When I first started to sell my clothes, I thought it would be an easy venture. Yet during my first trip to a consignment store, I walked in with four bags of clothes and was only able to sell a handful of items for a very small profit. That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and start selling on my phone through Depop. It was a simple concept: take pictures of your clothes, price it, and watch it sell. But in order to actually make money, the way your market your clothes does matter. Luckily, I’ve learned the tricks of the trade over time, and I’m here to share my expertise with you. Here’s how to get started and start making cash fast.
Where do I Begin?
Depop is a free app available to both Apple and Android users. After downloading, create a profile by filling out the new account form. This consists of the general account details along with customizing your feed preferences. This includes selecting the clothing categories that interest you, along with choosing your preferred sizes. You can also write a bio, which should be a concise description of who you are. This part may take a bit of time, but it is a crucial step in attracting your target market.
How do I Find People to Sell to?
The most difficult part of the selling process can be finding people to sell to. When you first start, there may not be a lot of people who know who can find your page. That is why you should start by following accounts that interest you. From there, be active by liking and commenting on posts so that more people can find your account. Once you get a sizable following, it will be a lot easier to get traffic to your page.
How do I Photograph the Items?
The saying is true: A picture is worth a thousand words. When online shopping, we tend to buy clothes based on the how they look. This is why companies make sure that the pictures they use are great quality and look flattering on models. You should apply this concept to the clothes you sell. The best pictures are taken against white or a soft color so that most of the attention is draw the item. Therefore, lay the item flat on white sheets or hang it up wherever possible against a white wall. In addition, post a high-quality photo of you wearing the item to show what it looks like on a person. Last, make sure that the item is cleaned and ironed before photographing to show that it’s in good condition.
How Should I Price My Items?
A common seller mistake is overpricing. Normally when selling, I place newly used items for 75% of the original price since they’ve rarely been worn. Items that have been well-worn typically go for 30-40% of their original price. If you don’t remember how much you bought something for, estimate the price by using the value of its brand. For instance, if it’s designer, it will be worth more than other brands. It can help to look through some popular Depop accounts to understand how they price their products. Overall, the key to pricing your products correctly is finding the balance between the brand value and customer demands, so play around with it until you hit the sweet spot.
Does a Description Matter?
A good product description can make a difference to customers. When buying things online, people want to know what the product is like before they buy it. If you write an honest yet catchy description, it will help you gain trust from your customers. Some things you can include are descriptions of the silhouette, material, and if there are any sizing irregularities (if it’s a size medium but fits like a small). This is also a good place to add suggestions like what to pair the item with. Most importantly, it’s crucial to advertise the item in a positive light without steering away from the truth. Being dishonest could ultimately cause you to receive bad reviews and fewer customers in the future.
What Happens if Someone is Interested?
While this may be the best part of the selling process, it’s important to keep good business tactics in mind while negotiating a sale. Prepare to answer any possible questions about the item or shipping information. Also, sometimes you may have to negotiate the price in order to make a sale. A basic rule of thumb for negotiating is that if there are a lot of people interested, then don’t knock out too much from the price as you may find a buyer willing to pay more for the product. On the other hand, if you have a product that’s not selling, it’s always better to get some money out of it than to have it clutter in your closet for a longer period of time.
Does Depop Take Commission?
Commission wise, Depop won’t charge you for any products that don’t sell, so posting items is free. If an item does sell, they will take 10% commission—something to remember when pricing your stuff.
What Are the Shipping Option?
There are a few options to consider shipping wise. If you decide to ship with Depop, you will have to select what size packaging your product needs ($4.50), medium (8.00) or large ($10), extra large ($15) package. Then you can choose to pay for the shipping or to have the buyer pay. If the item is under $10, then have the buyer pay for the shipping. This is because you don’t want to have to pay more for the shipping of the product than you get from selling it. If the item is on the pricier side, it’s a great idea to pay for the shipping yourself as it will entice buyers to purchase if they don’t have to worry about shipping. Also, you’re getting good money for the product so it won’t hurt to pay a bit to get it to the customer.
If you don’t want to ship with Depop, you can set your shipping to manual and ship on your own. If you decide to do this, you can set a shipping price for your customers if you would like them to pay for their shipping. While manual shipping can be a bit less expensive, you also need to stay safe when creating a shipping plan. In order for Depop’s Seller Protection to protect you, it’s important to only ship to the address listed on the in-app receipt. This is the address that the customer has listed on the app. Also, use carriers such as FedEx, USPS, and UPS to ship products so that you can track the shipping. Manual shipping can be simple and cheaper, but it’s always a good idea to make sure your transaction is safe.
How Do I Get Paid?
Depop does its transactions through Paypal, so if you don’t have an account you’ll have to set one up. If you’re unfamiliar with Paypal, you can directly pay others or charge from the app. For any sales that are established, the money will go directly to your Paypal account and from there you can have it sent to your bank account.
Depop is a fun way to personally sell items through your phone, but it can be tricky to make a sale. For me, it took a while to fully grasp the techniques to sell products. Once I did, I realized it’s much easier than selling at consignment stores and I never looked back.
Do you have any tips to share on how to make money through Depop? Share it in the comments down below!
Opening image by Aniyah Morinia.
