* Depop is a mobile app and creative platform to buy and sell merchandise
* The company recently opened a first-ever physical space in LA’s Silver Lake neighborhood
* Advice on how to get started with resell from Depop’s CEO and founder
Whether you’re selling clothes online as a hobby, as a side gig, or just to make a few extra bucks, it’s important to arm yourself with the right tools to make sure you ace that sale. Our suggestion: start with Depop — one of the leading companies in the “m-commerce” (mobile commerce) market today.
Founded in 2011 by Simon Beckerman, Depop has grown to become a global marketplace and creative community for its nearly 8 million registered users to not only buy and sell merchandise (mainly clothing, vintage collectibles, and art) but also to serve as platform for like-minded creatives to stay engaged, connected, and inspired.
“One of our main dreams is to be part of this culture. [Depop] is a community, [and] we want to be a part of it…Not only by providing a platform to buy and sell, but also providing a place where people can be inspired, discover the latest trends, and create,” says Beckerman.
Unlike other competitors like Poshmark, Depop’s emphasis and overarching goal is to foster the creative process and enable its users to be able to build a brand and a story behind their profile and their own digital “boutique” in the same way that established brands and retailers are able to do so through lookbooks and other marketing strategies.
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Depop’s millennial-friendly user base is known for using creative mechanisms to sell their merchandise, including editorial-inspired photography, on-body “selfies” to better show the fit of a garment, poetic descriptions of products in their listings, and the soon-to-be launching in-app video feature, which will allow sellers to create videos with music to display their listings.
Another advancement in the brand’s commitment to fostering community over exclusively making sales, the app recently launched a first-ever physical space to showcase a curated collection of listings from their users. The space is also open to allow users to shoot photographs in the attached studio, and to meet fellow Depop sellers and buyers IRL.
According to Beckerman, this is important to the app’s diverse user base, who privilege sustainable pieces with a unique history and culture attached to them over making quick sales or buying something new and “on-trend.” “For them, nowadays, buying something old is like buying into a story,” he says. “Wearing an old Tommy Hilfiger jacket, which has a history behind it [is] cool.”
If you’re looking to get into the world of reselling in the digital space, we sat down with Depop CEO Maria Raga and Beckerman for some expert tips on how to make sales and use the platform as more of a creative outlet to help keep inspired and enraged with your creative side. While both Beckerman and Raga insist that it’s not what you’re selling but how you’re selling it, there are some universal things to keep in mind when the end goal is to make a sale.
“The item is the second most important thing. The most important thing is the creativity you put into your listing. There are people who sell the most obvious, basic things, but they take pictures in such a creative way, or describe them in such a creative way so they sell very well,” says Beckerman.
Beckerman also says the biggest trends he sees selling on the app are 80s and 90s throwback pieces that nod to these era’s subcultures, like vintage Tommy Hilfiger jackets, color-blocked street wear, and nostalgic tees with classic brand logos from the 80s-00’s.
Here are some other tips from Depop’s CEO, Maria Raga:
1. The better the photo the quicker it will sell. It’s also much more fun.
2. Photograph your items on a clean surface. Try against a clean floor or hung against a wall near a window with a wooden hanger.
3. Good natural, indirect light is your best friend to show the item’s most accurate colors.
4. Presentation is key — clothing should be steamed and styled. Try it on to show off the fit and how it wears. We’re currently using the
. It’s on wheels, easy to store and doesn’t take up a ton of room.5. Set up your phone to self timer, or have a friend take a photo for you.
6. If space is an issue and you find yourself in a creative slump, come by the Depop Space in LA, reserve a spot in our photo studio and Depop staff can help you out with your photos.
You’ll need a few helpful products to make the most out of your listing. Here’s what we recommend:
1. A Tripod
Help reduce shake and blurriness in photos with an inexpensive tripod for your smartphone or camera. This one is adjustable so you can easily mount it to surface to get the best angle, and it will reduce hand shake in your images.
2. A Soft Box Lighting Kit
To capture great still life and product shots (i.e. photos of the item or piece of clothing that aren’t modeled on a body) getting the light correct is key. This complete kit will help you get the ideal lighting for your product shots and gives you a nice and non-distracting background to display your items on. Of course, you can always schedule an appointment to use Depop’s studio if you’re a Los Angeles local.
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Image courtesy of Amazon[/caption]
3. A Clothing Steamer
As Maria suggests, making sure the garment being listed is presented in the best way possible. Wrinkles and other cosmetic imperfections are instant drawbacks, whether they can be remedied by the buyer or not. It’s all about the first impression – even when selling used clothing.