It was late one Tuesday night in the summer of 2019 when I found it: a vintage 1970s Gunne Sax prairie dress that looked like it walked right out of a Stevie Nicks fever dream. The price was $60—suspiciously low for a piece that usually fetches $200 or more. My finger hovered over the "Buy" button, but my brain was screaming, is this too good to be true?I had heard the horror stories about teens selling Shein items as "vintage" or packages that simply never arrived.
I took the risk. The dress arrived three days later, smelling faintly of lavender and exactly as described. But I’ve also had the flip side happen—where a "silk" blouse turned out to be crusty polyester. After five years on the app, handling over 400 transactions and dealing with everything from ghosting sellers to dispute claims, I’ve learned exactly how the platform works.
Is Depop Real or Just a Scam Magnet?
Let’s address the elephant in the room immediately. Is Depop real? Yes. It isn't a shell company or a data harvesting front. It started in London as a social network for creatives and morphed into a marketplace. In 2021, Etsy acquired it for $1.62 billion. A fake company doesn't get bought for a billion dollars by a publicly traded entity.
However, just because the platform is real doesn't mean every user on it is honest. Here’s where it gets interesting. Depop is unique because it feels more like Instagram than eBay. The barrier to entry is incredibly low. Anyone with a smartphone can snap a photo, upload it, and ask for your money within three minutes.
(This is both its greatest strength and its biggest liability.)
In early 2020, I sold a pair of chunky boots. I was new to selling and didn't really understand the difference between "Depop Payments" and PayPal at the time. I shipped the boots without adding tracking information into the app immediately because I was rushing to the post office before work. The buyer claimed they never received them. Because I hadn't uploaded the tracking number within the app promptly, I almost lost the dispute. It was a panic-inducing week where I thought I was out $120 and a pair of shoes. Eventually, I dug up the receipt and proved delivery, but it taught me that legitimacy relies heavily on you following the rules.
Diving Deep into Depop Buyer Protection
If you are asking "is Depop reliable," you are really asking about their protection policy. I’ve had to use this twice as a buyer, and here is the honest truth: it works, but it is slow.
Depop Buyer Protection covers you if:
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Your item never arrives.
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The item is "significantly not as described" (e.g., you bought a sweater listed as "brand new" and it arrived with a giant stain).
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The seller doesn't ship within a reasonable timeframe (usually 5–7 days).
Now the tricky part. The protection only applies if you pay inside the app.
I cannot stress this enough. I use Closo to automate cross-listing my inventory to Poshmark and eBay, and on those platforms, the rules are similar. But on Depop, scammers are aggressive about trying to get you off the app. They will DM you saying, "I can do $50 instead of $60 if you Cash App me."
Do not do it.
If you pay via Cash App, Venmo, or direct PayPal transfer (Friends & Family), Depop cannot help you. You are on your own. Legitimacy evaporates the moment you leave the walled garden of the app's checkout system.
Analyzing Depop Reviews and Community Vibes
One thing I love (and sometimes hate) about Depop is the review culture. It is incredibly personal. Unlike Amazon, where you are reviewing a product, here you are reviewing a human being.
Most legitimate sellers care deeply about their rating. I currently have a 4.9-star rating, and the one time I got a 3-star review, it ruined my whole weekend. I had overlooked a small loose thread on a hem. I offered a partial refund, but the review stuck.
When you are looking at a seller's profile to determine if they are safe, look for:
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Recency: Did they sell something last week, or has the account been dormant since 2021?
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Consistency: Do their photos look like they were taken by the same person? (Scammers often steal photos from different sources, so the lighting and background change wildly).
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The "Receipt" Reviews: Look for reviews where buyers mention specific details, like "fast shipping" or "cute packaging."
Opinion time: I actually think Depop’s review system is a bit too forgiving. Buyers are often young and nice, so they will leave five stars even if the shipping took two weeks. So, take a 5-star rating with a grain of salt, but treat a 1-star rating as a major red flag.
How to Spot Depop Scams Before You Pay
I pride myself on being internet-savvy, but in November 2021, I almost got taken for a ride on a limited edition band tee.
The listing had no reviews, but the price was market rate (not too cheap, which is usually a giveaway). I messaged the seller for measurements. They replied instantly but said, "My messages on Depop are glitching, DM me on Insta @[fake_handle]."
