How to Get Free Shipping on Depop (And Still Make a Profit)

How to Get Free Shipping on Depop (And Still Make a Profit)

In the world of online shopping, the words “free shipping” are powerful. They can be the final nudge a buyer needs to click “Purchase.” For Depop sellers, offering free shipping isn't a default option provided by the platform—it's a strategic choice you can make to stand out and increase sales.

But how do you offer this attractive perk without sacrificing your hard-earned profits? The answer lies in smart pricing, a clear understanding of fees, and efficient business management.

This guide will walk you through exactly how to get free shipping on Depop as a seller, covering everything from the psychological benefits to the nitty-gritty calculations needed to protect your profit margin.

Why Offering Free Shipping on Depop Is a Smart Move

Deciding whether to offer free shipping is a big decision. While Depop itself doesn't offer it, sellers who provide this option gain a significant competitive edge. The benefits are clear and directly impact your visibility and sales volume.

Attract More Depop Buyers

The most immediate benefit of a Depop free shipping offer is its ability to attract more buyers. Many shoppers filter their searches for items with free shipping, meaning your listings will appear in front of a larger, more motivated audience.

Free shipping is a powerful incentive that entices buyers, making them more likely to explore your shop and purchase your items over a competitor's.

Simplify the Buyer's Decision

When a buyer sees a separate shipping charge, it adds a layer of complexity to their purchase decision. They have to do the mental math of adding the item price and the shipping cost, which can sometimes lead to cart abandonment.

Offering free shipping on Depop simplifies the total cost. The price they see is the price they pay, creating a more seamless and transparent checkout process that buyers appreciate.

Increase Your Item's Appeal

A "Free Shipping" tag instantly increases an item's appeal. It makes the listing look like a better deal, even if the total cost is the same as a competitor's item plus shipping.

This psychological advantage can make your products more desirable and help you move inventory faster.

How Depop Free Shipping Actually Works

Before you switch all your listings to free shipping, it's crucial to understand the mechanics. "Free" is a term used for the buyer's benefit; for the seller, the cost must be accounted for somewhere.

Depop does not pay for shipping. The cost is always shouldered by someone involved in the transaction—either the buyer or the seller.

As a seller, you have two choices:

1. Absorb the Cost: You can pay for the shipping out of your own profit margin. This is a true "free shipping" offer but directly reduces your earnings on that sale.
2. Incorporate the Cost: This is the most common and sustainable strategy. You adjust your item's price to include the shipping fee. The buyer perceives it as free shipping, and you maintain your desired profit margin.

Essentially, the Depop shipping fee is either incorporated into the selling price or added as a separate charge. The choice is yours, and the most successful sellers use the incorporation method to offer this perk without losing money.

The Ultimate Guide to Offering Free Shipping on Depop Profitably

Ready to start offering free shipping? Follow these steps to set up your strategy correctly, ensuring that you cover all costs and keep your business profitable.

Step 1: Calculate Your Exact Shipping Costs

You can't build the shipping cost into your price if you don't know what it is. To do this, you'll need to handle shipping yourself rather than using a standard Depop label. In your listing, select a shipping method like ‘Other’.

When using this option, you will not automatically receive a pre-paid shipping label. You are responsible for organizing and paying for the shipping yourself. This gives you the control needed to calculate a precise cost to bake into your item price.

Don't forget to include the cost of packaging. Sellers can purchase sustainable, Depop-branded packaging from their partner, EcoEnclose, but you must factor this expense into your total shipping cost.

Step 2: Master the Depop Fee Structure

This is the most critical step. Depop charges fees not just on your item price, but on the total transaction amount, which includes the item price, the shipping cost, and any applicable taxes. When you incorporate shipping into your price, your total price increases, and so do the fees.

The fee structure varies by your location:

• Sellers in the US & UK: You are not charged a Depop Selling Fee. However, you are charged a payment processing fee on the total transaction value.
• Sellers Outside the US & UK: You are charged both a 10% Depop Selling Fee and a payment processing fee.

Here is a breakdown of the fees you need to account for:

Additionally, if you use Boosted Listings, there is an 8% boosting fee charged on the item's sale price and shipping cost (if not using a Depop label).

Understanding these fees is non-negotiable for a profitable free shipping strategy.

Step 3: Adjust Your Item Price to Cover All Costs

Now it's time to put it all together. You must adjust your item price to cover the cost of the item, your desired profit, the actual shipping cost, and all applicable Depop fees.

