Depop helps teens make bank by selling old shirts. Here’s how.

Gen Z knows how to hustle — a stellar example is their take on the modern thrift store: Depop.

Depop is a social shopping app recently acquired by Etsy for $1.6B. The firm makes money by taking 10% of all sales on its platform.

Gen Z has flocked to Depop for its ability to mint teenage millionaires and help others pay for college simply by flipping vintage items.

Setting up a shop is easy…

… which is partly why the app has grown so fast.

To have a chance at success, sellers need to nail 3 skills:

1. Inventory management: Depop shops resemble an Instagram feed, so curating a consistent aesthetic and giving each item a thoughtful description helps attract buyers.
2. Customer relations: Adding new listings consistently and responding quickly are a must.
3. Shipping: Fast shipping is table stakes — branding your packaging, adding thank-you notes, and sending freebies to new customers can help differentiate your shop.

If you get the basics right, you may get selected as a top seller

Top sellers are hand-picked by Depop, and offered extra support and promotion in the app.

To qualify, sellers need to post 4 consecutive months with:

• 50+ items sold at ~$20, or ~$2.6k in sales before fees
• Average rating of at least 4.5 from customers
• Average ship time of 3 days (so buyers get the item in 10 days on average)

Marketing products, managing orders, and shipping items means Depop can be a grind

Some sellers say it’s impossible to succeed without being on your phone for 8+ hours a day (which doesn’t exactly sound like a side hustle).

• Even some top sellers believe it isn’t worth it — claiming the company favors established influencers with audiences on other platforms over top sellers.

That said, if you’re cleaning out your closet anyway, it may be worth creating a shop and seeing what happens.