Social media loves to romanticize the idea of fast fashion. Brands are continuously coming out with new “drops” and collections of merchandise. With that has come a trend of buying, wearing, and then reselling fast fashion purchases. While platforms such as eBay and Craigslist may have been popular in the past, Gen-Z and millennials turn to more modern reselling platforms: Poshmark and Depop.
I started out my so-called reselling journey on Poshmark. When I was in middle school, I saw rampant Poshmark advertisements as they began to sponsor YouTubers. The idea of making back money and reinvesting it into new clothes was very appealing to me as a stingy fourteen-year-old. Yet, as I got older, the rise of Depop began, and it has now (kind of) taken over. Both apps market themselves as social shopping apps, attempting to mend a connection between appearing like a social media app while still serving as an e-commerce platform. Which is better, you ask? Well, that is the debate.
Let’s talk about fees and payments:
Depop not only pays the seller faster, but they also take a smaller fee. Depop takes a 10% fee on the total amount of your listing (including shipping costs). Poshmark, on the other hand, takes a 20% fee on the total amount. Therefore, if you sold the same $30 shirt with an $8 shipping fee, you would make $26.20 on Depop and $24.00 on Poshmark. Regarding payment, Depop pays the seller right away, while Poshmark does not release the payment until the buyer receives the item.
Varying shipping costs:
On Depop, there is much more flexibility in how sellers can ship out their items. You can ship with a pre-made Depop label based on a tiered shipping system or in any other way you choose, such as USPS or FedEx. Poshmark shipping fee costs are based on the price per the size of the item you are selling. For example, when selling a t-shirt, the shipping cost on Poshmark is a set $7.11 for anything up to 2lbs, while on Depop, you can ship the same t-shirt for $4.50 or lower. If the seller chooses to have the buyer pay shipping, this does not affect them financially; however, the lower the shipping costs, the more likely a buyer will buy it.
Low-balling and offering protocol:
Low-balling is a common practice on Poshmark. Due to higher seller fees and shipping costs, sellers tend to price their items more elevated than on other reselling apps, which entices buyers to offer low to get the best deal possible. Poshmark, unlike Depop, has an “offer” button where you can offer a lesser amount than the asking price. Depop does not have this feature; if you want to offer a lower price, then you must send a private message to the seller or comment on the item’s post.
App aesthetic and structure:
Depop sellers tend to be focused on reselling vintage or thrifted clothing and trendier, street style fashion options. When using Depop, it feels like you are using Instagram, and many peoples’ profiles are highly curated and design-oriented. Poshmark is much more focused on brand-name items, such as Lululemon and Nike. The app is targeted and organized by brand-names, forcing less of a social media aesthetic on the app.
As a fashion lover, and as someone whose taste is always changing, I regularly cross-list on both Depop and Poshmark. On Depop, I focus on selling my vintage or trendier pieces, while on Poshmark, I sell mainly my widely known brand name apparel. I often will post the same item on both apps and see where it sells first – my preferred method. Both platforms definitely have profitability levels, but you will get out of reselling what you put into it in the end. The key to selling is focusing on the quality of captions and capturing a wide array of photos of your products. It is also helpful to research similar items so you can price your items accordingly. The Poshmark versus Depop debate ultimately feels like a toss-up; my advice: play around with both and go with what works for you.