How to Price on Depop So Fees Don't Eat Your Profit
Depop's fee structure got much more seller-friendly in 2024 — no more 10% commission, just 3.3% + $0.45 processing in the US. But "small fee" doesn't mean "invisible fee." The fixed $0.45 component, free-shipping decisions, and Boost experiments can quietly compress your margin if you price without a system. Here's the system.
The Depop fee in 2026 (US): 3.3% + $0.45 per transaction. No selling commission. No listing fee.
See the full breakdown in Depop fees explained (2026).
1. Build your floor price before you list
A floor price is the minimum you can list at and still make your target profit. List below it and you're subsidising the buyer. Build it before you pick a number, not after.
The formula for a US seller:
Floor = (Item cost + Shipping cost) ÷ (1 − 0.033) + $0.45 + Profit target
Where "Shipping cost" is only included if you're the one paying the label (free shipping offer). If the buyer pays shipping, drop it from the formula.
Worked example
| Variable | Your numbers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Item cost (what you paid) | $12.00 | |
| Shipping label (if you offer free shipping) | $5.50 | |
| Total costs | $17.50 | |
| Divide by (1 − 0.033) | $18.11 | |
| Add $0.45 fixed | $18.56 | |
| Add profit target | +$7.00 | |
| Floor price | $25.56 → list at $26 |
The DepopCalc calculator does this math automatically — enter your item cost and sale price and it shows your net instantly. Use it on every listing.
2. The free-shipping decision
Offering free shipping is a buyer psychology lever — "free shipping" converts better than "$6 shipping" even when the listed price is $6 higher. But it's not actually free for you:
- You pay the label cost out of your payout.
- The processing fee (3.3%) applies to the item price only when the buyer pays shipping separately. When you embed shipping in the price, you pay 3.3% on the total — a small but real difference.
When free shipping makes sense
Free shipping is worth offering when:
- Your item has a margin wide enough to absorb the label cost (aim for 50%+ gross margin on the item before shipping).
- You're selling a premium or brand-name piece where the buyer expects a "clean" price.
- Your item has been sitting for 3+ weeks and adding free shipping restarts visibility without relisting.
When to let the buyer pay shipping
On thin-margin items, keep shipping separate. A $20 item with a $6 label and a $10 item cost has almost no room — free shipping would eat your profit. Let the buyer pay the label and price to your floor on the item alone.
3. Pricing to market: find the ceiling
Your floor tells you the minimum. Market comparables tell you the maximum buyers will pay. Finding that ceiling is where experience matters:
- Search Depop for the exact item (brand + style + condition). Sort by "recently sold" if available, or look at active listings and note the price distribution.
- Adjust for condition. NWOT (never worn, with tags) can sit at or above the high end. Visible wear needs a discount — buyers on Depop are detail-conscious.
- Check the Depop buyer lens. Depop skews younger (Gen Z) and toward streetwear, vintage, and Y2K. Items that command premiums on Depop may not on eBay and vice versa. Vintage Levi's, for example, routinely sell above eBay comps on Depop because the audience pays for the aesthetic.
- Price in the middle-upper range of comps, not the cheapest. The cheapest listing rarely gets all the buyers — it often signals something is wrong. If comps run $40–$65, listing at $55 with good photos converts better than $38.
4. The Boost decision
Depop Boost gives your listing more visibility in search results — you set a boost rate (a percentage above your item price) that Depop takes when the boosted listing sells. It only costs you anything if the item sells through Boost.
Use Boost when:
- The item has been listed for 2–4 weeks without a sale (not stale from the start — give organic a chance).
- Your margin above floor is wide enough to absorb the boost rate and still hit your profit target.
- The item is in a competitive category where visibility genuinely moves sales (popular brands, seasonal items).
Don't use Boost when:
- Your margin is thin — boosting a near-floor item erases the profit entirely.
- The item is niche (Boost helps less if buyers aren't actively searching for it).
