For most secondhand shoppers, one of the key reasons to buy used clothing is to enjoy great price savings. So when one person discovered that a seller on Depop was marking up cheaply made fast fashion items by a factor of over five times as much, they were outraged.
They posted screenshots of the listing on Reddit, which showed a shirt listed on secondhand clothing marketplace Depop for $110. But their next photo revealed that the shirt originally sold for just $20 on AliExpress.
"Even really popular, verified sellers who you'd never expect to resell cheap aliexpress do it," they wrote. "I really didn't think this seller would [be] the type to upcharge aliexpress items because they sell authentic [fashion]. a US$15 flip to US$110 is absolutely ridiculous, especially considering the conditions these aliexpress fast fashion slop attire are made in."
Commenters expressed similar outrage.
One person called the resale price "actually criminal," and another agreed, saying, "My jaw actually DROPPED at 110."
Others acknowledged that, while trying to pass off poor-quality fast fashion items as expensive is a shady move, part of the responsibility in sourcing secondhand items does lie with the buyer.
"Not to victim blame by any means but if you don't ask for tags or brands and you know depop is run by resellers [at this point] how do you fall for this?" one said.
It's a fair point, considering platforms like Depop simply provide a marketplace for transactions — not a promise of authenticity or quality. But, OP argued, even informed consumers could still easily fall for a scam.
"Many sellers lie [about] brands as well or claim that they are unsure of what it could be so they don't have to reveal that they're resorting to scummy selling tactics," they wrote.
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
🔘 Giving me money back 💰
🔘 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕
🔘 Making it as easy as possible ⚡
🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
These tactics are particularly frustrating, given the growing awareness of fast fashion as a major contributor to global heating and pollution. And if shoppers grow skeptical of, or discouraged from, shopping secondhand, that could bring them back to fast fashion — which would be disastrous for waste generation and the planet.
Fortunately, the vast majority of online resellers can be easily verified with a quick reverse image search for the original listing, as the OP did. And if you don't trust online listings, there are many great options for in-person buying — from thrift shops to online community marketplaces like Facebook and Nextdoor.
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