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Amazon vs Depop: Mass Reach or Niche Resale Audience (2026)

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Amazon sells you access to the world’s biggest storefront. Depop sells you an audience that already wants secondhand and vintage clothing.

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Why This Comparison Matters

Sellers with secondhand, vintage, or one-off clothing items keep landing on the same fork in the road: list where hundreds of millions of existing customer accounts already shop (Amazon reported more than 300 million active customer accounts in its own investor disclosures as of its most recent reported figures), or list where the buyers are already looking for exactly this kind of item. Amazon and Depop sit at opposite ends of that choice.

This article compares what each platform actually charges, how each one handles a single used or vintage garment versus a case of new inventory, and which one fits a given seller’s catalog. We’ll walk through plan costs, referral and transaction fees, listing mechanics, and a recent ownership change at Depop that’s worth knowing about before you commit inventory to either one.

Amazon Overview

Amazon is a general marketplace built for new, barcoded, multi-unit retail inventory, not single secondhand pieces. It works for almost any product category and puts a seller in front of the largest built-in buyer base of any marketplace covered on this site.

Strengths:

  • Enormous existing search traffic; buyers come to Amazon already intending to buy, not browse
  • Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) hands off picking, packing, shipping, and returns for an added fee
  • Works at volume: a seller with 50 units of one SKU scales the same as a seller with 500

Weaknesses:

  • Built around standardized product identifiers (UPC/EAN), which fights against single, non-barcoded secondhand or vintage pieces
  • Referral fees apply on top of the monthly plan cost, and clothing fees are tiered rather than flat
  • No lifestyle-photo or outfit-style browsing; buyers search by keyword and spec, not by vibe

Pricing summary: Amazon offers two seller plans in the US. Individual costs $0.99 per item sold with no monthly fee. Professional costs $39.99 per month flat, charged whether or not anything sells that month, with no per-item fee layered on top. Both plans still pay referral fees on every sale, and clothing’s referral fee is tiered by price rather than a flat percentage (sell.amazon.com/pricing).

Depop Overview

Depop is a resale and vintage fashion marketplace where listings function more like social posts, outfit photos, captions, hashtags, than retail product pages. It was Etsy-owned until mid-2026, when eBay completed its acquisition of the app from Etsy on July 30, 2026, with Depop continuing to operate as a standalone brand and platform (news.depop.com; AP News via ny1.com).

Strengths:

  • No seller-side selling fee on US-dollar listings as of Depop’s July 15, 2024 policy change, when it removed the flat 10% fee it used to charge American sellers (news.depop.com); fee policies can change, so confirm your current rate in-app before pricing inventory
  • A buyer base built specifically around secondhand, vintage, and reworked clothing: the companies’ own figures tied to the eBay acquisition put Depop at roughly 7 million active buyers as of December 31, 2025, with close to nine in ten under age 34 (AP News via ny1.com)
  • Listing a single, non-barcoded garment is the normal use case, not a workaround

Weaknesses:

  • Far smaller total buyer pool than Amazon; discovery depends on photos, tags, and following, not category-wide search volume
  • Payment processing still applies to every US sale even with the selling fee gone, and that cost is not optional
  • Mostly a clothing-and-accessories marketplace; it doesn’t fit general merchandise or multi-unit new inventory

Pricing summary: As of Depop’s July 15, 2024 fee change, there’s no selling fee on US-dollar listings. A separate marketplace fee of up to 5% of the item price plus up to $1 applies to the buyer, not the seller, starting with purchases from July 18, 2024 onward (news.depop.com). Sellers still cover payment processing on each sale; third-party seller tools commonly cite a rate near 3.3% plus $0.45 per US transaction, though that figure isn’t published directly on Depop’s own fee announcement. Marketplace fee structures change without much warning, verify the current selling fee, buyer fee, and processing rate inside your own Depop seller settings before pricing inventory, rather than relying on this article alone.

Head-to-Head: Pricing & Fees

Fee TypeAmazonDepop (US, USD listings)
Monthly plan$0 (Individual) or $39.99 (Professional)$0
Per-item fee$0.99 (Individual only)$0
Seller transaction/referral feeCategory-based, e.g. 15% in “Everything Else”; Clothing & Accessories tiered 5%-17% by price$0 (removed July 15, 2024)
Buyer-side feeNone stated separately (built into referral pricing)Up to 5% of item price + up to $1, paid by the buyer
Payment processingIncluded in referral fee structureApplies separately to the seller; confirm current rate in your account
FulfillmentOptional FBA fees if usedNot applicable, seller ships directly

Fees change. Confirm current rates on Amazon’s and Depop’s own seller fee pages before pricing your inventory.

For a single $30 vintage jacket sold through Amazon’s Professional plan under the “Everything Else” 15% referral tier, a seller nets roughly $25.50 before any FBA costs. The same jacket sold on Depop nets the full $30 minus payment processing, since there’s no seller-side selling fee to subtract. That gap is the single clearest argument for Depop on used clothing specifically, and it only holds for USD listings under the current fee structure.

Head-to-Head: Features & Discovery

Amazon’s search engine matches buyers to specific products by brand, model, and spec. That’s an advantage when a buyer already knows what they want. It’s a disadvantage for a one-of-one vintage piece with no UPC and no comparable listings to rank against.

Depop’s discovery runs on photos, outfit styling, hashtags, and following specific sellers, closer to a social feed than a search results page. A seller who photographs items well and builds a following can move inventory that would get buried in Amazon’s catalog. A seller who can’t invest time in photography and engagement will struggle on Depop regardless of price.