- The problem is photos or description quality, not visibility — Boost won't fix a bad listing.
5. Bundles: the fee efficiency lever
When a buyer purchases multiple items in a single bundle transaction on Depop, you pay the $0.45 fixed processing charge once — not once per item. On a three-item bundle, that's $0.90 saved compared to three separate purchases.
Encourage bundles by noting "bundle for a deal" in your bio or listings, and respond to offer requests with a small discount that still keeps you above your floor on each item. Bundles also increase your average order value, which dilutes the fixed component further.
6. Relisting and price drops
Depop's algorithm surfaces recently listed items in search and the feed. If an item has sat for 4+ weeks:
- Review the price against current comps — the market may have moved.
- If comps support your price, relist (delete and re-upload) to reset the listing date. Keep the same photos if they're good.
- If comps are lower, drop the price to a new floor (recalculate with current item cost in mind).
- Don't drop below your floor. A sale at break-even is not a win — it's just clearing space.
7. The three pricing mistakes that quietly kill margin
| Mistake | What actually happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using the old 10% fee in calculations | You under-price (thinking fees are higher than they are), leaving margin on the table | Use the current 3.3% + $0.45; run numbers in DepopCalc |
| Offering free shipping without adjusting the listed price | You absorb the label cost and processing on it — margin shrinks invisibly | Add label cost to your floor before pricing when offering free shipping |
| Pricing to what you paid, not what the market pays | Emotional anchoring to sunk cost leads to overpricing; item sits forever | Run market comps first; price to market, then check against your floor |
FAQ
What is the minimum price I should list on Depop to make a profit?
Your floor price = your item cost + your shipping cost (if you offer free shipping) + the Depop processing fee (3.3% + $0.45 in the US), plus whatever profit margin you need. For a $5 item cost with free shipping ($5 label) and a $2 profit target, your floor is roughly $13.20. Always calculate before listing — the fixed $0.45 charge hurts more on small-ticket items.
Should I offer free shipping on Depop?
Usually not on low-margin items. Free shipping means you absorb the label cost AND the processing fee applies to the label value. On a $30 item with a $6 label, offering free shipping effectively adds ~$6.20 to your costs. On higher-margin items (vintage, brand-name pieces) where free shipping increases buyer conversion, it can be worth it — but calculate the floor first.
How do I set the right price on Depop for a vintage item?
Search completed Depop listings for the same item or brand + condition. Adjust for platform demand (Depop skews younger, streetwear/Y2K buyers pay premiums). Then build your floor: item cost + shipping if free + processing fee + profit target. List at or above your floor; use the highest comparable sold price as your ceiling.
Is Depop Boost worth it?
Boost makes sense when the item has a meaningful margin above your floor and has been sitting unsold for 2–4 weeks. Calculate: if Boost costs 10% and your margin is 40%, you still pocket 30%. If your margin is already thin, Boost wipes it. Test it on one or two items before committing.
How do Depop bundles affect fees?
On Depop, when a buyer purchases multiple items from you in one bundle transaction, you pay one processing fee on the total rather than separate fixed fees per item. This means the $0.45 fixed component is charged once, not per item — bundles are fee-efficient. Encourage buyers to bundle to reduce your effective fee rate.
What pricing mistakes do Depop sellers make most often?
The three most common: (1) not accounting for the shipping label cost when offering free shipping, (2) pricing based on what they paid rather than market comps, and (3) using the old 10% fee rate in their calculations even though it was eliminated in 2024. Run current numbers through a calculator before every listing.
The bottom line
Depop's 2026 fees are genuinely seller-friendly — 3.3% + $0.45 is a fraction of what most competing platforms charge. The profit traps aren't in the headline fee; they're in the details: absorbing shipping without adjusting prices, Boosting thin-margin items, and pricing from cost rather than market. Build your floor before every listing, price to comps, and let the fee do the least damage it can. Use the DepopCalc calculator to verify your numbers before you commit to a price.