Depop Shipping: How to Ship on Depop for Resellers

Depop is one of the most unique marketplaces. As a diverse platform for funky fashion, Depop reports over 35 million active users  in over 150 countries. 

On Depop, there are many shipping options available to sellers. These might seem confusing, but it’s nice to have so many options So how does Depop shipping work? Let’s explore: 

You might also be interested in the article How to Get Started Selling on Depop.

How to Ship on Depop: Key Points for Resellers (with Pros & Cons)

Depop Shipping Options:

1. Ship with Depop

• • Pros: Discounted labels, occasional promotions, convenience, and tracking included.
  • Cons: Requires weighing items, limited shipping carriers, and may not be cheapest.

Note: Shipping with Depop labels is not available for items over 10lbs or international orders 

2. Self-ship

• • Pros: More flexibility in carriers & services, potentially cheaper rates. 
  • Cons: More time & effort, requires purchasing postage and insurance, and providing tracking information. 

Depop Shipping Pricing:

1. Offer free shipping

• • Pros: Increases sales conversion, builds trust with buyers.
  • Cons: Cuts into profit margin, requires an accurate estimate of shipping costs and pricing strategy. 

2. Charge shipping

• • Pros: Maintains profit margin, allows transparency in costs.
  • Cons: May deter price-sensitive buyers.

Additional Depop Shipping Tips:

• Weigh items accurately: Avoid under/overpaying for shipping.

• Package securely: Protect item and avoid damage claims.

• Ship promptly: Maintain good buyer experience.

• Compare rates: Research both Depop and other shipping options.

• Ship internationally to expand your reach to 150 countries! 

How To Ship on Depop Step-by-Step

When listing on Depop, you must select whether to:

1. Shipping with Depop Labels vs. Self-Shipping

First, you will decide if you are going to ship with Depop or Ship on your own. 

Shipping with Depop means that you will use a prepaid label provided by Depop, whereas shipping on your own requires you to purchase your own postage and provide Depop with tracking information. 

Shipping with Depop Shipping Labels

Each Depop listing form has a shipping section for this information. If you elect to ship with Depop, you will need to enter the item’s approximate weight when you list it for sale. 

Based upon weight, you will select a label tier. 

Note that if your item weighs more than 10 lbs, you cannot use Depop shipping labels and must ship on your own. 

How much is Depop Shipping?

The current rates for shipping with Depop are great, ranging from $4.49 for extra small packages (under 4oz) to $13.49 for extra large packages (up to 10lbs). That is an incredible rate to ship to any United States territory, especially for heavier items! 

When you ship with Depop, you can download a prepaid shipping label issued by Depop and tracking will automatically start once the package is in route. Depop uses USPS Ground Advantage for qualifying packages and USPS Priority Mail for all heavier orders.

Self-Shipping on Depop

Electing to ship on your own requires purchasing your own shipping label and providing Depop with the tracking information for the package. When you ship on your own, you can purchase through any carrier, which means you can use any shipping service. I suggest using Pirate Ship for the best rates.

💡 Did you know that Pirate Ship simple export weight is the easiest and most cost-effective way to ship international orders on Depop? 

To learn more about shipping services for heavy parcels, check out this video.

2. Offering Free Shipping on Depop vs. Charging Shipping

Next, you must decide whether you will offer free shipping (paying it yourself) or charge your buyers for shipping. 

According to Depop, sellers are 10% more likely to make sales when they offer free shipping. People hate paying for shipping, and we’re living in Amazon Prime Days, so this makes sense. Many sellers choose to offer free shipping but to raise their prices a bit more to allow for the same. 

Offering free shipping is positively incentivizing, but it can also be infeasible for lower-priced items if it eats up too much of your profit. A 1lb pair of jeans that you might choose to sell for $20, would cost you $5-$8 to ship, significantly reducing your margin. If your inventory is higher value, the cost of shipping might not be as detrimental to your profit margin. 

List, manage, and grow - all in one place. Crosslist to Depop and 10 other popular marketplaces!

What is The Best Way to Ship on Depop?

There are pros and cons associated with both options. Shipping with Depop is quick, easy, and provides decent rates. However, you can only use USPS labels, and sometimes the rates aren’t as great as you might be able to obtain with other shipping carriers. 

Alternatively, self-shipping provides you with the choice of carrier and perhaps more affordable options. Self-shipping also requires a lot more work as you will be required to weigh and measure parcels, purchase shipping labels, and manually provide the tracking information for each order.

💡 Did you know that Depop sometimes offers free shipping promotions where Depop pays the shipping cost for all orders. To participate, however, you must be using Depop shipping labels. 

You might be interested in watching our video on Depop shipping!

International Shipping with Depop

Expand your exposure by offering international shipping. Depop exists in over 150 countries worldwide, and buyers love American Vintage!

Does Depop Give You a Shipping Label?

You must ship on your own when you offer international shipping (you cannot use Depop labels). 

International shipping can be very expensive, so be mindful when offering this on a listing. In the listing field, I generally put $20-$50 for international shipping based on weight. I use Pirate Ship simple export to get the best rates for global shipping; they make the customs information so simple!

My Depop Shipping Strategy

I have modified my current strategy many times over the last five years. Currently, I am shipping with Depop labels and I am charging for shipping. 

For the first few years that I sold on Depop, I offered free shipping and did self-shipping. My logic was that 90% of the Depop audience is under the age of 26, and Gen Z has literally grown up with Amazon and major retailers offering free shipping. It was very difficult to sell inexpensive items this way and still make money. It also took quite a bit of time weighing, measuring, copying-and-pasting the buyers’ shipping information, printing the label, and pasting the tracking information into Depop. It also required more articulate book-keeping to track my shipping costs outside of Depop. 

Three years ago, I switched to charging shipping and using Depop labels. Shipping with Depop labels is so much easier than self-shipping simply due to the time and work saved by simply printing the label. This has not led to any decrease in sales. In fact, my sales have steadily increased over the years.

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Depop is a great place to sell trendy fashion, streetwear, vintage, Y2k, and designer clothing and accessories. Start listing your items on Depop quickly with Vendoo! 

Do you have any questions about Depop shipping? Feel free to ask below!  👇🏽