Jeremyn Lee loves high-end brands like Prada and Balenciaga, often browsing their upscale New York City stores. But he’s also a huge fan of secondhand finds, regularly picking up items like DC skate shoes – he owns over a dozen pairs – and Billabong surf shorts.
For these unique, pre-loved pieces, his go-to is Depop.
“It’s simply more user-friendly than other platforms, and it’s packed with trendier, more relevant items,” explains Jeremyn Lee, a 29-year-old shoe designer. “You can easily discover emerging designers or classic Y2K brands.”
He admits to browsing “almost every day,” appreciating the straightforward interface. “I just scroll through the feed,” he says.
While platforms like The RealReal cater to high-end vintage and Grailed focuses on trending streetwear, Depop has carved its own unique space: imagine a digital Salvation Army for Gen Z. It cleverly combines the chaotic joy of a physical thrift store with the addictive feed of a social media app, offering personalized, algorithm-driven suggestions. Its user base skews heavily towards Gen Z and young Millennials, who actively buy and sell a massive volume of items, with approximately 400,000 new products uploaded daily.
The Balance of Efficiency and Excitement
Peter Semple, who became Depop’s chief executive in July after four years as CMO, acknowledges the central challenge: seamlessly blending the efficiency expected from online shopping with the exciting unpredictability of a real-life thrift store treasure hunt.
“We are, at our core, a retail destination, and good retail should always be efficient,” states Semple, whose own passion for online shopping began years ago on sneaker forums. “You should be able to find exactly what you want without delay.”
He elaborates, “But, much like stepping into certain physical stores, there’s an undeniable excitement, a certain ‘energy,’ that draws you in.”
Semple’s goal is to redirect shoppers from traditional retail to Depop. For many, that coveted “retail energy” is perfectly replicated by the personalized “Suggested for You” feed that greets them upon opening the app. Like many successful digital platforms, Depop harnesses user data to craft a unique, tailored experience for everyone.
The Social Thread: Connecting Through Style
Consider Alice Hu, a 25-year-old from Pittsburgh. She uses Depop for everything from affordable basics to incredible designer steals, like her prized Bottega Veneta skirt, which she snagged for just $20. Alice appreciates that sellers often have a distinct “curation” or personal style, and she enjoys being able to explore who they follow.
“There’s definitely a social aspect to it,” Hu confirms. What CEO Peter Semple defines as a “community” — built on accessible aspiration, self-expression, and circularity — Hu describes more candidly: “Like, being able to ‘stalk’ people. You find a profile with great items, then you dive into their likes to see what they’ve saved.”
Equally important to Depop’s ecosystem is the ability for users to sell items they no longer need.
“Depop genuinely prioritizes the seller experience, unlike other platforms that often mimic Amazon’s customer-first approach,” states Camden Davison, one of the app’s top sellers.
Camden, 28, boosts his earnings as an outdoor retailer associate in Los Angeles by selling on Depop, estimating it contributes about 20% of his income. He values the straightforward listing process and the absence of seller fees. “Once you establish a following and people recognize your shop, selling becomes much easier,” he explains.
The buying process is equally intuitive. New users simply select their preferred styles and brands, which then customizes their algorithmic feed. The more you engage with the app – browsing and “liking” products – the better it understands your tastes, constantly refining what you see. Semple calls this “merchandising,” a clever way the app organizes its vast inventory into a curated experience for each individual user.
A Flourishing Partnership and Cultural Impact
Depop was founded in 2011 by Italian entrepreneur Simon Beckerman, initially as an e-commerce extension of a culture magazine. Based in London, the company experienced consistent growth through various funding rounds. However, it was the Covid-19 pandemic, which shuttered physical retail worldwide, that truly supercharged its online presence. CEO Peter Semple noted that in April 2020 alone, Depop’s business nearly doubled.
“It’s a bittersweet reflection because so many businesses suffered immensely during Covid,” Semple stated. “But for us, the challenge was quite different: our growth exploded to a level our existing tech infrastructure simply couldn’t handle. We had emergency calls scrambling to manage the sheer volume of traffic.”
