Depop vs Vinted UK: keep the eye, change the maths

Think of the apps as tools with overlapping audiences and different strengths:

• Curated “shop” feel, aesthetic drops → often leans Depop
• Streetwear / Y2K / niche vibe hunting → often leans Depop
• Everyday high-street clearance → often leans Vinted
• Fast second-hand volume for common sizes → often leans Vinted
• Seller fees → check each Help; Vinted Help describes no fees for selling in the usual flow

Depop is not “over.” Plenty of sellers still win there with strong photos, a clear brand voice, and pieces that look like a feed, not a car-boot pile. Vinted is where a lot of UK buyers go for wearable, priced-to-move second-hand — jackets, jeans, trainers, high-street labels in common UK sizes.

Same eye for a piece. Different platform maths.

What you already practised on Depop still helps on Vinted:

• Clean daylight photos — front, back, label, flaws. Filters that lie create disputes.
• Styling sense — a simple flat-lay or worn-once shot still beats a crumpled heap.
• Honesty in the caption — condition, stains, stretch, missing buttons.

What you usually need to add for Vinted search culture:

• Titles that read like search queries: brand · item · colour · UK size · useful detail — example pattern: Nike Air Force 1 white trainers UK 6 — not a poem.
• Pricing that assumes offers (more on that below).
• Relisting stale stock instead of waiting for a mysterious “algorithm apology.”

Zero views? Start with titles and photos before blaming a shadowban — the deeper checklist lives on Get more views / listing SEO.

Fee screenshots go stale. We do not invent percentages for either app on this page, and we are not publishing a fee table you can price from forever.

Vinted (seller side — high level)

Vinted's Help Centre states there are no fees for selling in the usual Buy-now flow: you set an item price; buyers typically pay an extra platform charge shown at checkout (wording has changed over time — Buyer Protection / Vinted fee language lives in Help). Optional paid seller tools are separate if you choose them. Vinted UK — Selling basics

Depop (seller side — high level)

Depop's Help Centre currently states that no Depop selling fees are charged to sellers based in the UK (among other listed countries), while a payment processing fee still applies on Depop Payments sales, and Boosted Listings can add an optional boosting fee when that product attributes a sale. Buyer-side marketplace charges and checkout extras also exist — always open the live Help article and the checkout screen. Depop — Seller fees and charges

Qualitative friction (not a dunk)

What Depop-curious sellers often mean by “friction” is not only a percentage:

• Buyer checkout can feel busy (protection / marketplace charges on the buyer side).
• Offers, Boost decisions, and “is this worth the dance?” for a £8 tee.
• Managing two apps' rules when you cross-list.

Keep the vibe, ditch the friction is a workflow choice: put high-volume, everyday pieces where Buy-now + prepaid postage labels feel simpler for you — and keep the curated drops where your aesthetic buyers already hang out. Always trust Help + the live checkout, not this paragraph, if anything conflicts.

Stay (or dual-list) on Depop when:

• The piece is curated — one-of-a-kind styling, rare colourways, Y2K / streetwear that buyers hunt by vibe.
• Your profile is the product — followers buy your eye, not a random Zara knit.
• Photos and captions do more work than keyword titles alone.
• You're testing a higher ask with an audience that expects a shop-window feel.

Depop still rewards taste. If that is your lane, don't abandon it because a TikTok said “everyone moved.”

Lean Vinted when:

• You're clearing a wardrobe or flipping high-street / everyday stock in common UK sizes.
• You want the seller-fee model as described in Vinted Help (no selling fee in the usual Buy-now path — confirm live).
• Buyers choosing an integrated postage label (Evri / InPost and others as offered) keeps send-outs inside the app. Carrier lists change — verify Help before you rely on any one name.
• Speed and volume matter more than a perfectly curated grid.

Postage deep-dive: Vinted postage UK · Vinted — Shipping on Vinted

Cross-listing is fine. Guessing twice is not.

1. Check sold / completed comps on each platform — listed price is not sold price.
2. Factor postage and your time. Thin margins on fast-fashion tees vanish after packing and drop-off.
3. Price for offers on Vinted especially — buyer culture often feels like an online car boot sale. Leave negotiation room so a reasonable offer still works.
4. Don't copy-paste the same price blindly; audiences and fee/checkout shapes differ.
5. If both sell, honour the first completed sale and cancel/relabel cleanly inside the app rules — no off-platform “just PayPal me.”

Don't buy cute. Buy what you can photograph, describe honestly, and still make sense after label cost and an hour of your evening.

The CMA's July 2026 Phase 1 decision on eBay/Depop estimated UK C2C online apparel GMV shares of roughly 50–60% for Vinted in 2025 (vs ~5–10% in 2021) and roughly 0–5% for Depop in 2025 (vs ~10–20% in 2021). The CMA warned against over-reading static shares. This is context for everyday volume — not a reason to delete Depop.

Primary sources: CMA case page — eBay / Depop merger inquiry · Full text decision (PDF)

Read that as volume context, not “Depop is dead.” Niche aesthetic demand can still concentrate on Depop even when everyday GMV sits elsewhere.

If you're switching or dual-homing:

1. Set up payouts and verification early.
2. List a handful of clean wardrobe pieces first — learn postage labels before you buy stock.
3. Titles with UK size; photos that show flaws; price with offer room.
4. Relist and reply fast.

Full walkthrough: How to sell on Vinted in the UK

• How to sell on Vinted (UK)Set up, list, price and post your first items.
• Get more views on VintedTitles, photos and sold comps that help buyers find you.
• Vinted postage in the UKPrepaid labels, drop-off and packing without losing margin.
• Vinted and HMRCWhat platform reporting means for casual UK sellers.