TikTok user and Depop seller Esther (@nakiesther) is calling out a Depop buyer for throwing out a ‘lowball’ offer. She did so by looking up their address.
The online catalog Depop allows users to buy and resell second-hand items, often thrifted for quality. However, many brand-name or quality articles of clothing go unnoticed, thus the demand for ‘niche’ finds on Depop.
The trend of lowball offers is not uncommon on the platform, as many users commented in Esther’s video, claiming similar experiences. However, Esther, determined to price and earn what she deserved from her Depop shop, turned to Google Maps to determine if the ‘lowball’ offer she received was out of need or greed.
The choice to look up buyer and seller houses on Google Maps suggests that the type of house or neighborhood is a direct indicator of wealth.
The Daily Dot reached out to Esther via TikTok direct message.
Can a Depop seller see where you live?
Long story short, there is no hack to find out where a buyer or seller lives. The only way to find that out is to buy or sell clothes. Once a sale has been made, it is up to the seller and buyer to coordinate delivery.
While Depop does provide buyer protection, there isn’t any policy protecting sellers from ‘lowball’ offers.
However, some users commented under Esther’s videos with hints on how to weed out users who might consistently put out lowball offers.
One user commented, “When I used to get lowball buyers, I used to go on their page and give them the CRAZIEST offer to snap them back to their senses.”
Now, whether that works or not, we can’t really say, and neither did this user.
Another user said she sold a shirt on Depop for $35, and the user who bought it resold it for $95. Technically, it isn’t a lowball offer since the user purchased it at the selling price, but it does speak to the predatory behavior on the app.
“She didn’t offer, she just purchased, and when I saw ‘boutique’ in her name I went [eyebrow raised emoji],” they commented.
The ‘boutique’ being in a Depop seller’s name comes with the connotation that their Depop shop, while it may be successful or look successful, is often overpriced. Especially at the cost of other Depop sellers from whom they buy their products, but if that isn’t basic capitalism, then…
Can location determine a lowball offer?
Another user commented, “It pmo so much like what do you mean you just offered me $5 for a $30 hoodie and you live in Manhattan.”
The assumption that Depop users who live in Manhattan or other cities or towns associated with wealth have more money and therefore should pay the asking price and not lowball others isn’t an off-base one.
The average household income in Manhattan is $168,855 as of 2023, according to Point2Homes, which gets its data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which is 184.3% higher than the national average.
@nakiesther And it almost never does so then I regret selling it to them but at the same time I don’t cause my listings stay on my account for months…ugh I need to find a job soon I hate my life #depop #selling #googleearth ♬ Motion Picture Soundtrack – Radiohead
Yet, it seems like this presumption is enough for Esther to decide whether or not a buyer put out a lowball offer because that’s simply what they could afford, or if they’re trying to flip it and sell it for nearly double the price.
“My house reflects my lowball offer. If I was being true, my lowball offer would be two cents,” one user commented.
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