How to sell on Depop | The Foolproof Method That Helped Me Make My First 50 Sales

Are you thinking about learning how to sell on Depop? Here’s everything you need to know about how to sell clothes on Depop.

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If you’re looking for a side hustle or are just looking for a way to sell your clothes online, you’re probably wondering how to sell on Depop.

I started selling clothes on Depop as a way to make some extra money in college, and since then I’ve managed to make 50 sales. I’m going to tell you everything that is important to know when it comes to selling on Depop.

After you read this post, you’ll know how to sell on Depop and be ready to start making money!

This post is about how to sell on Depop.

The Best Tips For How To Sell On Depop

1. Make an account

The first step to selling on Depop is to set up your account. You’ll need to set a profile picture, fill out your bio, and choose a username along with your shop name.

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Here is what my profile looks like. Make sure you say in your bio what kinds of things you’ll be selling, whether or not you’re open to offers, and the most important shop policies.

You have a very limited amount of space for your bio, so make sure you put what is most important to your shop in there!

Related post: No BS ways to make money in college with side hustles

2. Connect Paypal Or Bank Account

Historically Depop has only allowed sellers to receive payments through Paypal. However, they recently implemented their own payment system. So, to be paid you can choose to connect Paypal, your bank account, or both!

I would recommend using both Paypal and Depop payments to make it as easy as possible for buyers.

3. Figure out where you’re sourcing your items from

Sourcing is important when it comes to knowing how to sell on Depop.

There are lots of different ways to get inventory for your Depop shop. Some common ways are wholesale, thrifting, print on demand, and selling your old clothes.

I personally sell my old clothes and thrift to get inventory for my shop. It is good to do research on the different options to see what is right for you, though!

4. Fees

Before you start listing, it is important to know that listing on Depop is completely free, but they do take 10% of each sale. Also, if you use Paypal, they will also take a small fee out of purchases. I think it is worth it, but definitely something to consider when you’re thinking about selling clothes online.

Related post: Everything You Need In Order To Sell On Depop | 11 Things That Will Make Your Life As A Depop Seller So Much Easier

Tips For Listing

To make sales, it’s important to make sure that you’re taking good quality pictures of the things you’re selling.

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Tips For Taking Quality Pictures

Use square mode on your phone

Depop crops photos to a square shape, so using the square picture mode on your phone will make sure you know how the pictures you take will look on Depop. It will keep you from having to crop them.

Use 4 pictures

Listings with 4 pictures do the best. If an item has flaws, I will typically use the 4th photo spot to put in a collage of any flaws it has. Make sure you’re posting pictures of the flaws if it has any.

Model Your Items

Modeled items usually sell the fastest. You can also take flat-lay pictures, but people like to see what an item looks like on. So if you model it, it’ll likely sell faster.

Make Sure You Can Tell What The Whole Item Looks Like

When you’re modeling it, make sure you can really tell what the item looks like in the pictures. I like to make sure I get some close-up pictures, some of the full item, and some of the back of it.

Lighting

Lighting is so important when you’re taking pictures. I typically like to use natural sunlight to take my pictures, but you can also get good pictures with a ring light.

Camera Angle

The camera angle is also really important. I had a really, really hard time getting the right angles for pictures before I bought a tripod. Having a tripod just makes it literally so much easier to adjust your phone camera’s height to make sure you’re getting good pictures of the item.

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I bought a two in one ring light and tripod so I could kill two birds with one stone. It also comes with a bluetooth remote that will let you take pictures without having to use a self-timer. It is a life-saver. I would definitely recommend getting one if you’re considering selling on Depop.

Backdrop

To get good quality pictures it’s really important to have a nice, clean, non-distracting background so people can have a good view of the clothes without anything pulling their eyes away.

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The easiest way to do this is with a backdrop. You could buy a backdrop, or you could use something you already have, like a flat bed sheet (that’s what I do).

I definitely think buying a backdrop that you can just pull down when you want to take pictures is the easiest way, though. I use my sheet but I have to tie it up each time I take pictures and it is honestly such a hassle.

Styling

Whether or not you make a sale can really depend on how you style the item in the picture. If you style something in a way that looks super cool, people are more likely to buy it.

When styling items for pictures, I’d recommend posing with accessories like purses, adding jackets (if you do this make sure you can see the full item in other pictures), wearing cute necklaces, etc. If an item looks cute and stylish it is so much more likely to sell.

6. Good descriptions

A listing description can make or break a sale and determine whether or not your item is showing up in search results. Here are some things that are super important to include in your descriptions.

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How to write a good description

Describe the item

The first thing you’re going to want to do is describe your item. I typically will put a “summary” of the item as the first line. For example, in the description above I put “white lingerie cami.” I then will include a couple sentences that talk about important details of the item, and then I’ll write a sentence or two about how it could be worn or styled.

When writing your descriptions make sure you’re putting spaces between the “paragraphs” so you don’t have a giant block of text, because that would make it hard for people to read.

Include Brand

I typically will also include a line in the description that says what brand the item is. If the brand is super well-known, I’ll put it in the first “summary” line. If it isn’t, I’ll make a line that says “brand.” You want to include this so it will pop up in search results if people search for the brand.

Flaws

If your item has any flaws you MUST list them in the description. Buyers want to know whether a used item is in perfect condition or not, and you should let them know what they’re getting into. Even if an item doesn’t have flaws, I’ll write a line that says “no flaws” or “no noticeable flaws” just so they know for sure.

Measurements

When I first started doing Depop, I wasn’t listing measurements. The issue with this is that, especially with used or vintage clothes, the size listed on the tag isn’t necessarily how it will fit when it comes to modern sizes.

