iii. How Depop Users Are Gentrifying Charity Shops

HOW DEPOP SELLERS ARE GENTIFYING CHARITY SHOPS

As someone who frequently buys and sells on the social shopping app, Depop, I was aware that sellers utilise this platform to make profit on their items. However, I was unaware of the group of users that intentionally buy their stock from local charity shops and sell it at an extreme mark-up price , resulting in gentrification and the low-income individuals that buy out of necessity from charity recourses now being unable to do so due to a rise in prices. I decided to write this piece, as individuals that are interested in vintage fashion and deadstock might be completely unaware of what the gentrification of charity shops is and how they can prevent it from getting worse. Druzymag is a platform that isn’t afraid of exploring topics that are controversial within the fashion industry, and I believe that this topic is controversial as it is somewhat calling out Depop and top sellers for their ethical consideration of those in a lower social class.

On reflection, I think that this topic could have had the potential to be a four-page interview spread to gain a different viewpoint other than my own and how users of the app think that Depop could set limitations on the price points of vintage items to hopefully decrease the impact that this has on charity shops and those that buy from them for basic needs.