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OfferUp vs Depop: Zero-Fee Local or Shipped Resale (2026)

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OfferUp sells what’s in your garage to someone nearby. Depop sells what’s in your closet to someone anywhere in the country.

Picking between OfferUp and Depop usually isn’t really a fee question anymore. Both dropped their main seller commission. The real question is what you’re selling and who you need to reach, because the two platforms have split into genuinely different businesses.

OfferUp pulled back to local, in-person transactions. Depop leans further into shipped, nationwide fashion resale with a built-in buyer discovery feed. Pick the wrong one for your inventory and you’ll either be shipping a couch or trying to sell a worn-in pair of jeans to someone who lives three blocks away.

Table of Contents

Why This Comparison Matters

Sellers land on this comparison for one of two reasons: they have a pile of stuff to move locally and don’t want to deal with shipping, or they have clothing and accessories to sell and want buyers outside their zip code.

OfferUp and Depop used to overlap more than they do now. OfferUp ran a nationwide shipping option for years, which put it in direct competition with shipped resale apps. That changed in late 2025, and the shift matters enough that it should be the first thing you confirm before choosing either platform.

This article breaks down what each platform actually charges today, who its buyers are, and which one fits your inventory. No vendor-written comparison agrees to admit a real downside. This one does, for both sides.

Quick Verdict: Choose OfferUp or Depop

Choose OfferUp if:

  • You’re selling furniture, appliances, tools, or other heavy/bulky local items
  • You want to meet buyers in person and get paid in cash or on the spot
  • You don’t want to touch a shipping label, ever
  • Your buyer pool is realistically limited to your metro area anyway

Choose Depop if:

  • You’re selling clothing, shoes, accessories, or vintage/streetwear pieces
  • You want buyers outside your city, state, or country
  • You’re comfortable shipping and want a storefront-style profile buyers can browse and follow
  • You’d rather pay a small per-sale processing fee than cap your market to local foot traffic

OfferUp Overview

OfferUp started as a mobile classifieds app, essentially a modernized, photo-first version of Craigslist, built for furniture, electronics, vehicles, and general household goods sold locally.

Key strengths:

  • Zero seller fee on local, in-person sales, whether the buyer pays cash or through the app
  • No listing fee to post an item
  • Large, established user base for local buying and selling in most US metro areas

Key weaknesses:

  • As of September 23, 2025, OfferUp stopped offering shipping on new listings, and by October 21, 2025 it removed shipping from existing listings that didn’t already have an active offer or shipment in progress (OfferUp Help Center). Your buyer pool is now local only.
  • Not built for fashion or accessories discovery the way a dedicated resale app is
  • Local meetups carry the usual in-person-sale risks (no-shows, counterfeit cash, meeting location safety)

Pricing summary: $0 to list, $0 seller fee on local sales. There is no published shipped-sale fee tier anymore, because OfferUp no longer supports shipping for new transactions.

Depop Overview

Depop is a resale marketplace built around fashion. Listings function like a mix of a storefront and a social feed: buyers follow sellers, like items, and browse profiles the way they would scroll a social app, then the sale ships.

Key strengths:

  • No selling commission for US-based sellers. Depop removed its 10% US selling fee on July 15, 2024 (Depop newsroom)
  • Nationwide and international shipping built into every listing
  • A buyer base that’s actively shopping for fashion, vintage, and streetwear, not browsing general classifieds

Key weaknesses:

  • Depop Payments still charges a processing fee, reported at roughly 3.3% plus $0.45 per transaction, calculated on the full amount the buyer pays (item, shipping you charge, and any tax collected) (Depop fee change announcement)
  • You’re responsible for packing and shipping every sale; there’s no in-person, no-shipping option
  • Boosted Listings cost extra if you want paid visibility, on top of the standard fees

Pricing summary: $0 selling fee for US sellers, plus roughly 3.3% + $0.45 in payment processing per sale. Buyers separately pay Depop a marketplace fee of up to 5% plus $1, which does not come out of the seller’s payout.

Head-to-Head: Pricing & Fees

Fee TypeOfferUpDepop
Listing fee$0$0
Seller commission$0 (local sales only)$0 for US-based sellers (since July 15, 2024)
Payment processing$0 for cash meetups; a small in-app processing fee may apply if the buyer pays through the appRoughly 3.3% + $0.45 per transaction via Depop Payments
ShippingNot available for new listings since late 2025Seller sets the rate or offers free shipping; cost is between buyer and seller
Paid promotionOptional paid listing boosts, pricing varies by categoryOptional Boosted Listings, an added cost on top of processing
Buyer-side feeNot disclosedUp to 5% + $1, paid by the buyer, not deducted from seller payout

Fees change. Confirm current rates on OfferUp’s and Depop’s own help pages before pricing inventory, especially any promotion or boost pricing, which varies by category and wasn’t consistently documented across sources at the time of writing.