Head-to-Head: Ease of Use

Amazon’s Professional seller setup involves tax interviews, category approval (“ungating”) for some product types, and a learning curve around referral fee categories and optional FBA logistics. Getting one listing live can take under an hour; getting comfortable with the full seller dashboard takes longer.

Depop’s setup is closer to a social app: create a profile, photograph an item, write a caption, publish. There’s no barcode requirement and no category-gating process. The tradeoff is that there’s also no built-in logistics network, every shipment is the seller’s own packing and carrier run.

Selling Secondhand and Vintage Clothing

This is where the two platforms diverge most. Amazon does permit used-condition listings in many categories, but the listing flow still expects a matching catalog entry or UPC, which doesn’t exist for a one-off vintage find. Sellers moving genuinely unique secondhand pieces at volume on Amazon are the exception, not the norm.

Depop was built around exactly this inventory type from the start. The app’s buyer base searches with that intent already, and the current fee structure (no seller-side selling fee on US listings) makes individual-piece resale more financially viable than it was before July 2024. If your catalog is multiple units of the same new product, Amazon’s infrastructure fits better. If it’s single secondhand or vintage garments, Depop’s model fits the inventory itself, not just the price.

Who Should Choose Amazon?

  • You sell new, multi-unit inventory with standard barcodes or are willing to get one assigned
  • You want access to the largest built-in search-driven buyer base of any marketplace on this list
  • You’re willing to pay a category-based referral fee in exchange for that reach
  • You want the option to hand off shipping and returns through FBA
  • Your catalog isn’t primarily one-of-a-kind secondhand clothing

Who Should Choose Depop?

  • Your inventory is secondhand, vintage, or reworked clothing and accessories, mostly single pieces
  • You can photograph items well and are willing to build a following, not just post and wait
  • Keeping the full sale price (minus payment processing) matters more than reaching the widest possible buyer pool
  • You’re comfortable handling your own shipping without a fulfillment network
  • Your target buyer skews under 34, which matches Depop’s current stated buyer base

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Amazon or Depop cheaper for sellers?

For a single used clothing item, Depop is usually cheaper for US sellers since it dropped its seller-side selling fee in July 2024, leaving only payment processing. Amazon adds a monthly plan cost (if Professional) plus a category referral fee on top of any per-item cost.

Which is better for beginners?

Depop has a lower setup barrier for a first-time seller listing a handful of clothing items, there’s no barcode requirement or category approval process. Amazon has more structure (tax setup, category rules) but also more built-in traffic once you’re live.

How long does it take to get a listing live on each platform?

A Depop listing can go live in minutes once you have photos and a caption. An Amazon Individual-plan listing can also go live quickly for ungated categories, but Professional-plan setup (tax interview, bank details, category approval for some items) typically takes longer on day one.

Are there hidden fees on either platform?

Amazon’s referral fees vary by category and aren’t always obvious until checkout, always check the specific category rate before pricing. Depop’s seller-side selling fee is gone for US listings, but payment processing still applies and isn’t published as a single flat figure on Depop’s own fee announcement, so confirm it in your account.

Can you sell on both Amazon and Depop at the same time?

Yes. Nothing prevents listing new inventory on Amazon while running a separate secondhand or vintage catalog on Depop; many sellers use different platforms for different inventory types rather than picking one exclusively.

Which has better SEO and discoverability tools?

Amazon’s internal search is the stronger discovery engine for buyers who already know what they want. Depop’s discovery leans on hashtags, following, and photo quality rather than keyword search, which favors sellers willing to invest in presentation over sellers relying on search volume alone.

Which has better seller support?

Amazon has a larger, more structured seller support system (chat, phone callback requests, seller forums) built for a much larger seller base. Depop’s support is smaller in scale, consistent with its smaller overall marketplace size.

What happens to your listings if you stop selling?

On Amazon, inactive listings can be removed from search after a period of no sales activity, and Professional plan fees continue billing monthly regardless of activity unless you downgrade or cancel. On Depop, listings generally stay visible until removed by the seller, with no recurring monthly charge to worry about either way.

Does Amazon allow secondhand or vintage clothing?

Yes, used-condition listings are permitted in many Amazon categories, but the listing structure still expects a matching catalog entry or barcode, which makes single one-of-a-kind vintage pieces harder to list cleanly than they are on a resale-native platform like Depop.

Do you need a UPC or barcode to sell on Amazon?

Most new product listings need a UPC, EAN, or a GTIN exemption; many used/collectible or handmade-adjacent categories have narrower exemption paths. Depop has no barcode requirement for any listing.

Is Depop’s buyer fee something the seller pays?

No. The marketplace fee introduced alongside the US selling-fee removal (up to 5% of the item price plus up to $1) is charged to the buyer at checkout, not deducted from the seller’s payout.

The Bottom Line

Amazon wins on raw reach and fits new, barcoded, multi-unit inventory best, at the cost of a category-based referral fee stacked on top of any plan cost. Depop wins on net payout for single secondhand and vintage clothing items specifically, a direct result of the seller-side selling fee it dropped in July 2024, but it can’t match Amazon’s buyer volume outside fashion resale. If your catalog is new retail goods at any scale, start with Amazon. If it’s genuinely one-of-a-kind secondhand or vintage clothing and you can invest in decent photos, Depop keeps more of each sale. Compare more marketplace options before committing your inventory to either one.

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About This Research

CartCompare Editorial Team maintains CartCompare’s fixed comparison framework (pricing, core features, ease of use, and platform fit) across every platform in the site’s roster.

This comparison is based on Amazon’s and Depop’s own published seller fee pages and official company announcements, including Depop’s July 2024 US fee change notice and eBay’s July 2026 acquisition-completion release, cross-referenced as of October 2026.

Content reviewed and updated: 2026-10-10

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