These top Depop sellers make as much as $10,000 a month. They reveal 5 ways to make money with Gen Z’s favorite shopping app.

• Young people around the world are getting rich selling secondhand and vintage goods on Depop.
• Insider spoke to some of the app's top sellers to find out what it takes to be successful.
• Good photography and consistency in brand image were two key pieces of advice they offered.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Young people around the world are using Depop to get rich.

The social shopping app, which launched in 2011 and was bought by Etsy for $1.6 billion earlier this year, has grown exponentially over the past few years by offering users an easy way to buy and sell everything from vintage clothing and limited-edition sneakers to books and concert tickets.

It's been described as a hybrid of Instagram and eBay, and counts Poshmark and ThredUp among competitors.

Insider spoke to four of Depop's top sellers to find out what their top tips are to being successful on the app. To achieve top seller status, you need to have four consecutive months selling more than 50 items at an average price of $20 or earn a total of $2,600 a month in sales before fees.

Here's what advice they had to offer:

Be consistent

When it comes to selling on Depop, consistency around brand image, brand message, and photography is paramount.

24-year-old Asal Tehrani, who runs clothing brand Susamusa on Depop, said that in the five years she has been selling on the app the whitewashed backdrop of her photos hasn't changed. This enables her brand image to look consistent and gives it a more professional look.

And it's paid off. Tehrani has sold nearly 30,000 vintage 90s and 2000s pieces, alongside her own original designs, since she started out. She counts supermodel Bella Hadid as one of her biggest fans.

A post shared by Susamusa (@susamusaclothing)

Take good photographs

Scott Dale, 25, and Will Watkins, 29, are the duo behind Campervan Vintage, which sells men's streetwear clothing. They quit their jobs in June 2020 to work on the brand full-time.

The pair said good photography has been a key part of their success.

"You have to make the item seem desirable in the photo," they said in a recent conversation with Insider. According to them, it's a crucial part of building your brand image. Having a distinctive photographic style ultimately helps to make the brand more memorable, they added.

The pair now sell, on average, around 25 to 40 items a week, or 80 in the peak season (autumn and winter), they said. Their price points are mostly below $100, with many items costing between $25 to $50.

It's not just the quality of the photographs that is important, it also pays to photograph clothes on yourself or a model, 22-year-old Sydny Boney told Insider.

Boney told Insider that she earns as much as $10,000 a month selling vintage clothing she sources from yard sales, thrift stores, and Facebook Marketplace on Depop.

Don't overthink it - and persevere

Success didn't come instantly for any of these sellers. It takes a while to build up a following and get to grips with what you want your brand image to be. For this group, it took a lot of perseverance and hard work. For some, it's become a full-time job.

Tehrani says it's also crucial not to overthink things. "Just go for it," she said, adding that the benefit of Depop is that you can do it from your bedroom and it's easy to use.

Keep your sourcing network broad

Up until the pandemic hit, many Depop sellers would have been trawling through thrift stores looking for stock to sell. When the lockdown hit and stores closed, this became impossible and they had to be quick to find other sources.

"You've got to be resilient when it comes to sourcing," Campervan Vintage creators Dale and Watkins said. They added: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket," in case the situation changes.

Build up a good relationship with customers

Depop sellers have the advantage of easy and direct contact with shoppers, which gives them an opportunity to get quick feedback on what customers most like and dislike.

Shoppers can like photos of products on the app, which also gives sellers an indication of what customers are best responding to.

Tehrani has used this to improve her store. "I'm learning with the community," she said, and their feedback constantly helps to dictate what she's going to stock.

Dit artikel is oorspronkelijk verschenen op z24.nl