Currently, factors like inflation, trade tariffs, and a growing skepticism towards exorbitant luxury prices have ushered in what some call a “golden age” for secondhand shopping. Depop has been a major beneficiary of this trend. Data indicates that the pre-owned clothing market is expanding at a rate up to seven times faster than the broader fashion retail sector.
In 2021, American e-commerce giant Etsy acquired Depop for $1.6 billion, a strategic move aimed at expanding its reach to a younger demographic. A recent visit to Etsy’s Dumbo, Brooklyn, headquarters revealed a significant floor being repurposed to house Depop’s expanding team.
Guiding this integration is Kruti Patel Goyal, a seasoned Etsy veteran who led Depop as CEO for nearly three years, starting in 2022, before transitioning to President and Chief Growth Officer at Etsy. She views the relationship between the two companies as mutually beneficial.
“Etsy offers a wealth of experience and insights that can help Depop mature as it expands,” Goyal explains. “Conversely, my time at Depop has allowed me to bring a fresh, app-first, youth-driven, and discovery-focused shopping perspective back to Etsy.”
While Depop showcases impressive growth figures – a 54% increase in U.S. sales year-over-year in Q2 2025 – Semple takes greater pride in its intangible cultural impact. This includes being featured in a “Saturday Night Live” skit with Sydney Sweeney or getting a shout-out in a Doechii song.
“We’ve established a distinct identity and are actively shaping culture,” he affirms. “That’s a nuanced but incredibly valuable area to invest our time and energy.”
The Appeal of Personal Style
Historically, Depop has engaged in various real-world activations, such as pop-up shops within Selfridges and Ralph Lauren boutiques. They’ve also organized flea markets, recreating the thrill of the hunt for their community. The platform has even collaborated with renowned designers like Anna Sui and Rodarte to launch their own shops, and partnered with brands like Adidas and Vans to produce items from upcycled materials.
“Our consistent mission is to engage our community and champion secondhand shopping as a first choice,” states Steve Dool, Depop’s senior director of brand.
A key aspect of Depop’s charm is that sellers frequently model their own merchandise, adding a unique, personal touch to each listing.
“It truly feels personal,” comments Casey Lewis, author of the After School newsletter, which examines the buying habits of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. “It’s like someone lovingly decided to part with their ‘vintage’ Forever 21 top, and they’ve shared selfies showing exactly how they style it.”
This unique intimacy, which Lewis aptly describes as “appealingly chaotic,” is also evident in the elaborate, often poetic product descriptions some sellers write. “They read almost like mini fashion blog posts,” she notes. “Some sellers have even gone viral simply for the rich stories they share.”
Depop recently unveiled “Outfits,” a new section within the app designed to allow users to create shoppable mood boards, mirroring the visual appeal of platforms like Pinterest.
However, this intensely personal approach also has its drawbacks. A popular, unaffiliated Reddit page with over 217,000 members is rife with anecdotes of problematic seller interactions, extended shipping delays, and complaints about what some sellers perceive as insultingly low offers.
“The very strengths of it being a social app where you can buy unique items directly from individuals are also its weaknesses,” explains Alice Hu. She recalls a friend receiving a package containing unexpected cat food and her own experience of getting a Margiela dress in the wrong size (though she wasn’t bothered, considering the great price). “Ultimately, you’re interacting with another human being,” she emphasizes.
Embracing its social media aesthetic even further, Depop recently launched “Outfits,” a dedicated app section where users can curate shoppable mood boards. Lewis views this as a strategic move to tap into Pinterest’s immense popularity among young consumers.
“Many assume Pinterest is for older Millennials, but it’s actually incredibly popular with Gen Z,” Lewis notes. “And many Gen Alphas use it because their parents consider it safe. So, Depop’s addition of a collage tool is smart; it resonates with themes of manifestation, aesthetics, and the broader appeal of visual curation among younger generations.”
Lewis believes Depop is well-positioned to maintain its appeal with future generations. However, she questions the longevity of its product inventory. Will today’s ubiquitous Zara and Shein items ever command the same appeal as vintage Levi’s and J. Crew? Or, as she succinctly puts it, will the platform eventually be filled with “a glut of crap?”
For Alice Hu, Depop’s enduring appeal is rooted in its profound integration into the daily lives of her generation.
“It’s become an almost intrinsic part of who we are,” she reflects. “It’s simply how we came of age.”