How to Categorize Products for Depop

Understanding Depop Product Categorization

Depop has emerged as the defining marketplace for Gen-Z fashion, creating a social shopping experience that blends Instagram-style discovery with sustainable resale commerce. Founded in London in 2011 and now owned by Etsy, Depop has grown to over 30 million registered users who buy, sell, and share unique vintage finds, Y2K treasures, handmade pieces, and curated secondhand fashion. The platform's community-driven approach and emphasis on individual style expression has made it the go-to destination for young shoppers who value authenticity, sustainability, and standing out from the crowd.

The Depop marketplace operates with a visually-driven taxonomy that reflects how its young users discover and shop for fashion. Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms that emphasize brand hierarchies, Depop's category structure prioritizes style aesthetics, eras, and the unique descriptors that resonate with Gen-Z shoppers. Items are discovered through a scrollable feed similar to Instagram, where compelling photography and accurate categorization determine visibility. When listing on Depop, selecting the right categories and style tags determines whether your items appear in the feeds of buyers actively searching for Y2K aesthetics, vintage band tees, cottagecore dresses, or streetwear basics.

Product categorization on Depop presents unique challenges that require understanding the platform's style-forward vocabulary and the specific aesthetics that drive Gen-Z purchasing decisions. A vintage graphic tee needs categorization that captures not just "t-shirt" but potentially "90s vintage", "band merch", or "oversized fit". A pleated skirt might be categorized differently depending on whether it fits "dark academia", "cottage core", or "Y2K" aesthetic. Understanding these nuanced style categories is essential for sellers who want their items to reach the buyers most likely to appreciate and purchase them.

Our AI-powered categorization API addresses the unique requirements of Depop selling by leveraging deep learning models trained specifically on Gen-Z fashion vocabulary, vintage era identification, and the aesthetic movements that define contemporary youth style. The system recognizes era-specific fashion markers, style aesthetic indicators, garment types, and the specific terminology that Depop's young community uses when searching for their next unique find. Whether you're a thrift store curator, vintage dealer, or casual seller, our API delivers precise categorization aligned with how Depop buyers actually discover and shop for fashion.

Depop Category Taxonomy System

Depop's product taxonomy is designed around how Gen-Z shoppers discover fashion through visual browsing and style-based searching. The structure prioritizes garment types, styles, and aesthetics over traditional brand hierarchies, reflecting the platform's focus on unique individual pieces rather than retail fashion. Understanding this taxonomy is essential for sellers who want their items to be discovered by the right buyers.

The platform organizes listings across major categories including Women's, Men's, and Kids, with subcategories for specific garment types: Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, Outerwear, Shoes, Bags, Jewelry, and Accessories. Within each garment type, items can be further tagged with style descriptors, brand names, sizes, colors, and condition information. Depop's search and discovery algorithms heavily weight these style tags, making accurate and comprehensive tagging essential for visibility.

What makes Depop's taxonomy unique is its emphasis on aesthetic and era-based discovery. Items tagged with trending aesthetics like "Y2K", "vintage 90s", "cottagecore", or "streetwear" appear in style-specific search results and curated collections. The platform also features hashtag-style exploration where users browse by style movements rather than traditional categories. Our AI understands these discovery patterns and categorizes items to maximize both standard category visibility and aesthetic-based discoverability.

Popular Depop Categories & Styles

Depop continuously evolves its taxonomy and discovery features to reflect emerging style movements and Gen-Z trends. The platform regularly introduces new style categories and aesthetic tags as fashion movements gain traction with its young user base. Our AI models are continuously updated to incorporate new style terminology, trending aesthetics, and evolving Gen-Z vocabulary, ensuring your listings are always optimized for current discovery patterns.

API Integration Guide

Integrating our Depop categorization API into your vintage resale workflow enables automated classification for faster and more accurate listing creation. Our RESTful endpoints accept product descriptions and return detailed categorization results including category placement, era identification, and style tag suggestions optimized for Depop's discovery algorithms.

import requests

def categorize_for_depop(product_description, api_key):
    base_url = "https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php"
    params = {
        "query": product_description,
        "api_key": api_key,
        "data_type": "depop"
    }
    response = requests.get(base_url, params=params)
    return response.json()

# Example usage
result = categorize_for_depop(
    "Vintage 90s Nirvana Band Tee Oversized Black Faded Graphic",
    "your_api_key_here"
)
print(f"Category: {result['category']}")
print(f"Style Tags: {result['style_tags']}")

async function categorizeForDepop(productDescription, apiKey) {
    const baseUrl = 'https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php';
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
        query: productDescription,
        api_key: apiKey,
        data_type: 'depop'
    });
    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}?${params}`);
    return response.json();
}

// Example usage
categorizeForDepop('Y2K Butterfly Mesh Top Pink Sparkle Size S', 'your_api_key')
    .then(result => console.log('Category:', result.category));

curl -X GET "https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php" \
  -d "query=Vintage Levis 501 High Waisted Mom Jeans Light Wash 28" \
  -d "api_key=your_api_key_here" \
  -d "data_type=depop"