Here’s the part that surprises most sellers: neither platform takes a straightforward cut of the sale price anymore. OfferUp charges nothing because it only supports local sales. Depop charges nothing in commission but adds a processing fee that scales with sale price. On a $40 item, that’s roughly $1.80 in Depop processing fees. On a $150 item, it’s closer to $5.40. OfferUp’s local sale costs you $0 either way, assuming you meet the buyer in person.

Head-to-Head: Reach and Shipping

This is the dimension that actually separates the two platforms now.

OfferUp’s buyer pool is whoever is active in your metro area on the app. That’s a real limitation if you’re selling something niche, but it’s not a problem at all if you’re selling a dresser, a lawnmower, or a used car. Nobody wants to ship those anyway.

Depop’s buyer pool is nationwide, and the app supports international shipping in many cases. A seller in a small town with limited local demand for vintage band tees can still find buyers across the country through Depop’s search and discovery feed.

The trade-off in plain terms: OfferUp gives you zero fees and a capped audience. Depop gives you a national audience and a small, predictable per-sale fee.

Head-to-Head: Ease of Use

Both apps are built for a phone-first, photo-and-post workflow, and neither requires technical setup.

OfferUp’s flow is close to Craigslist: snap a photo, set a price, respond to messages, meet up. There’s no shipping step to learn anymore, which actually makes the app simpler than it used to be.

Depop’s flow has more steps because shipping is mandatory: list the item, pack it once sold, generate or buy a shipping label, and ship within Depop’s expected window. Sellers also build a profile that buyers follow, which takes more upfront effort than a one-off OfferUp listing but pays off for sellers who post regularly.

Bold takeaway: if you want to post once and be done, OfferUp is faster. If you want to build a repeat audience over time, Depop’s profile model rewards the extra setup.

Product Fit: What Actually Sells Where

Here’s the deal: the two apps serve different inventory, and trying to force the wrong product onto either one wastes time.

OfferUp buyers are shopping for furniture, appliances, tools, electronics, and other items where local pickup is the whole point, often because the item is heavy, bulky, or not worth shipping. Think a couch, a treadmill, or a lawn mower.

Depop buyers are shopping for clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories, especially vintage, Y2K, and streetwear pieces that are easy and cheap to ship. A graphic tee or a pair of sneakers ships for a few dollars; a dresser does not. Sellers weighing Depop against other resale apps for that same fashion inventory can see how it stacks up in Depop vs Mercari: Fashion Niche or Broader Reach.

If your inventory is mixed, which is common for resellers who thrift and flip multiple categories, you’ll likely end up running both: OfferUp for the bulky local stuff, Depop for the wearable items.

Who Should Choose OfferUp?

  • You’re clearing out furniture, appliances, or large household items you don’t want to ship
  • You’d rather get paid in cash at a meetup than wait for a payout to clear
  • Your buyer pool is realistically local anyway, so losing nationwide shipping costs you nothing
  • You want zero fees and don’t mind giving up reach to get them
  • You’re not interested in building a storefront or a following, just moving individual items

Who Should Choose Depop?

  • You’re selling clothing, shoes, accessories, or vintage pieces that ship cheaply
  • You want buyers outside your immediate area, including out of state
  • You’re comfortable packing and shipping orders as part of your normal workflow
  • You want a browsable profile buyers can follow, not just a one-off listing
  • You’re fine paying a small, predictable processing fee in exchange for a much bigger buyer pool

Switching from OfferUp to Depop (or Back)

Moving inventory between these two platforms is less about data migration and more about re-photographing and re-categorizing for a different buyer.

  1. Sort by shippability. Pull out anything that’s cheap and easy to box, under roughly 2-3 lbs and not fragile. That’s your Depop-ready inventory.
  2. Re-shoot photos for the new platform. OfferUp photos tend to be practical, item-in-place shots. Depop buyers respond better to styled, worn-on-body shots for clothing, so plan to retake images rather than reuse them.
  3. Rewrite listings for the audience. OfferUp listings are utilitarian: condition, dimensions, price. Depop listings do better with brand names, size, fit notes, and era or style tags (Y2K, grunge, cottagecore, etc.).
  4. Set up shipping if you’re new to Depop. Decide whether you’ll charge buyers for shipping or build it into your price, and get a shipping scale if you don’t already weigh packages.
  5. Keep OfferUp active for anything local-only. There’s no reason to abandon OfferUp entirely. Bulky items that don’t ship well can stay there while fashion items move to Depop.

