Vinted, Depop Step Up US Shipping Competition
Vinted and Depop have spent much of the last six months competing aggressively on US shipping prices, cycling through free and deeply discounted rates as both marketplaces push to make lower-value secondhand purchases more attractive.
Vinted buyers began reporting this week that shipping which had previously cost $0.99 was now showing at $1.99, $2.99, $3.49 or $3.99 on some purchases, with larger and heavier items appearing most likely to be affected.
One buyer said a backpack that had shown $0.99 shipping just days earlier had increased to $3.99, while others reported similar increases on shoes and other bulkier items. Smaller clothing purchases are still showing $0.99 in many cases, and some buyers continue to see free shipping depending on the order.
The changes have not yet been reflected in Vinted's US Help Center. A page updated August 27 says qualifying domestic purchases will have shipping at "either free or $0.99" and lists Small, Medium and Large packages as eligible under the offer. New buyers can receive free shipping on their first purchases, while purchases from new sellers can also qualify for free shipping on those sellers' first sales.
Vinted says the discounted pricing is available while the offer lasts, but has not announced this week's increases or published a new rate structure explaining which purchases are now being charged more.
Users comparing the new prices say package size appears to be at least part of the calculation, though rates can also vary by carrier, with some buyers seeing cheaper SpeedX options than USPS on the same purchase. Vinted's normal shipping documentation says costs may depend on parcel size and buyer and seller locations.
Depop users began seeing a promotion offering $0.99 shipping on qualifying purchases under $10 September 16, with the discount applying to smaller packages while Large and Extra Large shipments remain excluded. As with several of Depop's other shipping promotions this year, the company does not appear to have published separate public terms explaining how long the offer will run.
Buyers on Depop can also get free shipping on a first order with no minimum spend through September 27. Under terms introduced July 7, new US users qualify when they place their first Depop Shipping order within seven days of signing up.
Both marketplaces have been experimenting with unusually low US shipping prices since early March. Vinted buyers began reporting broad free shipping at the beginning of the month after previously seeing rates around $2, with free shipping remaining common through much of the summer despite some variation between orders. On August 27, it shifted most established buyers to $0.99 shipping while keeping targeted free-shipping offers for new buyers and new sellers.
Depop was already running a $1.99 shipping promotion for buyers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut by March 9, expanding it March 23 to buyers elsewhere in the US purchasing from sellers in those states. That offer ended May 7 as Depop began testing free and reduced shipping more broadly, followed by widespread free shipping on purchases using Depop Shipping later that month. When the broader free-shipping promotion ended July 7, buyers began seeing discounted tiers of $1.99 through Medium, $3.99 for Large and $5.99 for Extra Large packages.
Neither company has publicly linked its US shipping promotions to the other. But documents reviewed as part of the UK Competition and Markets Authority's investigation of eBay's Depop acquisition showed Vinted was the closest and strongest competitor monitored by both companies, particularly as its zero-selling-fee model helped it rapidly gain market share.
Vinted captured an estimated 50-60% of UK consumer-to-consumer online apparel GMV in 2025, according to CMA estimates, up from just 5-10% in 2021. Over the same period, eBay's share fell from 30-40% to 10-20%, while Depop fell from 10-20% to 0-5%. The CMA found both companies had changed their own fee structures as competitive pressure increased.
Liz Morton
In the US, eBay tested zero Final Value Fees in Fashion, Baby, Home Decor and Jewelry earlier this year as Vinted increased its US advertising and expansion efforts. It also completed the acquisition of Depop from Etsy July 30 for approximately $1.4 billion, giving eBay a much more direct way to compete with Vinted for younger secondhand fashion buyers.
Within weeks of closing the deal, eBay began giving Depop prominent placement on its US homepage and in fashion search results, sending eBay users directly to Depop listings and sign-up pages.
Wells Fargo and Citizens both downgraded eBay in August, with Vinted's expansion and expected spending on Depop among the factors cited. Citizens estimated Depop could spend more than $250 million on marketing this year as eBay pushes to maintain its growth.
Liz Morton
Most of Depop's broad free-shipping promotion predates the acquisition closing, so the spring and early summer discounts were not an eBay initiative. The new $0.99 promotion launched after eBay took ownership, though there has been no indication whether the parent company had any involvement in setting it.
Vinted has explicitly tied lower transaction costs to its broader growth strategy. Reporting 2025 results earlier this year, the company said reducing transaction costs helps make it economical to trade lower-value goods and expands the overall secondhand market. Vinted has continued investing in its shipping infrastructure as part of that push while expanding further in the US.
Neither Depop nor Vinted discloses its actual negotiated carrier rates or how much of the shipping cost it is absorbing on these promotions, making it impossible to know how expensive the strategy is. The $0.99 buyer rates are nevertheless far below publicly available commercial shipping rates.
Vinted's increases this week may begin to show how far it can raise those rates without giving up the conversion benefits it has spent months building.
