Everyone I know who sells on Etsy has been looking for an alternate marketplace. With all of the changes (many for the worse) going on since Etsy began gearing up for their IPO, a lot of sellers have been left in the lurch. Most of the alternatives people have tried (Aftcra, Artier, BigCartel, etc.) don’t really pan out very well. They usually have very little traffic compared to Etsy, which equals very little sales, which in turn makes for not very happy sellers.

A new platform arrived recently, and I decided to give it a go. It’s called Depop and Zwzzy (an Etsy seller) described it to me as being “like Etsy and Instagram had a baby.” I can’t think of a better way to describe it. It’s a nice mixture of social media and marketplace. It is an app for your android or iOS operating systems on your phone. Depop looks great, is super easy to use and set up, and takes paypal payments which makes it really convenient to sell with.

I’ve already had several sales and I’ve been using Depop a little more than a week. The biggest thing I’ve taken away from my experiences so far is how friendly and welcoming all of the Depop admins are. Four different Admins have reached out to me, offered me their ear should I have questions, complimented me on my shop and photography, and even made me a featured seller! It must be how Etsy was in its early days before it became just another money hungry entity trying to please investors.

The people on Depop are definitely younger and hipper than the folks on Etsy, so you may have to gear your Depop shop with that in mind. You can also sell anything on Depop, so you don’t have to worry if an item is vintage or not. Do you have things you’ve been waiting to sell lying around your house or apartment, but haven’t wanted to list on eBay? This is the place for you. Depop is going to make headways aiming at Ebay and Etsy, and so far I think it’s worth branching out and giving them a chance.

You have nothing to lose by trying it out. It costs nothing to list items, but they take 10% of the total sale, unless the sale takes place in person, then they take nothing. They are based in London with an office in New York. I only see great things in their future.

Find me on Depop @thischarmingmancave.