A Guide to Depop's Photo and Video Guidelines

A Guide to Depop's Photo and Video Guidelines

In the visually-driven world of Depop, your photos and videos are not just images; they are your storefront, your brand, and your most powerful sales tool. High-quality visuals can stop a scroller in their tracks, build trust with potential buyers, and ultimately drive sales. Conversely, poor-quality or non-compliant images can make your shop look unprofessional or even lead to your listings being removed.

Understanding and mastering Depop's photo and video guidelines is essential for any serious reseller looking to thrive on the platform. This guide will walk you through the official rules, share best practices for creating images that sell, and cover the specific depop video requirements you need to know.

Following these rules can feel like a full-time job, especially when you're scaling your business. That's why we'll also show you how our platform helps top resellers automate their workflow, from creating listings to cross-posting on Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay, giving you back time to focus on what matters most. See how we can transform your business by starting a free trial today.

Depop Photo Guidelines: The Official Rules

Before you can focus on creative styling and lighting, you need to understand the fundamental depop picture rules. Violating these core policies can result in your listings being taken down by the platform, so it’s crucial to get them right from the start.

The No-Stock-Photo Rule

Depop's terms of use strictly prohibit the use of stock photos. This includes images taken from a brand’s website, photos used by other sellers, or any generic product image you didn’t take yourself.

Every photo on your listing should be your own original work, showcasing the actual item you have in your possession. If a listing is uploaded with stock photos, Depop's team will identify it and remove it from the platform.

This rule exists to foster a transparent and trustworthy community. Buyers want to see the exact condition of the pre-loved item they are purchasing, not a perfected image from a corporate catalog.

Technical Specifications: Sizing and Formats

To ensure your images look crisp and load correctly, you need to adhere to Depop’s technical requirements. Uploading photos that are too small or in the wrong format can result in blurry, pixelated, or rejected images.

Here are the key technical specifications for Depop photos:

Depop requires all product photos to be square, at a 1:1 aspect ratio. This ensures a uniform, clean look across the platform's feed. Using a non-square image will result in it being automatically cropped, potentially cutting out important parts of your product.

While you can only upload a maximum of four images per listing, photography best practices suggest taking up to five or more different shots. This gives you plenty of options to choose the four most compelling photos that best represent your item from all angles.

Best Practices for Depop Photos That Sell

Following the rules is the first step. The next is creating images that capture attention and persuade buyers. These best practices will help you elevate your Depop photography from standard to standout.

Creating a Consistent and Professional Look

A cohesive aesthetic makes your shop look more professional and memorable. Achieve this by shooting your products on a consistent backdrop. Whether it's a clean white wall, a textured rug, or a colored background, keeping it the same across your listings builds a strong brand identity.

Your product placement should also be consistent. This helps buyers easily compare items and gives your shop a tidy, organized feel. Above all, your images should be simple and uncluttered, ensuring the product is always the main focus.

If you don't have a dedicated space for photos, achieving consistency can be a challenge. That's where a background removal tool becomes invaluable. You can use a Cutout tool to remove distracting backgrounds, creating a clean and uniform look for all your product shots.

Also, consider your photo style. It’s widely noted that flat-lay photos—where items are laid flat on a surface and shot from above—do not transfer well to a Depop shop. Opt for modeling the item, using a mannequin, or a simple hanger shot instead.

Lighting and Color Accuracy

Product shots should always be well-lit. Natural light is your best friend, as it showcases the item's true color and texture without harsh shadows. Try shooting near a window during the day for the best results.

When editing your photos, be very careful with colors. While it can be tempting to apply a heavy filter or boost the saturation, your edits should ensure the colors stay consistent with what the product looks like in real life. Inaccurate colors are a common reason for buyer dissatisfaction and returns.

Showcasing Your Item Effectively

Your four photos are your opportunity to tell the item's full story. Be strategic with the shots you choose. You should aim to get different angles of the product, including the front, back, and any important details like brand tags or unique features.

Take close-up photos. These are essential for showing the quality of the fabric and, just as importantly, for being transparent about any issues with the piece, such as small stains, pulls, or pilling. Honesty builds trust and helps manage buyer expectations.

If you choose to stylize a shot by pairing the item with other pieces, make sure your product remains the main highlight of the image. The goal is to sell the item, not the entire outfit.

How We Help with Depop Photos

Taking great photos is one thing; turning them into complete listings is another. Our platform is designed to make this process seamless. You can upload your photos, and our AI will help create complete listings with titles, descriptions, and prices.

As reseller FabFam from Washington says, "Reeva has cut my listing time by more than half. I can take photos, voice-to-text my details, and let Reeva handle the rest—background removal, form completion, and listing generation—all in one seamless process."

By letting us handle the data entry, you get more time to perfect your photography and source new inventory. Streamline your listing process and see the difference it makes. Start your free trial today.

A Guide to Depop Video Requirements

Videos are a fantastic tool for bringing your products to life. They can show the fit and flow of a garment, highlight sparkly details, or demonstrate a unique feature in a way a static photo cannot. However, like photos, videos on Depop are subject to strict rules.

