drive Depop sales. From r/Depop threads:

• Slow shipping. Buyers say "I'll ship tomorrow" followed by five days of silence makes them stop buying.
• Raising prices after offers. One buyer watched a $20 listing jump to $100 after several offers; it stayed unsold.
• Hidden flaws and misleading styling. Pinning a dress to look fitted led to a refund and return through Depop support.
• Pricing everything at $2 to $5. Fees and shipping make the checkout total unattractive.
• Getting angry at lowball offers. Counter with your lowest price and move on.
• Buying stock before listing your own closet. You learn on free items, not paid ones.

How much can you make reselling clothes on Depop?

It depends on what you buy, how fast you list and how many hours you put in; there is no typical number. A seller who lists 10 thrifted pieces a week at a $25 average with a $5 buy cost could clear around $180 if all ten sold, but sell-through is never 100%, and the hours sourcing and photographing are real. Track item cost, sale price and time in a spreadsheet from day one.

Where to go from here

1. List 10 to 20 items from your own closet this week.
2. Use the photo set and listing template above for every one.
3. Price from sold comps and check your take-home with the fee math.
4. Once a few sell, source on a buy ceiling: sold price minus fees, mailer and your profit.
5. Put mall brands on Poshmark and style pieces on Depop.

The Reselling pack gives you the full 24 lessons across 6 modules, with the sourcing checklists, listing templates and fee math for each platform, for $19, or all 16 Money Printer packs for $39.