Is Depop Worth It for Sellers?
Since removing its selling fee, Depop keeps less of your money than any other major resale app. That advantage is real and large — but it only matters if your inventory is what Depop's audience actually buys, which is a much narrower set of things than Mercari or eBay.
By Marginory team · Online sellers with hands-on experience across Etsy, Shopify & PODUpdated Fee data verified against official platform documentation
The short answer
Worth it if you sell vintage, Y2K, streetwear, or curated secondhand fashion. Not worth it for anything else — the fee advantage is meaningless if Depop's audience does not buy what you have.
Unlike the Poshmark and Mercari decisions, this one is almost entirely about inventory fit rather than economics. The economics are simply the best available.
The fee advantage, quantified
| Monthly sales | Depop cost (est.) | Mercari cost | Poshmark cost | Depop saves vs Poshmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500.00 | $22.80 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $77.20 |
| $1000.00 | $45.60 | $100.00 | $200.00 | $154.40 |
| $2500.00 | $114.00 | $250.00 | $500.00 | $386.00 |
| $5000.00 | $228.00 | $500.00 | $1000.00 | $772.00 |
Processing uses the widely reported 3.3% + $0.45 estimate; Depop does not publish this rate. Order counts assume an average sale in the $35 range.
At $2,500 a month, Depop costs roughly $115 where Poshmark costs $500. Over a year that is close to $4,600 — a genuinely large number for a part-time reseller.
A realistic month
| Line | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gross sales (25 items, $34 avg) | $850.00 | Curated vintage shop, steady listing |
| Selling fee | $0.00 | Removed for US sellers July 2024 |
| Payment processing (est.) | −$39.30 | 3.3% + $0.45 per order |
| Sourcing (25 × $8) | −$200.00 | Thrift, estate sales, bulk lots |
| Packaging (25 × $0.70) | −$17.50 | Mailers plus branded touches |
| Shipping absorbed on 5 sales | −$35.00 | Free shipping used selectively |
| Net profit | $558.20 | 65.7% of gross |
The striking line is the platform cost: $39 against Poshmark's $170 on the same gross. Sourcing is now five times the platform fee, which is exactly the position a reseller wants to be in. Check your own margin →
Strengths
- No selling fee.The lowest platform cost in US resale, confirmed by Depop's own announcement. Details.
- Free unlimited listings. An unsold shop costs nothing to maintain.
- Aesthetic rewards curation. A coherent, well-shot shop outperforms a larger generic one, so effort compounds.
- Young, engaged audience. Buyers browse and follow shops rather than only searching.
- Strong for vintage pricing. Genuinely on-trend pieces command premiums here that Mercari would not support.
Weaknesses
- Narrow audience. Fashion only, and within fashion, a specific aesthetic. This is the single biggest constraint.
- Undisclosed processing rate. Depop does not publish it, so you cannot model your costs exactly without reading a payout receipt.
- Lower average sale prices. The audience is young and price-sensitive, so gross per item tends to trail Poshmark.
- Heavy lowballing. Offers well below asking are routine.
- Presentation burden. Poor photos fail here faster than on any other platform.
- Boosting is expensive. 12% recreates a selling fee. The maths.
Worth it by inventory
| What you sell | Verdict | Better alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Y2K / 90s vintage | Worth it | None — Depop's core strength |
| Branded streetwear | Worth it | eBay for rare sneakers |
| Band tees, graphic tees | Worth it | eBay for genuinely rare pieces |
| Vintage denim, Doc Martens | Worth it | None |
| Contemporary women's fashion | Marginal | Poshmark — larger, older audience |
| Designer / luxury | Marginal | The RealReal, Poshmark |
| Fast fashion, generic basics | Not worth it | Bundle on Poshmark |
| Anything not clothing | Not worth it | Mercari or eBay |
Sourcing headroom
Near-zero fees mean you can pay more for inventory than on any other platform and still hit the same margin:
| Resale price | Max cost on Depop | Max cost on Mercari | Max cost on Poshmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $11.23 | $10.00 | $7.50 |
| $40.00 | $18.23 | $16.00 | $12.00 |
| $60.00 | $27.57 | $24.00 | $18.00 |
| $100.00 | $46.25 | $40.00 | $30.00 |
| $150.00 | $69.60 | $60.00 | $45.00 |
All columns target a 50% margin against the resale price.
On a $60 item, Depop lets you pay $27.55 where Poshmark allows $18.00. That extra $9.55 per item is what lets Depop sellers compete for better inventory at estate sales and bulk lots — the fee advantage turns into a sourcing advantage.