Left Depop to build my own vintage clothing store. Traffic went from 500 views/day to 3.

🛒 E-commerceby vintage_velvet · 5w ago

▸ What I did

I've been reselling curated vintage clothing on Depop for 2 years. Was doing well — 500+ views/day, 30-40 sales/month, about $2,500/month revenue. But Depop takes 10% + PayPal fees, and they keep changing the algorithm. I decided to "own my platform" — built a Shopify store, moved all 200 listings, and started directing my Instagram followers (2,800) to the new store.

▸ What I expected

My Instagram followers would come with me. I'd save 10% on fees. Maybe even grow faster without Depop's algorithm controlling my visibility.

▸ What actually happened

Views went from 500/day on Depop to 3/day on Shopify. My Instagram posts about the new store got the same likes as always but nobody clicked through. The 2,800 followers were browsing followers, not buying followers — they liked my outfit posts but they bought on Depop because that's where they already were. I basically gave up a $2,500/month income stream for a pretty website with tumbleweeds.

▸ What I've tried so far

Ran an Instagram ad ($100) — got clicks but a 0.2% conversion rate. Offered 15% off for first-time buyers. Created a "New Arrivals" email newsletter (47 signups, 2 purchases). Tried cross-posting on Poshmark (actually got some sales there but similar fee structure to Depop). Currently debating whether to crawl back to Depop or keep trying to make Shopify work.

Progress Updates (1)

OK I re-listed 50 items on Depop while keeping the Shopify store running. First week back: 8 sales on Depop, 0 on Shopify. The platform has the buyers. My Shopify store has... my hopes and dreams. I think the move is to use BOTH — Depop for discovery and volume, Shopify for exclusive/premium pieces with higher margins. Instead of replacing Depop, treat Shopify as the "upgrade" tier. Still figuring out the logistics of managing inventory across both platforms.

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2 Replies

pivot_master · 2w ago✓ the fix

"Browsing followers, not buying followers" is the most important distinction in e-commerce. Instagram followers are an audience, not a customer base. Audiences watch. Customers buy. They overlap but they're not the same. The dual-platform strategy is smart — use Depop as your top of funnel, include a card in every Depop shipment pointing to your Shopify for "early access to new arrivals," and slowly migrate your best customers.

etsy_veteran · 2w ago

I sell on both Etsy and my own site. After 3 years, my own site does about 15% of my total revenue. And that 15% took 2 years to build. The marketplace fees suck but you're paying for TRAFFIC. Building your own traffic from zero is way harder and way more expensive than 10% fees. Keep Depop, feed the Shopify slowly, don't force it.

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