Realistic timeframe: most sellers can get a batch of items re-listed on the other platform within a weekend, since the main work is new photos and copy, not account setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OfferUp still free to sell on in 2026?

Yes, for local sales. OfferUp charges no listing fee and no seller commission on local, in-person transactions, whether the buyer pays in cash or through the app.

Does OfferUp still support nationwide shipping?

No. OfferUp phased out shipping starting September 23, 2025, and removed it from existing listings without active transactions by October 21, 2025. New listings in 2026 are local pickup only.

Does Depop still charge a 10% selling fee?

Not for US-based sellers. Depop removed the 10% US selling fee on July 15, 2024. US sellers now pay a payment processing fee instead of a flat commission.

How much does Depop actually charge sellers in the US?

US sellers pay no selling commission, plus a Depop Payments processing fee reported at roughly 3.3% plus $0.45 per transaction, calculated on the item price, any shipping you charge, and tax collected.

Which is cheaper overall, OfferUp or Depop?

For local items, OfferUp is cheaper because it charges nothing. For anything you need to ship to a buyer outside your area, Depop’s small processing fee is the cost of reaching that wider audience, since OfferUp no longer offers shipping at all.

Which is better for beginners?

OfferUp has a simpler learning curve since there’s no shipping step. Depop takes slightly longer to learn because of packing, labels, and building a profile, but it’s still accessible to a first-time seller.

Can you sell clothing on OfferUp?

You can list clothing on OfferUp, but since it’s local-pickup only now, you’re limited to buyers in your area, which narrows demand for fashion items compared to a dedicated resale app with nationwide reach.

Can you sell furniture or large items on Depop?

Technically yes, but it’s uncommon. Depop’s fee structure and audience are built around shippable fashion items. Large or heavy furniture is impractical and expensive to ship, so most sellers use a local platform instead.

How long does it take to get paid on each platform?

OfferUp local sales are typically settled at the point of meetup if paid in cash, or shortly after if paid in-app. Depop payouts through Depop Payments generally become available a few days after a sale is marked shipped or delivered; exact payout timing should be confirmed in each platform’s current payment terms.

Are there hidden fees on either platform?

Both platforms offer optional paid promotion (OfferUp’s listing boosts, Depop’s Boosted Listings) that cost extra and aren’t required to sell. Depop buyers also pay a separate marketplace fee, but that’s deducted from the buyer’s payment, not the seller’s payout.

Can you use both platforms at the same time?

Yes, and many resellers do. It’s common to list bulky, local-only items on OfferUp while listing clothing and accessories on Depop, since the two platforms serve different inventory types rather than competing for the same sale.

What happens to your listings if you stop using one platform?

On both platforms, inactive listings simply stop showing to buyers; there’s no penalty for pausing or deleting an account. Any unshipped Depop orders or unconfirmed OfferUp meetups should be completed or cancelled before closing an account.

The Bottom Line

OfferUp and Depop stopped being direct competitors the moment OfferUp dropped nationwide shipping. Today they split cleanly by inventory type and reach. OfferUp is the right call for bulky, local-only items and sellers who want zero fees and cash-in-hand transactions. Depop is the right call for shippable fashion and accessories where a national buyer pool is worth a small, predictable processing fee.

If you’re clearing out a garage or apartment, start with OfferUp. If you’re flipping clothing, vintage, or streetwear, Depop’s reach will outperform anything local. Most active resellers with mixed inventory end up running both, sorted by what actually ships.

Still weighing your options? Compare OfferUp against Mercari’s shipped resale model before you commit your inventory to one platform.

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About This Research

CartCompare is an independent e-commerce platform research site that compares store builders, marketplaces, and resale apps against a fixed framework of pricing, features, ease of use, and buyer fit.

This article is based on direct review of OfferUp’s and Depop’s official help center and newsroom pages for current fee structures and policy changes, cross-referenced against independent trade press coverage, rather than vendor marketing claims.

Content reviewed and updated: 2026-10-14

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CartCompare is an independent e-commerce platform research site. Have a platform we haven’t covered yet, or think we got a fact wrong? Reach out via ecomcartcompare.com/about.

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