This is the classic "off-app" lure. I went to the Instagram page, and it looked legit—lots of followers. But then I noticed the comments were turned off. I went back to Depop and did a reverse image search on their listing photo. Turns out, they had stolen the photo from a legitimate seller on eBay in the UK.
Here is my personal checklist for spotting fakes:
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Zero Reviews + High-Value Item: If they are selling a Gucci bag but have zero history, walk away.
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Stock Photos Only: If they only use the brand’s official website photos and no photos of the actual item in their house, don't buy it.
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Weird Pricing: A $500 item listed for $80 is a scam. Always.
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Bio Red Flags: Bios that say "No refunds" (Depop policy overrides this anyway) or "DM before buying" are risky.
Is Depop Reliable for Sellers? (My Experience)
I started selling casually to clear out my closet, but it eventually turned into a side hustle where I was making about $400 a month.
Is it reliable for sellers? Mostly. The app does have glitches. Sometimes notifications don't come through, or the shipping label generation hangs. But the biggest gripe most sellers have is the fees. Depop takes a 10% cut, plus transaction fees.
To make it worth my time, I realized I couldn't just rely on Depop. I needed to be on multiple platforms. I started using cross-listing tools to put my items on Poshmark and Mercari simultaneously. It’s safer; if Depop decides to ban my account for no reason (which happens—their AI moderation can be aggressive), I still have my business on other apps.
If you are looking for apps like Depop: crosslisting alternatives that work, I highly recommend checking out Vinted or Poshmark as backups.
People Often Ask Me: Is It Safe to Use Credit Cards Directly?
This is a common worry. You are handing your Visa or Amex info to a stranger, right?
Actually, no. When you enter your card details on Depop, the seller never sees them. The transaction is processed through Depop Payments (powered by Stripe) or PayPal. These are industrial-grade payment processors. The seller only sees your shipping address and name.
I have used my main debit card on the app for years and never had a security breach. However, if you are paranoid (and honestly, you should be a little paranoid online), use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit cards have better fraud protection from your bank if things go south.
Another Common Question: What If My Item Never Arrives?
I see this question in my DMs constantly. "I bought a shirt 10 days ago and the seller ghosted me. Is my money gone?"
No, but you have to act. Here is the timeline I use:
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Day 1-5: Wait. Sellers are humans with jobs and lives.
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Day 7: If it hasn't shipped, message them politely. "Hey! Just checking when you plan to ship?"
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Day 10: If no reply or no shipping, open a dispute in the Resolution Center.
I once waited 3 weeks for a pair of jeans because the seller was in the hospital. I was glad I didn't open a dispute immediately. But usually, if they haven't shipped in 10 days, they aren't going to.
Comparing Depop to Poshmark and eBay
If you are trying to decide where to shop or sell, context helps. I’ve used all three extensively.
(Personally, I find Poshmark’s shipping easiest, but Depop’s crowd is willing to pay more for unique, curated items.)
How to Boost Your Legitimacy (And Sales)
If you are looking to sell, appearing legitimate is half the battle. When I first started, I used a default avatar and sold nothing for two months. The day I changed my profile picture to a photo of my face and added a bio saying "Vintage lover based in NYC - Ships in 24 hours," I made my first sale.
Legitimacy is a two-way street. If you want to avoid scams as a buyer, be a smart buyer. If you want to avoid scams as a seller, be a transparent seller.
I also utilize tools to keep my listings fresh. How to boost Depop listing: what 18 months of selling taught me is that activity matters. The algorithm favors shops that list consistently.
I use Closo to automate the tedious parts of cross-listing so I can focus on sourcing cool stuff. It saves me about 3 hours weekly that I used to spend copy-pasting descriptions between apps.
Conclusion
So, is Depop legit? Absolutely. It is a safe, vibrant marketplace where I have found some of my favorite wardrobe pieces and made thousands of dollars on the side. But it is not Amazon. It is a community of individuals, and that introduces human error and the occasional bad actor.
If you stick to the rules—always pay in-app, check reviews, and trust your gut on weirdly low prices—you will be fine. Just remember that behind every username is a real person, which makes the platform both messy and magical.
Would you like me to help you identify red flags on a specific Depop listing you're looking at right now?
