Depop Dropshipping Guide: How To Maximize Sales

Do you want to boost your Dedop dropshipping business sales? Are you tired of constant account bans on the platform? In this round-up, find out how to stay safe from Depop account bans and rake in more sales as a beginner.

Depop Dropshipping

Depop dropshipping is basically selling items that are not in your possession on the Depop platform.

It’s worth pointing out that Depop doesn’t allow dropshipping, but the company also lists items that can be dropshipped, for example, handcrafted and print-on-demand items designed by the seller.

Depop dropshipping is profitable and very easy to start, as you only need to find items to sell and list them. There are thousands of successful Depop dropshippers who make well over $1,000 monthly with very little effort.

But in the same token, many have failed.

Either their seller accounts are getting suspended every now and then, or they are not making any sales. No entrepreneur wishes to be in any of the two situations.

How to Maximize Sales on Depop: 5 Working Strategies

According to statistics, just 10-20% of dropshipping businesses succeed. These are worrying statistics that should make you think really hard about how to stand out from the competition and bring in those sales.

Remember, without any sales, we’re not in business.

In this section, I’ve shared tips that will help you maximize sales on Depop. These are tips I discovered after months of realizing zero sales and having several accounts banned.

So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Don’t Get Banned

Depop, like any other marketplace, has strict rules and regulations that must be adhered to. Violating any of the policies can lead to temporary or permanent account suspension.

With your account suspended or banned, you won’t be making any sales, so the first thing to take note of is avoiding Depop bans.

Account suspension was a big problem for me when I started dropshipping on Depop. I lost around 3-4 accounts before I finally learned from my mistakes.

So, how do you avoid getting banned?

Some of the common reasons that may lead to account suspension or ban include the following;

• Uploading stock images
• Dropshipping
• Selling prohibited items
• Transacting out of the Depop app
• Communication etiquette

On its Terms and Conditions page, Depop doesn’t allow dropshipping and is always on the hunt for sellers using stock photos, clear evidence that the seller is a dropshipper.

That said, take your own photos.

You should also sell only items that are allowed to be dropshipped on Depop.

Next, considering that Depop makes money from the 10% commission, taking payments out of the Depop platform is a sure way of getting kicked out. 

Last, avoid spamming buyers with copy-and-paste messages and always be polite and respectful.

2. Smart Product Research

One of the common reasons most dropshipping businesses fail is not conducting product research. 

Find Winning Products for Gen Z

Like with other platforms, don’t just sell anything on Depop. Find winning products. When I started, I was selling quite some oldie stuff for millennials, and no sales were coming in.

Little did I know that Depop is for Gen Z. For the record, vintage, streetwear, one-of-a-kind, and Y2K are the biggest styles on this marketplace.

Note: Depop is popular among young people, with 90% of its user base under the age of 26

Go With Seasons

Another hack is selling with the season. You will be wasting time listing summer clothing during the winter season. Most buyers don’t think much ahead when it comes to buying clothing, so listing the appropriate items in the right season can help you bolster sales.

Besides the weather, you can consider selling items that can work as gifts during the Christmas season. The idea is selling what is being chased after by everyone at a particular time.

Print-on-Demand is a Gem

Print-on-demand items also did well on Depop and were actually the game-changer that moved me from just a meager $1,000 in monthly sales to $3000 in just a single month after listing print-on-demand t-shirts and caps I designed and fulfilled with Printify.

More Inventory, More Sales

Expanding inventory is also another top strategy for increasing Depop sales. The more items you have in your store, the higher the chances of making more sales.

That said, you need to be constantly researching and finding the best Depop dropshipping products to add to your store.

In my second year of dropshipping on Depop, I increased my inventory to over 200 items, and my sales increased almost proportionately.

3. Creating Optimized Listings

When starting, I hardly gave product listings the attention they deserved, and this really hurt my sales in the first 6 months. It was only after realizing how important product listings are that I managed to bring life to my business.

To succeed in Depop dropshipping, make sure to create optimized listings, and here, three things are of the essence:

• Product titles
• Product descriptions
• Images

To rank high on the Depop search engine, you need to write catchy SEO-optimized product titles. A good title should have the brand name, and adjectives should be fully descriptive and include all the relevant keywords and hashtags.

Next, write proper and detailed product descriptions. A product description tells the product’s story, persuades customers to make a purchase, and enhances the overall shopping experience.

Last, you need proper photography for two reasons. First, you don’t want to get banned by Depop for using the wrong photos (stock), and second, the quality of photography can be the deal maker or breaker. Take and upload standout photos and upload as many photos as possible from different angles to give customers a true picture of the item and its condition.

How Do You Get On Depop Explore?

It’s worth noting that with proper product titles, descriptions, and high quality photos, you increase your chances of getting into the Depop Explore section. This is an exclusive page with handpicked products where you can get better visibility and, ultimately, more sales.

4. Refresh Listings

Even though it sounds unrealistic, from my experience selling on Depop, relisting products does help increase sales. You may have dozens of stale products that haven’t sold in months. These products tend to get down below all the listings on the platform and thus attract less visibility.

To bring them back to the limelight, click on the particular listing and make a new copy of it.

You don’t necessarily have to make any changes, though you can probably update the title and description before creating it as a new product. 

Now that these relisted products appear to be newer listings, there are chances of getting a sale from these old listings.

5. Smart Marketing

Depop is an established marketplace with over 35 million users. But that doesn’t mean there’s no need to market your store. The truth of the matter is that you need to think of outside-the-box strategies to promote your store.

Below are some of the marketing strategies that yield results.

• Instagram marketing
• Boosted Listings
• Keeping in touch with customers

While there are several social media, Instagram is the best place to promote your Depop store and listings. Get an Instagram account and link it to your Depop shop to increase awareness and boost traffic by up to 11%. 

Instagram also helped me know peak times when many buyers are active, which is the best time to create or refresh listings.

You should also consider using the new Depop Boosted Listings feature, which, as the name suggests, can help you boost the visibility of your listings on the Depop search. One thing I like about Boosted Listings is that you don’t need to pay upfront for your product to be boosted. The only charge is an 8% commission once the item sells.

Be responsive to any customer queries. Whether a customer is asking about international shipping or the size of a dress, make sure the message doesn’t fall through the cracks. I’ve converted several leads into sales from customers’ questions.

You can also consider sending customers custom-tailored offers with promos such as discounts or free shipping.

Wrapping Up

That’s the end of this Depop dropshipping guide. If you are struggling with frequent account suspensions or you are not making any sales, you now know what to do.

Make sure to abide by Depop’s policies and avoid anything that can have your account banned. To improve sales, sell what is on demand, optimize your listings, refresh and relist them, offer excellent support, and think of ways to promote your store.

So, what are you waiting for?

Employ the above tips and see your once-dead Depop store start getting traction and raking in sales.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is it better to ship with Depop or on your own?

Depop allows you to ship on your own or use Depop shipping, but using Depop shipping is the best option, especially for beginner dropshippers, as Depop has a ready infrastructure to ship your orders faster and more efficiently.

2. How do you boost listings on Depop?

The best way to boost listings on Depop is to optimize product titles and descriptions and use high-quality photography. You can also refresh listings or leverage the Boost Listings feature to improve visibility on the search engine.

3. Is Depop easy to sell on?

Depop is among the thriving marketplaces for unique and vintage items as well as print-on-demand products. But you’ll have to put in some effort to be a successful seller on the platform.