The biggest resale deal of the year closed quietly on July 30. eBay now owns Depop, the app where a generation learned to buy and sell secondhand. For anyone who shops vintage online, two of the most important marketplaces now answer to the same company.
What happened
- February 18, 2026. Etsy and eBay announced the deal. Etsy agreed to sell Depop for $1.2 billion in cash.
- July 30, 2026. The sale closed after approval from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. With adjustments and interest, eBay paid about $1.4 billion.
- The backstory. Etsy bought Depop in 2021 for about $1.6 billion, so it sold the app for less than it paid. Etsy is putting the money into buying back its own shares.
What changes for buyers and sellers
So far, not much. eBay says Depop keeps its own brand, app, culture and customer experience, and runs as a separate business. Depop's seller fees have not changed, and the two platforms still have separate listing systems. If you cross-list between them, nothing syncs automatically.
The changes, when they come, will be behind the scenes. eBay has said it wants to bring shipping, compliance, personalisation and what it calls "trusted services" to Depop over time. It has not published a timeline.
Why it matters
Fashion already brings eBay more than $10 billion a year in sales. Depop brings it something it has always struggled to buy: younger shoppers and a feed built around style rather than search. eBay spent 2026 leaning into fashion, from live auctions to its Endless Runway show at New York Fashion Week, and Depop fits that push.
The phrase to watch is "trusted services". eBay already runs an Authenticity Guarantee on qualifying handbags, sneakers and watches. If any version of that reaches Depop, it would change how people buy designer vintage there.
What to watch in 2027
- Whether eBay's shipping and authentication tools reach Depop, and on which items.
- Whether fees stay where they are.
- Whether listings start to appear across both platforms.
Every piece on Foundry is already sold by independent sellers on eBay. If you are buying on either platform, our guides to how eBay Best Offer works and what a fair offer looks like still apply.
This post is part of our 2026 wrap-up. Read the full list in 2026 in fashion tech: the 10 stories that changed how we shop.
Sources: Shopifreaks. FashionUnited. Export Your Store.
