We’re all trying to find ways to balance our desire for new clothes and our responsibility to be eco-friendly and protect the environment. One of my favourite ways to still enjoy fashion and the fun of putting outfits together is to buy mostly secondhand clothing. I’d say I stick to the 80/20 principle; 80% of the time I buy secondhand and 20% of the time I’ll invest in an ethical, sustainable company and buy something brand new. 

Trawling the charity shops can be a great way to do this, as well as clothes swaps, kilo sales, vintage stores, etc, but it can be a lot more difficult to find what you’re after than it was to go online shopping and find exactly what you want. Sometimes I even find that if I go shopping in charity shops, I’ll often buy more than what I originally wanted, and sometimes don’t really like what I buy. To counter this, I started using Depop – an app where anyone can buy or sell secondhand clothes! 

Depop really found their niche with students and young people who were previously addicted to fast fashion but wanted to be more sustainable, but still require the ease and convenience of online shopping. I personally love the app as I get to scroll through and make really specific searches for something I really want, and then when I find it it’s so rewarding, like I’ve actually put work into finding this piece!

I’ve been using the app for about a year now I’d say, and over time I’ve picked up some tips for using Depop in order to get the most out of it. I’ve had some good, bad and ugly experiences with sellers and if I can pass on some of the lessons I’ve learnt, it might help you with your future searches. So, here’s some advice for anyone thinking about trying Depop for buying secondhand clothing!

Filters are your friend

Make sure you are using the filters as much as possible! You can search for the right product, size, brand, and even set the price you’d be willing to pay (this really helps so you don’t end up overpaying for something just because you found it – if that makes sense?) Here’s an example of how using the filters will make life so much easier for you. I searched “blue check skirt” and it gave me 6517 results, but after selecting the right filters (product, size, and price), it only gave me 57 results. Much easier to pick from and more likely to be successful! 

Don’t get catfished

If they’re offering multiple sizes/colours of the same item, it’s very likely that this isn’t a secondhand piece of clothing, but rather a cheap factory produced item that they’ve bought in bulk and are selling on for profit. These sellers tend to use loads of emojis and will sound much more ‘salesman-like’ than normal sellers. Try to remember that this app is meant for normal people to make a bit of extra cash from selling their old clothes and saves them from going to charity shops/landfill – this isn’t a place for fast fashion to weasel its way in! #BoycottTheBastards 

Size is important

Sizing issues seems to be one of the common issues with Depop, even though there are really simple solutions. As people are selling from all over Europe, America and Australia, there are so many different sizes being advertised. From the UK’s 8/10/12/14 etc to the more obscure S/M/L and then the European 28/30/31 etc. It can be confusing to know what size if right for you, make sure you make 100% sure it’s going to fit before buying. Here’s a link to a good page that explains the worldwide size conversions, but you can also ask the seller to measure the item and send you the measurements. 

Photographic evidence

If the seller doesn’t have good quality photos (or any) of the product you want to buy, you can’t be sure of what you’re going to get. Or if they only have images from the website of the original brand, it just shows they haven’t bothered to take photos of their item. Don’t leave it up to chance! It’s perfectly ok to ask the seller to provide better images of the item you want to buy so you can see if it’s right for you. Anyone who says no to this is probably trying to scam you… 

Depop etiquette

There are also some basic etiquette rules that are good to follow to maintain good relationships on Depop and treat people nicely. Here are the most important etiquette rules I try to stick to:

• When you’ve found the piece of clothing you were looking for, always message the seller to see if it’s still available and find out if they’re an ‘active seller’ (someone who responds quickly and has good customer service) or not. One time I’ve just clicked ‘buy’ on a faux leather blazer for £40 and it turned the seller didn’t respond to any of my messages and I had to get PayPal to issue me a refund, but it took ages!  

  
  

• If you’re going to haggle with the seller on price, just be mindful of what you’re asking. Are you genuinely trying to offer what you think the product is worth or are you just trying to save yourself a few quid? I say this because most Depop sellers don’t make that much money, so to them a few quid is actually quite disappointing. Just remember there’s a human the other side of the screen who’s giving away their clothes and want a fair price. 

  
  

• After you’ve bought the item, it’s good manners to message them telling them you’ve just paid and thanking them for the product! It lets the seller know you’ve paid (even though PayPal will tell them too) and that you’re happy with the transaction. I also message them to let them know when I’ve received the item, so they know it’s all gone through.

I hope you found these tips and tricks helpful for your future Depop adventures! If you have any other suggestions for how to get the most out of Depop, comment below! 

I also have a little Depop shop if you wanted to check out the bargains on offer ;) My name is @real_grandermarnier on there, stop by some time! xoxo