Are you looking to start a Depop business? This guide on how to sell on Depop will provide you with a simple plan to run a successful Depop shop.
Starting a shop on Depop can seem daunting and complicated.
A Depop seller has a lot on their plate, after all. They need to source, list, promote, label, and ship their products!
Luckily, by learning the ins and outs of these tasks, the process can be a breeze.
This guide on how to sell on Depop will provide a step-by-step, simple plan to run a successful shop on the platform.
Millions in the US and UK love to sell on Depop. Here are four reasons why:
Listing your products is free
You can create as many product listings as you need without paying a single penny.
Only when you make a sale, Depop charges you selling fees on each product sold.
Depop has over 3.1 million users
It's a multi-million-user fashion market. By selling on this platform, you can reach a massive number of potential buyers for your clothing and accessories.
Registration is quick
The process of registration and setting up your shop on Depop is straightforward.
It'll take only a few minutes, and you can start listing your products.
You can reach global customers
Depop buyers aren't limited to the US. 47% of Depop users are from different countries.
This allows you to connect with customers around the world with various preferences.
Depop is a massive market that provides a lot of lucrative opportunities. Still, the popular e-commerce site comes with some drawbacks. Here are they:
Poor customer service
Many sellers complain about Depop's customer support.
They say the service isn't responsive and doesn't provide the expected support for them.
Many negative reviews from sellers
Depop has received hundreds of negative feedback from sellers on Sitejabber, where it has a rating of 1.25 out of 5.
Likewise, sellers have given Depop an awful rating of 2.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Full of scammers
Many sellers have reported that buyers on Depop scammed them.
Similarly, a lot of buyers have reported receiving numerous scamming offers from sellers on the platform.
Has a lot of bugs
The online platform contains countless technical bugs that both sellers and buyers suffer from.
Some sellers experienced difficulty in canceling orders for items that have become out of stock.
Other sellers report that their accounts were locked out or banned without notice.
If you want to check other alternatives to Depop, here’s our list of the best places to sell things online.
To create a new shop and run it successfully on Depop, this is the list of requirements you'll need:
Inventory
You need to source the clothing or other items you'll sell on Depop.
This can be thrift clothing, your old personal apparel, or garments of your family members that they no longer wear.
You can also source wholesale clothing or accessories.
A smartphone with a good camera
To take clear and appealing images of your items.
Packaging materials
You need quality packaging materials that fit the items you plan to sell.
You can use poly or bubble mailers for lightweight items like shirts or accessories.
For bulky items like heavyweight jackets, you can use box mailers.
A shipping partner
You need to choose a shipping service provider to fulfill your orders.
You can select “Ship with Depop,” “PayPal shipping,” or any other fulfillment partner.
A PayPal account
You need to connect your PayPal account to your Depop shop to receive payments from your buyers.
Tracked Shipping labels
Depop requires you to use tracked shipping labels on your ordered packages.
An accurate scale
The weight of your products is one of the main determinants of the shipping fee.
So, you'll need to weigh the products you'll sell to estimate these costs.
Here are the steps you need to follow to achieve notable results on Depop:
The first step to creating a Depop shop is to choose the products you'll sell.
The primary product categories on Depop are clothing and jewelry, yet they've added a bunch of other product types recently.
Still, to increase the chances of making sales, pick a product category that meets these three criteria:
Once you've determined the products you'll sell, find the best way to source them.
You might start by selling items you no longer use from your wardrobe. Thrift store items are excellent options as well.
Before you start listing your items, you need to create a Depop account. The registration process is straightforward.
When signing up, choose a name that represents what you'll sell. You'll also need to set up your billing location and connect your Depop shop to your PayPal account.
Think of Depop as Instagram for sellers and buyers. This means that visual content is the key to succeeding.
That way, you need to show off your products in an attractive visual way to increase the chances of selling them.
You should take a clear and appealing image for each item you'll list on Depop.