Core Content Rules and Restrictions

All videos you upload are considered User Content and must comply with Depop’s Terms of Service and policies. Failure to do so can result in the content being removed and action being taken against your account. Here are the key rules to follow:

• Your video must not be fraudulent, deceptive, false, or misleading. It should accurately represent the item for sale.
• You may not use any photographs, images, text, music, or video that belongs to someone else without their permission. Posting content that does not belong to you is a breach of Depop’s Intellectual Property Policy.
• You may not use or share another user’s User Content, including their videos, without their consent (the only exception is using the Repop tool).
• You cannot post any commentary about another person in your video without that person’s permission.
• You are prohibited from posting any private or confidential information relating to yourself or another person.
• You may not bully, threaten, defame, abuse, spam, or harass anyone in your video content.
• You may not support, praise, glorify, represent, or depict terrorist or extremist organisations or their members.

Best Practices for Depop Videos

While Depop provides firm rules on what you can't post, there are also some best practices to follow to make your videos more effective. Keep your videos simple and focused on the product. A quick 360-degree view, a clip showing the garment's movement, or a close-up of a unique texture can be highly effective.

Just like with photos, ensure your video is well-lit so buyers can clearly see the item. Since your video will appear in the feed alongside your square photos, it’s best to shoot it in a square (1:1) aspect ratio to ensure it displays correctly without awkward cropping.

Scale Your Depop Shop and Beyond with Reeva

Following all of Depop's photo and video guidelines takes time and effort. Creating beautiful, compliant listings is a major part of running a successful shop, but it's also one of the biggest time sinks for resellers. When you're trying to grow your business by listing on multiple platforms, that time commitment multiplies.

Our all-in-one platform is built specifically for resale businesses looking to scale with ease. We simplify and automate the most tedious tasks, giving you back precious hours to grow your business.

Sell Smarter, Not Harder

Imagine turning a folder of photos into ready-to-post listings in minutes. With our platform, you can. Simply upload your photos, and we'll help create complete listings with optimized titles, detailed descriptions, and suggested prices.

Don't limit your reach to just one platform. We allow you to list your items everywhere with one click. You can publish your products to all your marketplaces, including Depop, Poshmark, eBay, and Mercari, without ever switching tabs. This is how top sellers like AlistairBP grew from selling 3-5 items a week to 10-15 items a day.

Automate to Accelerate

Growth comes from boosting visibility and maximizing sales, which is where automation becomes your secret weapon. Our platform can automatically share your products on Poshmark, send personalized offers to interested buyers, and relist stale products to keep them fresh and at the top of search results.

Crucially, we help you prevent overselling across platforms. Our auto-delist feature instantly removes a sold item from all other marketplaces, a tool that reseller AlistairBP says he "couldn't live without."

Manage and Grow Your Business with Ease

As your inventory grows, so does the complexity of managing it. We provide the tools you need to handle it all. You can update and manage hundreds of listings in bulk, track your sales and profits with powerful business analytics, and even give team members access with multi-user account options.

We also take the pain out of bookkeeping with full-service accounting tools. You can connect your bank accounts, automatically record transactions, capture receipts, and generate clear profit and loss reports to make smarter business decisions. As one user said, "No more spreadsheets. My bookkeeping is now all automated."

Reseller TUFFNY found that our tools transformed his workflow: "I've cut down my admin time by at least 30%, which has allowed me to source more products and expand my offerings."

Accessible Anytime, Anywhere

Manage your entire business from your phone, tablet, or desktop. Our platform is fully accessible without needing a Chrome extension or requiring you to keep your laptop running for operations to complete. You can manage your business from anywhere.

As reseller Lawyerposh noted, "I don’t believe any other company can currently upload an entire existing closet (e.g. from Poshmark) on a phone app with virtually no user input. I was further surprised that this could be done while the application was minimized."

Try Us Free

We offer two simple plans designed for resellers. For a limited time, our Basic plan for solo entrepreneurs is just $29 per month, and our Business plan, which includes full automation and accounting, is just $59 per month. You can experience the power of our platform for yourself with a 7-day free trial, with no payment due upfront.

Conclusion: Perfect Your Photos and Scale Your Success

Success on Depop starts with great visuals. By adhering to the platform's official photo and video guidelines—using original, clear, well-lit, square images—and following best practices for consistency and transparency, you build a brand that buyers trust.

Remember to keep your photos simple, showcase the item from multiple angles, and be honest about its condition. For videos, ensure your content is original, respectful, and accurately represents your product.

Following these guidelines is the foundation, but scaling your business requires efficiency. Juggling listing creation, inventory management, and cross-posting can quickly become overwhelming. Our platform is designed to handle the heavy lifting, automating tedious tasks so you can focus on the parts of your business you love.

Ready to run and grow your resale business with ease? Start your free trial of Reeva today and discover how much time and effort you can save.