The most common depop seller scams are off-platform payment requests, address-switch fraud, fake "not as described" claims, and fake payment confirmations designed to catch you off guard. Each one exploits the same gap: once a payment or shipping detail moves outside Depop's system, or you trust a message instead of checking Depop directly, you lose the cover that's supposed to protect you.
Depop Protection for sellers is narrower than most people assume. It primarily protects eligible Depop Shipping orders that are lost or damaged in transit, up to £250 (or $300 in the US). Other problems, including significantly-not-as-described disputes, are handled through Depop's separate dispute process instead, where your evidence matters more than your word. This isn't a rare edge case either: Which? found that 22% of UK resale sellers, around one in five, reported being scammed in the two years to January 2024. Once you're selling consistently rather than occasionally, understanding the difference between what's covered and what isn't is what actually protects your margin. Here's what to watch for, and how to build the habits that cover the gap yourself.
Depop Protection for sellers is a specific reimbursement scheme, not a general safety net. It only applies when an item is lost or damaged in transit, and only if every one of these is true: you shipped using a Depop shipping label, within 5 days of the sale, to the exact address on the sales receipt.
Issues such as significantly-not-as-described claims are handled through Depop's dispute process rather than the lost-or-damaged Seller Protection scheme. That doesn't mean you have no options. It means Support reviews evidence from both sides rather than automatically covering you under Seller Protection. Different system, different rules, and knowing which one you're in changes how you respond.
A buyer offers to pay by bank transfer, PayPal "friends and family," or Venmo, usually with a line about avoiding fees or getting it done faster. It's one of the most common scam approaches across resale platforms, not just Depop.
An off-platform transaction isn't eligible for Depop Protection because the sale didn't take place through Depop's checkout, so there's no dispute process to fall back on if the money never lands or gets clawed back later. Keep every conversation and every payment inside the app, no matter how the request is framed or how reasonable it sounds.
A buyer messages after paying to ask you to send the item to a different address: a workplace, a friend's house, a "safer" delivery point. It often sounds like an innocent update.
Seller protection only applies if you ship to the address shown on the sales receipt. If the buyer needs the parcel sent somewhere else, don't simply use the new address they send you. Follow Depop's process so you only ever dispatch to the address on a valid sales receipt.
A buyer opens a significantly not as described claim, which they can do within 30 days of purchase. You get 48 hours to respond in the Resolution Centre. If a return is agreed, they have 7 days to send the item back.
The scam version has two flavours. In one, a buyer claims a fault that never existed, hoping you'll refund on the spot to avoid the hassle. In the other, the return swap, they send back a different or damaged item and keep the original. Depop reviews evidence from both sides through its dispute process, so what you can prove matters more than what you say. A consistent evidence trail, from the moment you list to the moment you dispatch, is your best defence against both.
A message arrives, sometimes looking like a payment confirmation, sometimes a direct message, telling you a buyer has paid extra or that funds are waiting once you complete a step. It's designed to catch you off guard.
Depop specifically warns about fake purchase confirmations that direct sellers to an external site to "release" a payment. In a genuine Depop BUY-button sale, a buyer doesn't get to manually send you an arbitrary extra amount the way they might over PayPal or bank transfer, so any message claiming otherwise should raise a flag immediately.
Never trust a screenshot, message, or external page telling you you've been paid. Open Depop directly and check the sale there. If someone claims they've "accidentally overpaid" or asks you to send money back separately, verify the actual transaction inside the app before you do anything.
A buyer receives the item, points to a flaw, real or invented, and asks for £10 or £20 back while keeping the item rather than going through a formal return.
Not every request like this is a scam. Sellers miss flaws sometimes, and a quick partial refund can be the fastest way to close out a genuine issue. What you shouldn't do is send money automatically because a buyer threatens a dispute. Ask for photos, compare them against your original listing photos, and keep the resolution inside Depop's own refund system rather than agreeing to anything off-platform. Depop supports partial refunds through the app for exactly this kind of situation.
