Depop is a social shopping platform, similar to older reselling platforms such as eBay but more modern and fashion-centric, appealing to the younger generation. Launched in 2013 to make fashion more sustainable and accessible, its popularity grew almost instantly - today it has over 15 million users.
Depop allows users to declutter their unused and unwanted items by listing them on the app to make a bit of extra cash, which has proven especially helpful to some during the Covid-19 pandemic which had many find themselves unemployed or only earning 60-80% of their usual wage. Some even run Depop shops as their full-time job.
However, within the past couple of years, the debate has risen about why the reselling of second hand and thrifted items on Depop comes with many pros and cons. But the app has slowly, but surely become gentrified in recent years making it less accessible for the younger, low-income users it was once made for.
So, what is Depop gentrification? New Depop shops have popped up all over the app where often middle-class shop owners bulk buy cheap items from low budget shops and then resell these items for up to five times the original price on the app to make a profit. Especially when it comes to rare or sought-after items, sellers tend to inflate the prices so much, it’s almost criminal.
The real issue with these Depop sellers is that they sell marked-up items under the guise of being ‘ethical’ and attempting to help steer people away from buying fast fashion items by making them more accessible and readily available. However, buying sustainably when it comes to clothing isn’t easy. Sustainable fashion brands are usually more expensive meaning this isn’t an option for lower-class individuals and isn’t always size-inclusive, hence why fast fashion shaming isn’t always feasible.
While many sustainable clothing store sellers rightfully preach about being ethical when it comes to making fashion choices, they are not so ethical themselves and are contributing to the larger issue of Depop gentrification.
Reselling items on Depop comes with many pros. By reselling unwanted, second-hand items, people are helping reduce textile waste that is generated by British households every year. The UK is the fourth largest textile waste producer in Europe, discarding over 1m tonnes of textiles annually. Over 300,000 tonnes of clothing ends-up in household bins every year, 20% of which goes to dumps and 80% is incinerated.
Unfortunately, with every pro comes a con. The trend of ridiculous mark-ups on what were once affordable items hasn’t gone unnoticed by users. However, the shop owners argue that this is just how business works and how profit is made, which isn’t entirely untrue – but is it really ethical when you’re emptying the racks of cheaper priced stores and charity shops that were intended for lower-class individuals to have accessibility to affordable clothing?
Due to the pandemic, there has been a recent shortage of clothing donations in UK charity shops. Therefore, these middle-class online shop owners who can afford to bulk buy affect the stock and availability of cheap clothing for those who really need it most.
It can be argued that fast fashion is just as cheap as these low-income stores such as Sports Direct, TK Maxx and charity shops. So, why not just buy from there? Well, the whole appeal of charity shops especially, is that you can buy clothing that was once worth a lot more and of better quality which ensures the buyer longevity of the item too, all for fast-fashion prices or lower. Whereas, buying from fast fashion stores such as Primark or Missguided means the lifespan of their items is only around six months to a year, in which it will then need replacing which isn’t ideal for those already on a tight budget.
The real kicker to all of this is that charity shops are beginning to notice this new-found market of bulk buyers and are therefore being exploitative by raising their prices to meet the demand of bulk buying Depop shop owners. Some prices have sky-rocketed so high to the point that it is no longer affordable for the lower-class individuals who rely on these stores the most.
Overall, the gentrification of Depop has entirely defeated the main purpose of the app's mission which was once to provide low priced second-hand clothing while keeping it sustainable. Which, in turn, has actually driven people away from the app and back to consuming fast fashion. Depop nowadays has a sort of exclusivity to it and is practically only available to the middle and upper classes who can afford to pay the extreme markups on items that were once cheap, made for the sole purpose of being accessible to all.
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