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:
- Inventory management: Depop shops resemble an Instagram feed, so curating a consistent aesthetic and giving each item a thoughtful description helps attract buyers.
- Customer relations: Adding new listings consistently and responding quickly are a must.
- 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.