Billy Burridge, former #1 menswear seller on Depop, saw this roughly once every two weeks, across every type of item, usually framed as "not as described." His rule was simple: no photo evidence, no refund. If a buyer couldn't show what was actually wrong with the item, he'd tell them to raise a formal claim with Depop rather than sending money on the spot.
This one hits vintage and designer sellers hardest. A buyer claims an item is fake, sometimes as a genuine concern, sometimes as leverage to force a partial refund while keeping the item. Depop's dispute process runs on evidence, and a bare accusation isn't automatically upheld, but you need something to point to.
Photograph maker's marks, care labels, and any authentication details at the point of listing, not after a dispute lands. If you deal in higher-value designer or vintage stock, keep whatever provenance or purchase documentation you have on file.
Messages that look like they're from Depop, asking you to confirm your login, verify your account before a payout, or click a link to "release a payment," are phishing. This ties directly to the fake overpayment scam above: both rely on you trusting a message over checking Depop itself.
Depop says official emails come from an @depop.com address, and it specifically warns sellers about fake purchase confirmations and fake payout-verification emails. Don't click links in messages you weren't expecting, and don't enter your login anywhere that arrived via a DM or email. Report and block, then check your account activity inside the app directly.
Every scam above comes back to the same two things: stay on-platform, and document the transaction as you go, not something you scramble for after a dispute lands. Once you're selling consistently, you can't afford to reconstruct each transaction from memory.
Make this routine, not exceptional:
None of this takes long once it's built into your dispatch routine. It gives you a much stronger evidence trail if a dispute does arise.
Scam prevention is mostly about process. Automating repetitive listing work also leaves more time for the parts that still need human attention, including condition checks, packing and documentation. That's where Listing Monster fits into the wider reseller workflow. For the wider playbook on running a reselling operation that scales without burning you out, see the Reseller Handbook 2026.
Only partially, and it depends which type of problem you're dealing with. Depop Protection for sellers covers items lost or damaged in transit, up to £250 or $300, when shipped with a Depop label to the receipt address. Everything else, including false not-as-described claims and off-platform payment issues, runs through Depop's separate dispute process instead, where your own evidence decides the outcome.
Yes. Depop shipping labels only protect you against loss or damage in transit under Depop Protection. A false not-as-described claim or a return swap both fall outside that scheme and run through Depop's separate dispute process instead. Shipping method and scam protection are two different things, and only one of them is automatically covered.
Yes. Shipping the item doesn't end your exposure. A buyer can still open a false not-as-described claim within 30 days, attempt a return swap by sending back a different item, or dispute a delivery. Depop Protection only covers loss or damage in transit, so anything else after shipping runs through the separate dispute process, where your evidence decides the outcome.
It depends on what the seller agrees to. Depop's formal dispute process generally expects the buyer to keep hold of the item and send it back if a return is agreed, but a seller can choose to offer a partial refund instead of a full return, especially for minor issues. There's no guaranteed no-return refund path outside of what you as the seller decide to offer.
Clear photos of the item's actual condition, ideally taken before you shipped it, plus photos of the original packaging and any tracking information. If authenticity is in question, include close-ups of labels, maker's marks, or receipts. The more your evidence matches what the item looked like in the original listing, the stronger your case.
Depop reviews evidence from both sides through its dispute process rather than accepting the claim automatically. Photos of maker's marks, tags, and condition taken at listing time are your strongest evidence. Without proof on file, a bare accusation is harder to contest, so document authenticity details before you ever get a claim.
Decline and keep the conversation in the app, regardless of the reason given. An off-platform payment isn't eligible for Depop Protection because the sale didn't happen through Depop's checkout, so if the payment fails to arrive or is later disputed, you have no recourse.
Raise the issue through the Resolution Centre if it relates to an order, or report the profile directly if it's a suspicious message or phishing attempt. Then block the account to stop further contact. Reporting first, before blocking, gives Depop's team the details they need to investigate.