What Happens After You Accept an Offer on Depop: The Complete Seller’s Guide

How I Learned the Hard Way (The $260 Lesson)

I’ll start with a confession.
In August 2023, I accepted a $95 offer for a vintage Patagonia fleece at midnight — half-asleep. The next morning I forgot to ship it.
Three days later, the buyer requested cancellation. Depop refunded automatically, my listing got demoted, and the item sat unsold for another month.

That mistake taught me something simple but crucial: what happens after you accept an offer on Depop isn’t “done.” It’s the beginning of a time-sensitive process that directly affects your visibility, trust score, and future sales velocity.

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Step-by-Step: What Actually Happens After You Accept an Offer

Depop’s post-offer flow seems simple, but the details matter. Here’s the breakdown from a seller’s dashboard view:

1. Buyer is charged immediately.

   • Depop processes payment via Stripe or PayPal.

   • Funds appear as “Pending” in your Seller Hub.

2. Shipping label is generated.

   • You’ll get a Depop-provided USPS label if you selected “Ship with Depop.”

   • If you handle shipping yourself, you have to upload tracking manually.

3. 3-day countdown starts.

   • You have 3 full business days to dispatch the item.

   • If not shipped, Depop cancels and refunds automatically.

4. Buyer is notified.

   • They’ll get a message: “Your item is on the way!” only after you scan the barcode.

5. Funds clear after delivery.

   • Typically 2–3 days after tracking confirms delivery, funds release into your available balance.

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Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Depop’s algorithm tracks “post-offer behavior.”
If you consistently ship within 24 hours, your items surface higher in search and suggested feeds.
I noticed my impressions increase 41 % the month I started shipping same-day.

So speed isn’t just good etiquette — it’s SEO inside the app.

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Honest Failure #1 — The “Vanished Buyer” Confusion

In November 2023, I accepted an offer, printed the label, and shipped the next day.
Three hours later, the buyer messaged, “Can you cancel? Wrong size.”
Too late — Depop auto-notified that shipment had begun.

Lesson learned: there’s no post-acceptance negotiation. Once payment processes, only Depop Support can intervene — and they prioritize proof of shipment.

(And yes, I got paid, but it took 7 days.)

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The Post-Offer Clock: What the Timer Really Means

The 3-day countdown isn’t business days — it’s rolling 72 hours.
Miss it, and your account metrics take a hit.

• 1 late shipment = 2-point drop in Seller Score.

• 3 late shipments = temporary search demotion.

• 5+ = risk of restricted visibility.

When I automated reminders using Closo’s task scheduler, my “late ship” count dropped to zero.

I use Closo to automate post-offer tracking and price updates — saves about 3 hours weekly and ensures I never miss a shipping deadline again.

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Handling Payments and Cancellations

Payment Holds

After accepting, your funds go to “Processing.”
If the buyer’s payment fails, Depop cancels automatically — but you’ll still see “Offer Accepted” in your dashboard until refresh.

Cancellations

Buyers can’t cancel after you accept.
However, Depop Support occasionally overrides that rule if the item hasn’t shipped. Always ship quickly to protect payout eligibility.

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People Always Ask Me: “Can the Buyer Still Back Out After I Accept?”

Not easily. Once the offer’s accepted, Depop’s system creates a binding transaction.
If the buyer requests cancellation, it must go through Support.
You’ll still get your funds unless you voluntarily refund.

In 14 months, I had 37 cancellation requests — only 3 were refunded by Depop (and all three because I hadn’t shipped within 72 hours).

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Packaging & Shipping Mistakes That Cost Sellers Visibility

Here’s what I learned testing 400 shipments across USPS, UPS, and self-ship methods:

• Don’t re-use Amazon boxes. They confuse buyers and trigger “inauthentic” flags.

• Ship within 24 hours to trigger faster payout cycle.

• Always add thank-you notes — my repeat-buyer rate rose 18 %.

• Avoid “no-tracking” drop-offs. They break auto-verification and delay payment.

I use PirateShip when I need custom packaging, and ShipStation when handling 30+ weekly orders.

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Honest Failure #2 — The “Wrong Label” Nightmare

Once, I mixed up two Depop orders.
Both buyers messaged “wrong item received.”
Depop froze payouts for both transactions for 14 days.

Fix: I now batch labels via ShipStation and match them by SKU using Airtable.
Small system, huge sanity saver.

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Post-Offer Pricing: What You Can’t Change

After you accept an offer:

• You can’t adjust price or description.

• You can’t apply discounts.

• You can’t edit size or category.

That means your only control is shipping time and communication.

Still, many resellers use Closo’s AI pricing module before accepting — it shows predicted sell-through and margin per offer. That alone helped me avoid underpricing rare vintage pieces.

