It’s hard to keep up with fast-changing trends these days. Fast Fashion is one thing that encourages rapid changes in trends. Fast Fashion to those of you who don’t know, is cheaply made clothing produced in mass quantities by companies in response to changing trends.
There are a lot of reasons why fast fashion is on its way out. It’s bad for the environment, sustains bad work conditions and it’s bad for our wallets. Keeping up with fashion trends can see us consuming more and more every season. Heck, every week! That’s how fast trends can change. However, like the seasons, we too can change. How you ask? Let me tell you…
Depop
When I started using depop I was excited to think that someone would buy clothes and I would get paid. It’s like going to a charity shop except you get the royalties for your pre-loved jumper. To be honest it took me a little while to get into it and then my interest fizzled out. Until recently when I became sick of trying to find a comfy pair of jeans that would fit my ever-expanding waist. I was sick of buying from big companies who repeatedly promised a size 12 or a medium and low and behold they would be too big or too small, never what it said on the label or what was shown in the picture. The worst part about it was that I just kept consuming, all the clothes I had, just piled up and became an unfriendly reminder that my body could not fit a standard pair of jeans. That was when I remembered depop. For me it was two birds with one stone because it meant that I could resell some of the clothes I had consumed to someone else, AND I could maybe find a pair of jeans.
One of the beauties of buying from depop is the personalisation that you get. Most people are friendly and are genuinely happy to see their gear go to a happy buyer. Last week for example, a girl I was buying a jumper from brought it down from sixty euro to thirty just because she said she had had it for so long and was happy it was finally being sold. Or even how some sellers go the extra mile; I had another seller follow me on Instagram and send me fifteen pictures of a t-shirt I was looking at and just wanted a clearer picture. While I haven’t been back on the scene too long I am already impressed with the personalisation you get with depop that you wouldn’t get with other big clothing companies. In most cases the personalisation is a great part of depop, however it can often be hard to read a person just off online interaction.
Sellers
However, while this is good in some ways it can also prove for stressful and often frustrating shopping. For example, with big clothing companies, in most cases you buy their product, they send it, with tracking information and updates, and then you receive it, and you have the option to refund it or contact the company through email or phone. It is a relatively easy process, and these big companies are accessible if something does go pear-shaped. Whereas with depop its luck of the draw depending on your seller.
And that is why in most cases I would really say be cautious. If you are on the seller’s profile, make sure you check their shop policies. These are the rules they have for their shop. These can include no refunds or returns, that they are not responsible for lost items, in some cases that tracked shipping is available upon request, or that they don’t ship to certain places. These are just to name a few, nonetheless, it is important to be wary because in the case that your item does not get delivered or you are not satisfied, it will not be the problem of the seller if these are their shop policies.
Condition of Clothes
Another thing I would be wary of is the item you are buying. With depop in my experience most of the bits I buy are second hand, used but in good condition. Now there are options to buy never won before clothes also just to point out. In most cases a seller will list the important bits of information about the item; the size, the measurements, a few good quality pictures and whether the item is new or second-hand and what condition its in. In some but not all cases there have been times when people have bought second items in worse wear than was advertised, clothes smelling bad or with stains.
Like I said, it was often an issue for me seeing a nice pair of jeans being advertised, buying them and trusting that they would be exactly like the picture or at least similar and then being disappointed. The same can happen on depop but in some cases you may not be able to return your item or even get your money back. I look back at my old habits now and wonder was it just bad judgement on my part or false hope/ advertisement on the sellers part…I mean its much easier to trust a big company that been around for years that has a lot of money and is accessible than Kenny on depop from Berlin or Lisa from Kerry. In most cases with big clothing companies, depending on where you live, there will be a physical shop you can visit and bring you item back and speak to someone directly about the item and the issue. Whereas if you seller lives in Australia and you live in West Cork its not an option.
It is not often we become wary of something like this until we hear or see such an event taking place, and that is why I invite you to follow @depopdrama on Instagram, while not being affiliated with depop, their account posts screenshots & submissions of bad/weird experience’s on depop. Since following their account over a year ago I have laughed out loud/ cringed and squirmed at some of the experiences of some users on depop. If this article doesn’t make you slightly wary of Depop, @depopdrama will!
In the end I would recommend using or at least trying depop, for me I have discovered more about my likes and dislikes, I’ve found myself striving to be more environmentally friendly and less fast fashion and really depop is exciting, i think. There’s not a limited amount of one red top but millions of unique and different red tops! It’s like a car boot sale but you have a preference on what you like. But take it with a pinch of salt!