Depop refunds for sellers: top-up card first, then full or partial

A refund on Depop comes out of your balance, so be ready for it

When a Depop sale goes wrong, the refund is usually something the seller sends through the app. Depop explains that a full refund is taken from your available Depop Balance, or charged to a connected top-up card if your balance is too low, and sent to the buyer's original payment method. Depop also reverses its fees when you refund. Knowing the mechanics in advance makes the difference between a calm fix and a stressful one.

This guide covers full and partial refunds, disputes and the records to keep.

Step 1: Add a top-up card before you need it

Depop's refund article, checked November 8, 2026, says you need to add a top-up card to your Depop account before you can refund buyers, so you can refund even when your Depop Balance is too low. Its Resolution Centre article repeats that a top-up card is needed before refunding buyers who paid with Depop Payments. Add one now rather than in the middle of a dispute.

Step 2: Choose between a full and partial refund

Depop says refunds can only be sent through the app, and that if you were paid through PayPal, you need to refund the buyer in PayPal instead.

Step 3: Send the refund in the app

Depop gives these steps:

• iOS: open the app, tap My Depop, go to the Sold tab, select the order, scroll to Manage your sale, then tap Refund sale.
• Android: open the app, tap Selling Hub, then Sold items, select the order, then tap Refund sale.

Step 4: Respond to issues within 48 hours

Depop's Resolution Centre article says that once a buyer raises an issue, it's important to respond within 48 hours and be as helpful as possible. If you disagree, you can explain to the buyer directly; if they reject your explanation, they may escalate to Depop Support. Depop says you must respond to Support within the stated timeframes, and that it reserves the right to resolve disputes, including issuing a refund on your behalf.

Depop's guide to "significantly not as described" lists covered issues such as incorrect sizes, wrong colors, counterfeit items, severe damage, major undisclosed wear, incorrect items and missing items in bundles. It lists smells, minor damage on secondhand or vintage items, materials looking different than in images, items that don't fit and purchases outside the BUY button as not covered.

Evidence check: Depop says you can see issues buyers have raised in the app under My Depop, Support, then Sold item issues; PayPal disputes arrive through PayPal's own dispute centre instead. Keep your listing photos, packing photos and drop-off receipt for every sale until the transaction is clearly settled.

Step 5: Understand what happens to fees

Depop's seller fees page says that if your sale is refunded, all fees, including payment processing and boosting fees, are reversed, automatically for Depop Payments transactions. Its Boosted Listings Policy repeats that boosting fees are refunded when the buyer is refunded. A full refund therefore costs you the sale and any shipping you paid, not Depop's fees on top.

Worked example: partial versus full refund

In this chosen example, a $50 jacket arrives with a broken zipper pull you didn't notice. The buyer would keep it for a $10 discount.

If the buyer agrees, the partial refund is often simpler. Record the agreed amount and the reason with the sale. If the issue is larger, a full refund with the item returned may be better for both of you.

Step 6: Keep refunds inside Depop

Depop says Depop Protection excludes sales made outside the BUY button, such as direct money transfers. A buyer who asks you to refund them by a separate payment app, or to send money before returning an item, is asking you to step outside the system that records the refund. Decline, and use the app.

Common mistakes

• Not having a top-up card when a refund is needed.
• Offering a partial refund without the buyer's agreement.
• Letting the 48-hour response window pass.
• Refunding outside the app.
• Forgetting to record refunds alongside the original sale.

The Depop how to sell guide and the return arrives manual cover related steps.

Settle it in the app

Add a top-up card, respond within 48 hours and use Depop's full or agreed partial refund, never a side payment. Depop reverses its fees on refunds; your evidence protects the rest.