Should You Leave Depop and eBay to Sell on Your Own Website?

I've seen quite a bit of clothing resellers consider leaving selling platforms  entirely and going solo. Generally, the reason is to avoid seller fees. And that's fair, but here’s my unpopular opinion: those 20% fees (and only about half that if you use boosted listings on Depop) are honestly worth it.

The upfront cost to set up a website will usually outweigh the fees (at least while you're building your audience). Based on my Depop numbers, I'd have to sell $5,000 to break even on my website start-up costs (and I'm humbly at $200 in my first month).

That doesn't mean you shouldn't move forward with it. There are real benefits to having your own business website, and it might be worth it for reasons beyond just saving money. In this post, I’ll break down the pros and cons I’ve noticed in my first month of running my own site.

Let's start with the cons

No built-in traffic

eBay's current business metrics are available on their website.

You lose the customers that automatically come with selling platforms. Depop has 5 million active buyers and eBay has 134 million. Seller fees give you exposure to that audience. When you go independent, it’s up to you to get people to find you.

And on that note...

You're the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)

Many platforms, like eBay and Depop, will add your listings to ad campaigns. On eBay you may pay a fee, but you're not obligated to pay it until it sells.  On your own site, you pay for ads...and unless you know how to run campaigns, you might struggle to make them effective.

Admittedly, I haven't tried to pay for ads yet, but that will be a blog post for the future.

I use Wix, which has great SEO tools, but I can’t rely on that alone. I’ve had to push myself to upload on TikTok more and put my brand out there.

No seller protections

Depop will cover you if a package gets lost (as long as tracking confirms it). They'll reimburse the buyer without taking from your earnings.

Off-platform, if something goes missing, you’re on your own. You can still file a claim and get reimbursed up to $100 in most cases, but it’s not guaranteed.

Higher up front costs

My website is set up for about the next two years for $300, and that was with a promo. You could pay less if you only go year to year, or skip extras like domain privacy, but it still adds up.

Less trust

It is cheaper to buy off my website. A $20 shirt can easily become $30 on Depop, but on SpunkySupply.com you pay $26.99 (with shipping), and you can earn money off your next purchase. So why would someone rather buy from Depop? They trust the platform.

That’s why showing up on social media and being transparent through blogging is so important. It helps people know there’s a real human behind the shop.

Customer support is on you

I could write a whole post on how important customer support is (as I've mentioned, my 9-5 is literally repairing and improving customer experience programs). You can no longer defer customers to take it up with eBay. It's all you, baby.

Answer quickly, stay friendly, and always follow up to make sure things are resolved.

But I saved the good for last

You determine shipping

This was the main reason I made the switch. When Depop passsd seller fees to the customers, they also started using AI to determine shipping costs instead of letting sellers choose weights. Often, the weight is over what it should be, and sellers can't change it. Buyers have noticed, and it has discouraged them from purchasing.

Having autonomy in my shipping is so nice. I can cap shipping at $6.99 and cover any small overages myself since I’m not paying extra platform fees. I can even offer free shipping if I want.

You can run coupons, sales, and loyalty programs

Reseller bundles have sold out every week and have helped drive traffic to my site.

It takes 5 purchases to create a loyal customer. For selling platforms, these 5 purchases can come from 5 different sellers; they don't care. But if I want someone to be a Spunky shopper, I need to bring them back to my shop.  I can build actual loyalty through bounce-back coupons, fun sales (like my reseller bundles), and rewards programs that bring shoppers back.

You can build a brand

It's easy for your shop to get missed on Depop. They have 5 million active buyers, and 2.5 million active sellers. Y’all that’s 2 buyers to every 1 seller 🥴

A website means you can get creative. You can choose a logo, a catchphrase, a color palette, etc. Instead of someone saying "I bought this on Depop." They might say "I bought this on insert your brand here." It's much easier to get brand recognition.

Access to more analytics of your brand

Having insights into who your shoppers are, like their a/s/l (iykyk), will help improve your inventory and advertisements. Better targeting means better sales.

You can determine return policy

I eyeroll hard when sellers put "no refunds or returns" in their bio or listings. The reality is that on selling platforms, refunds are at the mercy of their support team.

On SpunkySupply.com, I set the rules and exceptions. You can protect yourself instead of praying that Depop sides with you (even though you've literally provided video evidence).

Blogging & Email Marketing

Blogging and email marketing let's you communicate with your customers and reminds them you're around. You can share future drops, upcoming sales, events, or personal takes on current events.

No platform fees

I'll still throw this under pros, even though it may take a while to see this benefit.

So, Do I recommend starting your own website and leaving selling platforms?

Yes and no.

If your goal is to save money on fees, it’s probably a wash at first. If you want to escape shipping issues, have more autonomy in your business, and create something that is genuinely "you," then it is absolutely worth it.

But don't leave the platforms until you're comfortable.  Keep crosslisting while you build your audience. Every time I sell on Depop, I include a coupon inviting them to shop my website. Has it worked yet? No, lol. But it’s easy and cheap, and getting my name out there.

It takes time and patience, but owning your own shop is (excuse the corny language here) empowering.