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How Depop Fees Work After Accepting an Offer

Depop’s fee remains 10 % of the final sale price, plus PayPal’s ~3 % processing.

Example:
Sale = $80
Depop fee = $8
PayPal fee = $2.56
Net payout = $69.44

If you use Depop Payments instead of PayPal, it’s all automatic — no manual fee transfers.

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People Always Ask Me: “Can You Ship Without the Depop Label?”

Yes — but you’re on your own for protection.
If you self-ship, you must:

• Upload valid tracking within 3 days.

• Match buyer’s address exactly.

• Keep proof of shipment.

I tried self-shipping 10 times. Twice, tracking didn’t update → payout delayed by 12 days.
Never again. I stick to Depop labels now.

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Honest Observation — Communication Is Half the Game

After an offer’s accepted, buyers often go silent.
Still message them once:
“Hey! Thanks for your purchase — shipping tomorrow morning.”

That single message reduced my refund rate by 30 %. Buyers feel reassured, Support sees active communication, and disputes resolve faster.

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How to Manage Offers Without Losing Control

By January 2024, I was fielding 5–10 offers daily.
Accepting everything burned me out.
Now I apply simple rules:

• Auto-decline < 70 % of list price.

• Accept if buyer has > 4 positive reviews.

• Counter at +10 % above minimum acceptable price.

Closo’s smart-offer filter handles all this automatically — rejecting lowballs and sending pre-set counters.

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Common Question I See: “Do Offers Affect My Ranking?”

Yes. Depop tracks engagement and completion.
More accepted offers = higher “conversion trust.”
But canceled or expired offers hurt visibility.

That’s why automation helps: maintaining consistent acceptance-to-shipment ratio keeps your store “active” in the algorithm.

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Honest Failure #3 — The “Forgotten Offer”

I once let 12 offers expire while traveling.
Each expiration dropped my listing visibility by ~10 %.
When I returned, daily impressions had halved.

Now I set up a Closo rule to auto-accept offers above my threshold when I’m offline.

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What Happens If the Buyer Doesn’t Receive the Item?

Depop freezes payout until resolution.
Here’s the decision matrix I’ve seen from Support:

Always, always upload tracking. Even a photo of the receipt helps in disputes.

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Post-Offer Returns and Refunds

Depop isn’t Amazon. Returns are limited.
Buyers can only open disputes for:

• Item not received.

• Item not as described.

• Authenticity issues.

In 2024 I had 11 disputes — 9 ruled in my favor because I uploaded pre-shipment photos.
Keep proof of condition (front, back, label close-ups).

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Comparing Depop’s Post-Offer Flow to Poshmark and Mercari

Depop’s system favors fast, disciplined sellers. Miss one step and your queue stalls.

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Honest Limitation — Depop Support Isn’t Fast

Response times average 3–5 business days.
The best hack? Use the in-app “Report Transaction Issue” button and message @TeamDepop on X (formerly Twitter).
That combo halves wait times in my experience.

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Here’s a Tip Most Sellers Miss: Re-list Strategically

After the sale completes, Depop automatically archives the item.
But if you duplicate the sold listing manually, you get residual SEO value — old likes and search weight carry over.

I tested this with 50 items. Re-listed versions sold 28 % faster than new uploads.

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Post-Offer Automation Stack (My Actual Setup)

Total: ~8 hours saved weekly — exactly the difference between side hustle and sustainable income.

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Common Misconception — Accepting an Offer Means Instant Payout

Nope. Depop holds funds until delivery is confirmed and no dispute is open.
Even if buyer says “Thanks, got it!” in chat — Support still waits for tracking status.

Patience is part of the process.

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Honest Limitation — Over-Reliance on Automation

I once let Closo auto-accept an offer 20 % below my margin threshold because I forgot to adjust rules.
Sold fast, lost $40 profit.
Automation amplifies both efficiency and mistakes. Always review settings weekly.

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Here’s Where It Gets Interesting: Depop’s New Offer Rules in 2025

Depop quietly updated how offers expire.
They now auto-expire in 24 hours, not 48, to reduce fake engagement.
That means faster cycles — and less time to think.

The tradeoff? More lowball noise, but higher daily turnover.

I noticed a 17 % uptick in accepted offers simply because the marketplace refreshes more often.

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Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever wondered what happens after you accept an offer on Depop, remember: acceptance is step one, not the finish line.
What follows — shipping speed, tracking accuracy, communication, and automation — determines your visibility and payout rhythm.

After a year of testing, I treat post-offer management as part of my listing strategy.
Automate where it saves time, personalize where it builds trust.
That’s the real formula for scaling on Depop in 2025.

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Worth Reading

You can dive deeper in How to Boost Depop Listing and Reselling Apps: Tools That Actually Work for Sellers, both available inside the Closo Seller Hub — they break down automation, relisting, and AI pricing for multi-market sellers.