For example, I have a ton of items in my shop that are listed as large or extra large, but I wear a small and they fit me just fine.

It is best to include the measurements of an item so buyers know whether or not it would actually fit them. It is a little bit of a hassle, but it honestly is super quick to do it and you’re more likely to make a sale that way.

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When I first started taking measurements, I used the “measure” app on my phone (if you have an iphone, the measure app should already be on there). This can be a good way to do it if you’re just getting started and want to save money.

However, since then, I’ve started using a little tape measurer like this one. I find it a lot quicker, easier, and more accurate than using the measure app on my phone. They’re usually under $5, so pretty inexpensive and definitely worth it.

Relevant Hashtags

Listing hashtags at the end of a description will help when it comes to search results. Think about what you would search if you were looking for an item like yours. Doing a hashtag of whatever aesthetic it is is a good way to do this.

For example, in the picture above, some of the hashtags I used were “dainty,” “fairy,” and “bridal.” These are all things I think people would search if they were looking for items like that one.

I had a lot of trouble coming up with relevant hashtags when I first started. A couple good ways to figure out what hashtags to use are looking for similar items and seeing what they hashtag, and also looking at the explore page to see what hashtags are popular that also apply to your item.

Tags

Including tags is another important thing when it comes to being seen in search results. In the picture above, the tags are “white,” “vintage,” “cute,” etc. When you’re listing an item, Depop gives you a section where you can choose from different tags that are relevant to your item.

7. Pricing

Knowing how to price your item can be really confusing at first.

The best way I’ve found to price items is to look at the “market value.” I’ll search similar items in Depop and see what other people are selling them for. I’ll look up the brand, along with the type of item just to get a good feel for the demand.

A big part of pricing is to experiment with it. You don’t want to list things too low because, surprisingly, that can make people less likely to buy it. You also don’t want to list it too high.

Eventually you’ll get a feel for what price point people will buy your stuff at, but it does take a little experimenting. Don’t be afraid to change prices or run discounts.

8. Shipping Prices

Another aspect of pricing is shipping.

You have two options when it comes to shipping. You can either ship through Depop, or use your own shipping. To use your own shipping you’ll have to use a shipping website and input all the info on there. To use Depop’s shipping, you just need the item’s weight.

I personally use Depop’s shipping because I find it easier and more convenient, but using your own shipping can be cheaper.

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It’s good to have a scale to weigh clothes when it comes to shipping. Whether you use Depop’s shipping or decide to use your own, you’ll have to input the estimated weight of the package. If you put in the wrong weight you can run into trouble with the post office not shipping the package.

I got into trouble with Depop a few times for listing the wrong weight when I first started out. So, I’d definitely recommend investing in a scale.

9. Refresh Listings Every Day

When it comes to knowing how to sell on Depop, it is important to know how to make sure your listings are seen.

The most recent listings are the ones that show up first in search results. A good way to make sure that people are still seeing items is to refresh the listing every day.

To do this, you simply go to your item, click edit, and then click save. This will make it look like the item was just listed. It is a bit tedious, but this is important to do often so that even items that were listed a long time ago keep showing up in search results. Every day I go through and start at the bottom of my listings and refresh all of them.

10. Post New Items Consistently

Along with refreshing old items every day, it is important to post consistently. The more new items you’re listing in your shop, the more people it will bring in to look at your other items, and the more likely it is that you’ll make a sale.

I’ve noticed that when I’m posting consistently I make a lot more sales than when I’m not making any new listings and am just refreshing old ones.

Tips For After You Make A Sale

11. Be Communicative

I would say the most important thing after making a sale is to communicate with the buyer as soon as possible.

Here’s an example of the kind of message I’ll send once someone makes a purchase. I make sure to thank them, let them know when I’ll drop it off at the post office, and let them know that I will continue to keep them updated.

Good customer service can go a really long way! It can also help you get good reviews, which will make it more likely for people to buy from you.

12. Ship quickly

I feel like there is nothing worse than making an online purchase and then having to wait 10 years for it to come.

This is another thing that just goes along with having good customer service. It also makes it more likely that you’ll get good reviews. I typically try to ship within 3 days.

Depop will include on your profile how fast you ship (that feature can be a little finicky though, mine says I often ship in 5 days but that definitely isn’t right). If you have a longer shipping time it will show that and make it less likely for people to buy from you, so try to ship asap.

13. Packing Orders

Packing orders is my absolute FAVORITE part of selling on Depop.

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Here is an example of what my orders look like packed. I try to make it as cute as possible to make sure opening it is a great experience for the buyer.

Tips for packing orders

Cute packaging

Like I said, I love to make the packaging super cute .This isn’t completely necessary, but I definitely think it helps you get good reviews.

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Here are the things I use to pack my orders. I like to use either eco friendly mailers or reuse boxes and mailers I’ve gotten in the mail.

Add thank you notes

Adding a thank you note is a little thing to do that really takes a package above and beyond.

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I make my own hand painted thank you cards. You can also buy some like these that are insanely cute.

Freebies

Including a little goodie bag isn’t completely necessary, but I think it’s another thing that really just brings a package above and beyond. And it’s really nice to do.

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Here are the little goodie bags I like to use, along with some things I’ll usually include. The world is really your oyster when it comes to freebies. I’ve seen people use scrunchies, butterfly clips, etc. If you put candy in it make sure it is wrapped in plastic so that there isn’t any contamination going on and so it won’t get on the clothes if it melts.

This post was all about how to sell on Depop.

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