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Depop, a second hand clothing app for thrifting, has blown up due to aggressive fast fashion trends. It makes it easier for people to get the trendy clothes they want for less and saves people the hassle of having to look for the clothes that they want. Resellers have been catching onto the trends, and have realized that they can really make a profit off of popular items on the market that people usually go to Depop to find. Carhartt workwear pants have especially become victim to this, starting at $49.99 on the website, and on Depop are listing from $50 to $200. Over the past couple of years that Depop has been popular, people on TikTok have been raging about the crazy prices that sellers have been listing their items for. Sellers have been fighting back, claiming it’s due to the fees and shipping. But people are still skeptical about this. As Depop has been on the rise, so are custom curated “y2k” stores that resellers can contribute to. Prices there are also astronomically high compared to their original prices, because each item comes with the “vintage” label.
Elliot Schwartz is a junior at Ida B. Wells. He has been selling on Depop for three years. He spends around 15 hours per week at the Goodwill bins (two to three times a week for five hours each). Schwartz charges more for clothes online due to all the fees that Depop sets up for sellers. Usually Schwartz would mark his shirts down $10 to $20 less when selling in person to vintage shops in northeast and northwest Portland. “I would rather look for vintage clothes independently because it gives me less area for mistakes rather than shopping online,” says Schwartz. Currently, he would list a pair of Carhartt workwear pants for $80 and a Carhartt jacket for $120. Due to their popularity, the prices of the items of clothing have been racked up due to their demand.
Shalom Dinberg is a freshman at Ida B. Wells. Dinberg has been selling on Depop for three years as well. The difference between the two sellers is that Schwartz buys to sell, and Dinberg resells old clothes that don’t fit anymore. The change in price is drastic between the two sellers. Dinberg usually lists shirts for $15 to $17, while Schwartz’s prices can range from $15 to $30, and $200 to $1,000 for collectors shirts.
Gabbi Morejohn is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells and she has been working at Katelyn’s Closet since August of 2023. Katelyn’s Closet is a second hand boutique that caters to middle aged women, kids, and teenage girls. Katelyn’s sells brands like Lululemon, Brandy Melville and Patagonia. These brands are also victims of getting racked up in price on Depop. Morejohn said, “Usually, Katelyn’s Closet sells things for one-third of the price that it’s usually priced for.” For example, at Katelyn’s, a pair of Lululemon align leggings (retailed for $98 to $128) would be priced around $45. On Depop, sellers price them for $20 to $40.
Buyers on Depop are frustrated. Ivy Lurie, a freshman at Ida B. Wells feels that there are definitely items that are resold for a way higher price than they should be. Lurie said that she has even gone as far as to buy an item that she personally thought should have been a lower price. Lurie prefers to shop on Depop because she feels that she has bad luck in thrift stores, and would rather have someone do it for her, like a personal shopper.
Overall, there are multiple sides to the Depop pricing conflict: such as sellers being met with the taxes and fees of selling their items, ultimately forcing them to price their items higher. The difference between sellers who resell from Goodwill and sellers who sell their old clothes is the price of their listings. Many people would just like to buy trendy clothes for less money but now have to face the challenge of Depop’s prices.