Still, you don't need a professional camera to do so. Taking high-quality photos using an iPhone or any other smartphone with a good camera is a perfect option.
To get inspiration on how you should take photos for your products, check out the popular shops on the platform. Look at how they showcase their items.
An integral part of listing your products is to set their prices. To come up with the most suitable price for each item, you need to consider the following:
An essential part of your shipping process is weighing your items.
That's because the item’s weight is one of the main determinants of the shipping fees.
Use a small scale to weigh the items you sell. This is to be able to calculate the shipping costs accurately.
Once you've had your items ready, it's time to list them on Depop. Listing your items is simple. You'll only need to follow these steps:
The fastest way to sell your products is to show them to more potential buyers.
One of the best ways to do this is to use your social media accounts to promote what you sell.
Depop allows you to link your social media accounts to your Depop shop. That way, you can directly drive your followers to the shop.
You may also consider using “posted listings” to promote your products. Depop offers this service to help its users show their listings to more customers for some additional fees.
Once a buyer orders one of your items, it's time to ship it to them. Prepare your item by packaging it, adding the tracked shipping label and the buyer's information.
Then, contact your shipping carrier to come and pick up the items.
To increase your revenue and performance on Depop, you need to monitor your sales over time.
Depop provides historical data on your shop's performance and the number of completed sales.
This data will help you determine which items sell and which don't receive orders. That way, you can continuously improve your shop.
There are several best practices that you can use to run a successful shop on Depop, yet some are more impactful than others.
Here's a 5-tip list to skyrocket your Depop shop sales:
Depop doesn't set a minimum or maximum limit for items you can list on the platform.
However, the company recommends listing multiple items weekly to boost your shop to more potential buyers.
Additionally, when you post new products regularly, your followers will get used to checking your account more frequently for new products.
As a result, you have a higher chance of making sales.
You need to ensure you respond to your customers' inquiries within a day or less.
Responding quickly to potential customers' inquiries and providing them with helpful information boosts their trust in your shop.
Many new sellers make the mistake of not setting a clear policy for their shops. This can lead to many disputes and conflicts with their customers.
Set a shop policy to avoid misunderstandings that can develop into a problem later.
The policy should contain at least the following:
It's recommended to post at least four images for every item. Each photo should show the product from different angles.
That way, buyers can thoroughly examine the product and determine whether it fits them. Avoid using stock images or photos of someone else. Only use authentic images of your product.
To boost the attractiveness of your photos, optimize your lighting and pick a suitable background.
Adding a customized message with the sold product can leave a remarkable impression about your shop.
Many sellers report receiving more positive reviews when they add customized notes to their sold items.
Many customers also talk about how amazing it feels to receive personalized thank-you notes.
Invest a few minutes in crafting a customized letter and send it with each order. By doing this, you'll receive more positive reviews and increase your shop's popularity.
Listing your items on Depop is free. Though, for each sale you make, the platform charges you a 10% commission on the total sales value. This includes the item's price and the shipping fees.
It'll also charge you 3.3% + $0.45 as transaction fees if you use Depop payments.
Alternatively, you'll be charged 3.49% + $0.49 transaction fees if you use the PayPal payment gate.
Note: These fees differ from those of sellers in the UK.
Sellers on Depop make, on average, 58,000 per year, according to Glassdoor statistics. This makes it a great online job from home.
However, the platform has received many negative reviews recently from sellers and buyers.
The reviewers reported issues such as technical bugs and a vast number of scammers on the site. That way, you need to be ready to face these problems.
If you're looking to sell clothing on other alternative e-commerce sites, here are three tutorials to help you:
It's clear now that selling on Depop isn't as complex as you might have thought. It only requires some planning and coordination work.
Whenever you're ready to start your shop, refer to this guide on how to sell on Depop for assistance.
If you have any questions or thoughts about this topic, feel free to share them in the comments. Don't forget to share this article with a friend who wants to start a Depop shop.
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