Here’s a simple formula:

New Listing Price = (Item Cost + Desired Profit + Shipping Cost) / (1 - Fee Percentage) + Fixed Fee

Let's walk through an example for a US seller:

• Cost of Item: $10.00
• Desired Profit: $20.00
• Calculated Shipping Cost: $5.50
• Depop Payment Fee (US): 3.3% + $0.45

First, add up your costs and desired profit: $10.00 + $20.00 + $5.50 = $35.50. This is the amount you need to receive after fees.

Now, account for the fees. You can't just add 3.3% on top; you need to calculate a price where, after the fee is deducted, you're left with $35.50.

Using the formula:

Price = ($35.50) / (1 - 0.033) + $0.45
Price = $35.50 / 0.967 + $0.45
Price = $36.71 + $0.45
Final Listing Price = $37.16

By pricing your item at $37.16 with free shipping, you cover all your costs and secure your $20 profit margin. Sellers must be careful with their pricing strategy to ensure costs are covered without deterring buyers with an overall price that seems too high.

Scale Your Depop Business and Maximize Profits with Reeva

Juggling pricing strategies, fee calculations, and inventory across multiple platforms is complex and time-consuming. This is where we come in. Our platform, Reeva, is designed to accelerate growth for resale businesses, helping you scale with ease by automating the tedious parts of selling online.

Instead of getting bogged down in spreadsheets, you can focus on sourcing and strategy. If you're serious about growing your resale business on Depop, Poshmark, eBay, and Mercari, our tools are built for you.

Master Your Financials with Our Integrated Tools

Implementing a free shipping strategy requires careful financial tracking. How do you know if it's actually increasing your net profit? Our platform provides the clarity you need.

With our powerful business analytics, you can track sales and profits with precision. You can see what’s selling, where it’s selling, and how profitable each item is. This data is essential for making smart decisions about your pricing.

We also offer full-service accounting tools. You can connect your bank accounts to automatically record your transactions, expenses, and fees. Our system categorizes income and expenses to help you file taxes and generate clear profit and loss reports. As one user, PCT Vintage Finds, put it, "No more spreadsheets. My bookkeeping is now all automated thanks to Reeva accounting."

Save Time and Sell More, Faster

The single biggest asset for a reseller is time. Our platform gives it back to you. We help you sell smarter and faster with features designed to eliminate manual work.

• Turn photos into listings instantly: Just upload your photos, and we'll create complete listings with titles, descriptions, and prices.
• List everywhere with one click: Publish your items to all your marketplaces, including Depop, Poshmark, and eBay, without switching tabs. Hiview Reloved told us, "I’ve created more listings in the few months of using Reeva than I was able to create all of last year."
• Automate key tasks: Automatically send personalized offers to buyers, relist stale products, and instantly delist sold items to prevent overselling. AlistairBP says the auto-delist feature is one he "couldn't live without."

FabFam from Washington noted, "Reeva has cut my listing time by more than half... By the time I put the item away, my listing is ready to go live." This is the kind of efficiency that lets you scale.

See Real Growth: What Our Users Achieve

Our platform isn't just about saving time; it's about generating real, measurable growth. Resale businesses that use our tools see dramatic results.

Nuzzydeals experienced a 7x increase in sales and a 60% increase in listing speed. Vintage Vault WV sold +372% more items in just 3 weeks and increased their listing amount per hour by 10x.

AlistairBP went from selling 3-5 items a week to 10-15 items a day, managing around 1,000 listings at a time. TUFFNY cut admin time by 30%, which allowed them to source more products and expand their offerings.

These aren't just numbers; they represent real businesses transforming their operations and achieving new levels of success.

Start Your Growth Journey Today

Ready to stop juggling spreadsheets and start scaling your resale business? Our platform gives you all the tools you need—from AI listing creation and cross-listing to fully automated accounting—in one place. You can manage your business from anywhere, on any device, without needing a Chrome extension.

Start your free 7-day trial of Reeva and discover how our tools can help you implement profitable strategies like free shipping with confidence.

Conclusion: Make Depop Free Shipping Work for You

Offering free shipping on Depop is a proven strategy for attracting more buyers and closing more sales. It enhances your items' appeal and simplifies the checkout process, creating a better customer experience.

However, profitability depends entirely on a smart and precise pricing strategy. You must account for your item cost, desired profit, actual shipping expenses, and all platform fees. By incorporating these costs into your final listing price, you can offer this powerful incentive without taking a financial hit.

Managing these calculations and tracking your business's health can be a challenge, but you don't have to do it alone. Our all-in-one platform is built to simplify and automate every aspect of your resale business. We handle the tedious tasks so you can focus on growth.

Stop guessing and start growing. Try Reeva for free today and see how easy it is to scale your Depop shop into a thriving business.