How To Start A Depop Shop Selling Vintage Clothes

Depop is an app-based marketplace that makes buying and selling clothes simple. That means it’s a great place for upcoming fashion sellers to find new buyers. And there were 35 million registered users in 2022 – most of whom are millennials and generation Z buyers.

These fashion-conscious users have one eye on sustainability, so it’s the perfect platform for selling vintage, preloved, or ethically made clothes. Vintage clothing is on always on trend, in fact search terms are the same level as mens clothing and plus size clothing.

Vintage clothing is popular for several reasons, including timeless style, but it’s high quality garments so is the sustainable choice. There is high demand on Depop for it, so it makes sense to focus your shop on it. And all you need is a reputable vintage branded clothing wholesale retailer to make this dream a reality with authentic inventory.

So here’s our tips on how to start a Depop shop selling vintage clothes secondhand.

Pick A Great Name For Your Shop

Starting a Depop thift store does need a bit of planning. Choose a name that reflects the vibe of your brand, and highlights what you sell. Selling sneakers? Pick something that will make it easy for shoe-seekers to find you. This can be as simple as including the word ‘footwear’ in your name. The same principle applies to your brand aesthetic – if you’re selling mainly vintage or denim goods, reflect this in your store name.

If you’re not sure what you want to sell yet, or you don’t want to be tied down to a particular niche, you can use a broader shop name (though this may make it trickier for people to find your shop).

Choose Great Pieces For Your First Collection

Be choosy about what you include in your first Depop collection. Successful Depop shops listings sell quality, sought-after clothes – so start as you mean to go on by putting your best garms front and centre. Not only will this give your shop a great brand aesthetic, it’s also more likely to generate sales from the start.

At least while your shop is picking up speed, go for quality over quantity. Bear in mind 90% of Depop users are under 26 so make sure your clothing targets that demographic by focusing on vintage sportswear or retro styles and brands in demand.

Take Great Photos

The most successful Depop shops all have one thing in common – top notch photos. The best images use models, good lighting, and interesting backdrops to create stylised photos that show your brand in its best light. Taking pro-looking photos can take a little time to set up, but shops with better photos can often charge more for their clothes. The time investment will be worth it when the profits start to stack up.

Build Momentum On Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool when it comes selling second-hand clothes. Create a launch day countdown on Instagram to get your followers excited about your next move. Make use of your Stories to drop hints and build momentum in the days leading up to the launch. It’ll give you great content for your social channels, and make sure you have a captive audience when you finally hit the launch button.

Write Accurate Descriptions

Lots of your Depop traffic will come from your product description details, so make sure they’re accurate for any potential buyer. List sizes, materials, and wash care instructions.

Use keywords to describe your garments and products, as well as where they can be used. Dresses for going out-out, collectable trainers and shoes for daywear, vintage jewellery and bags to style your outfit, jeans for every day, jackets for autumn and winter. All these terms don’t just help sales, they are also key for helping Depoppers find your shop.

Offer Free Delivery

Free delivery is a must for all kinds of online shopping – and Depop is no exception. Depop has a filter that allows shoppers to search by shops that offer free domestic delivery, so make sure you’re part of the free shipping crowd. Factor the cost of shipping into your item prices so you don’t lose money on delivery. Top tip: tracked shipping is a little more expensive, but it’ll give you and your buyers more peace of mind.

Have A Virtual Launch Party

Instagram Live is a great way to have a virtual launch party for your Depop shop. Plan out an online launch event for when your Depop shop finally drops – competitions, micro sales and games are great ways to engage with your buyers online while they shop. People also love to see the face behind the brand, so this is a way to let your personality shine through, and make people want to buy from your shop.

Leave Fair & Honest Reviews

Like all online marketplaces, Depop reviews play a massive part in sales. One rogue review can make or break your Depop shop, especially while it’s new – so do what you can to give your customers a great experience they’ll want to rave about. Make sure you rate your buyers, too – it’ll give you a chance to engage with customers and show them some love.

List New Items Regularly

Once you’ve launched your Depop shop, you need to keep it well-stocked with new items so there’s always something fresh for customers to snap up, even if second hand. List new items regularly so that when you start selling goods, your shop is still well-stocked. Make sure to announce new product lines and restocks across your social channels. Not sure what to stock next? Take a look at recent social media fashion trends to see what’s hot right now.

Be Inspired By Your Favourite Depop Shops

What is it you love about Depop? Channel this in your shop. While you should never copy from another shop or marketplace, it’s important to take inspiration where you find it. If you love a particular photography style, use this as inspiration for your own snaps. When you’re just starting out, it’s a great way to figure out what works for your shop.

This should also apply to pricing, as being competitive when new is essential.

Love the idea of starting your own Depop shop, but don’t know anything about creating a clothing brand? Check out our guide to starting your own fashion brand. From finding your niche to scaling up your business, this comprehensive guide will help you start your own fashion empire.

Did Etsy acquiring Depop change things?

New York-based marketplace Etsy bought Depop for an eye-popping $1.6 billion, purely to tap into the lucrative market there. The move was to target younger shoppers and rival small business start-ups in lockdown that embraced the movement to be more sustainable and buy used clothing rather than new. In his statement, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman eluded to this when he said:

“We are simply thrilled to be adding Depop — what we believe to be the resale home for Gen Z consumers — to the Etsy family. Depop is a vibrant, two-sided marketplace with a passionate community, a highly differentiated offering of unique items, and we believe significant potential to further scale,”