“Twenty dollars?! I just saw this in-store for three dollars!”

This is most people’s reaction when they log onto Depop. For those not terminally online and/or obsessed with clothes, Depop is an extremely popular clothing resale app that has been around since 2011 but skyrocketed in use in the past few years. It’s mostly known for reselling, also known as online thrifting. Some people create clothes or other things, such as stickers (similar to an Etsy shop), and sell them while others tend to sell their previously worn items, whether vintage accessories, limited edition brand-name streetwear or anything else that is collectible, hard-to-find or coveted. 

While this sounds like a consumer’s paradise, some people have become known for buying items from other resale stores or bigger corporations like Target just to resell them at a huge markup on Depop. For example, with the recent viral uprising in Stanley cup usage. The company, alongside Starbucks, ended up collaborating on a limited edition cup that was only $45-50 but is now selling for upwards of $150 online, which is on the cheap side in comparison to many other items for sale. One listing on Depop is $550, which is a whopping 1122% markup from the original value.

Most people only have Depop to sell their items as a pastime for spare cash or even to show off their work, but even then, prices can be outrageous. When a pink heart computer mouse was originally $3 at Target and is now $10 at Depop, this is a symptom of a bigger problem. Some people will even go as far as to scour thrift stores like Savers or Goodwill where clothes and products are cheap just so they can buy the items to resell for a profit, passing them off for rare or highly desirable goods. This takes away from less fortunate people who could put these clothes and more to good use and don’t have to pay hundreds just because it is marked “vintage” on Depop when half the time, it isn’t even vintage like it claims to be. It’s just a resold dress from Shein or another fast fashion site. Certain trends or aesthetics can be more expensive as well. True Religion is a moderately expensive brand, but some of the jeans were originally $90 and are resold for $300 even though they’re still readily available on the True Religion website. 

In the popular TV show “Breaking Bad”, Jesse Pinkman wore a lot of skater-style clothing and sometimes you can even find those pieces on Depop, but sellers tend to overmark them just because Aaron Paul (who plays Pinkman) wore it. If you went to a real thrift store, you wouldn’t have that issue. Another issue is that sometimes packages can get lost in the mail, resulting in you paying for absolutely nothing. Most of the time, unlike a more reputable site like eBay, the seller won’t refund the customer. And ratings and reviews don’t hold as much water on Depop and encourage good business practices as they might on Amazon or Yelp.

However, not every reseller on Depop is bad, as many simply like to show off their art. For example, a lot of these creators make patches or even clothing and end up selling them on Depop as a hobby. However, it can become a bit pricey to buy something handmade! A lot of people rely on apps like Depop and Etsy to try and get enough money to start their own proper small business. Furthermore, there are a decent number of reliable sellers on Depop (as well as rising competitor Poshmark) that allow collectors and fashion enthusiasts to buy older clothes because of their uniqueness and inability to find anywhere else. 

Reselling items can also be good for the environment considering it’s not contributing to fast fashion, and unlike an actual thrift store, you can find everything you want on Depop! As long as you look up tags or the name of the item, there is almost always someone selling what you’re looking for or something like it, whereas if you were to go to Goodwill, there’s only a small chance it’ll be there, even if it’s likelier going to be for a better price. Sure you pay a bit more for the convenience of shopping right from your phone, but you can often also find exactly what you want. 

Like Facebook Marketplace but more secure, considering there are no creepy meet-ups with the reseller, there’s a lot to appreciate about Depop.  No, the risk on Depop is more about the absurd price gouging that comes with trying to remain chic from the comfort of your own home. Is it worth it? Or is Depop just another way to doomscroll in style?