Depop App Review: Legit Buy And Sell App Or Scam?

I remember back in the day when ebay was the only player in town. Nowadays you have many options and some of them are right on your smartphone. such as buy and sell apps like Depop. Many of these apps are legit and a few of them are scams. You are probably wondering where the Depop app stands in all this and its why you are going through Depop app reviews online. Well, we have everything you need to know, including the good, the bad and the ugly in this Depop app review.

What is Depop?

Depop found at Depop.com is a buy and sell app and website for new and used items. Depop was set up in Milan by its founder Simon Beckerman in Milan, Italy although the company shifted headquarters to London, UK. The app has been around since 2011 and also has an office in 37 Greenpoint Avenue, Suite 2B, Brooklyn, NY 11222-1551.

How Does Depop App Work?

There are basically two aspects of this app.

Selling

To sell with Depop all you have to do is take a picture of the item, describe it, set a price for it and post. As a seller, you’ll also need to set up a verified PayPal address for safer selling.

Potential buyers will make bids for the item and once you agree on the final price you can then get paid for the item and start the shipping process.

Buying

As a buyer, once you find what you are looking for, you can negotiate with the seller through the app’s inbuilt messenger. Once everything is set, you’ll pay for the item, tell the seller where to ship the item and pay for it.

Then, when the deal is done and you’ve got your item the seller will mark the item as sold. You can also rate your experience with the seller as they will also do the same.

What Are The Costs or Fees Depop Charges?

At the time of writing this Depop review, the app charges a 10% selling fee for every sale. PayPal will also charge the seller a transaction fee which is usually 2.9% plus $0.30.

How Do I Start with Depop?

Depop App is free to download and use. You can get it on Google’s Playstore or Apple’s App Store. You can also use their desktop website. Did you know you can get paid to download apps like these on Swagbucks.com? Well, now you do.

You can register with your Facebook profile or the app itself with your email and password.  You’ll also need to confirm your phone number to complete your profile. Once you type in your number, they’ll send a confirmation code to that number. When your phone number is verified you can start transacting.

How Does Depop Shipping Work?

This is how you’ll avoid getting scammed, so please listen carefully. As a seller, you’ll need to use a reputable shipping service. Depop recommends USPS for US sellers.

Depop primarily uses PayPal to move money around. So as a seller, you’ll have to add your PayPal email address to your Depop account. Once your buyer pays for the item, you can ship it the normal way you would ship an item via post. Depop will take care of the rest to ensure the sale runs smoothly.

As a buyer, to make sure you actually get your item always make sure you use the seller’s payment details as seen on the app.

If something goes wrong you can file a claim and Depop will extend the claim to PayPal. That’s how you stand the chance of getting your money back from Depop in case you get ripped off.

What We Like About Depop

You are protected

If you’ve used PayPal you probably know of seller and buyer protection. If you don’t already know, you can file a dispute if anything goes wrong, and PayPal will follow up and set things straight for you.

Depop uses that exact feature to protect both buyers and sellers from scammers. So in a way, Depop and PayPal protects both buyers and sellers.

Depop App Complaints

So it all sounds good at this point. But every company has good and bad points. Right now it's time to talk about the complaints against Depop. If you want to know Depop is safe, read along and you tell me.

They’ll close your account for no reason

Apparently Depop can close down your business, even legit ones for no good reason. All they’ll do is send you an email that you’ve violated their T&Cs. If you try and follow up, the customer service will come up with every excuse in the book to make sure your account stays closed.

And that’s if you are lucky to get a response. We came across several complaints from people who woke up one day to find their accounts shut down. Only few of them got a response. None of them got a very good  explanation.

Awful customer service

As mentioned earlier, getting a hold of the customer service is hardly a walk in the park. If they do get back to you it’s a generic “we’ll look into your case” type of response.

If it’s a money issue, they have no problem referring you to PayPal. Users around the web claim that if you fall for a scam you’ll have to take your chances with PayPal’s customer service, not Depop.

The app is full of scammers

If online reports about Depop we found are anything to go by, scams go down so easily on the app. Take the case of a woman who ”sold” her iPhone to a ”buyer” who turned out to be an email con artist. Not even PayPal could recover her money back.  Another buyer bought a camera through the app, turns out the seller's account was fake. It took him a year and a half to get a refund from PayPal.

Negative BBB

At the time of this review, Depop’s rating is a D- with the Better Business Bureau. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, given the above complaints.

Depop App Alternatives

At this point, you may have doubts about Depop given some of the complaints listed above. Fortunately there are other options. Apps like VarageSale have communities ran by admins who work closely with users to keep scammers away. Also you can use Listia as another option to consider since they use a credit system. This makes it harder for scammers to steal from you.

So as you can see there are other options. And remember you can earn money downloading apps like this at Swagbucks.com and they pay you for things you already do on the internet as well.

So Is The Depop App Safe?

Is the app legit? Yes. But is it safe? I wouldn’t go that far. They do have a way of refunding your money through PayPal, which works in some cases. However, don’t use the app the same way you’d buy something on eBay.

The app is full of scammers, and people have lost hundreds of dollars. The customer service is awful so you stand little chance of getting help if something goes wrong.

In a nutshell, there’s no telling what will happen if you use the app. As far as selling goes, there are also scammers who pose as buyers so you might want to be careful before shipping items.

Well, that’s all from me when it comes to Depop. Is the app safe in your view? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!

Eddy ‘’with a Y’’