How to prove you shipped a Depop order

Before you start

• The receipt from the counter or the collection
• The tracking number as it appears on the order
• The buyer's message thread

Steps

1. Photograph the receipt at drop-off

   Depop asks for "proof of shipping e.g. your shipping receipt". Take the picture at the counter, while the receipt is still legible, and keep it with the order number.

   You should see a legible image of the receipt, with the tracking number readable on it.

2. Check the number on the order matches the label

   Read the number on the Depop receipt against the label. It cannot be amended once added, so a mismatch is something to document now rather than discover during a claim.

   You should see either a match, or a note of what the real number is.

3. Reply to the buyer with what you have

   Send the tracking number, the carrier and the date of the drop-off in the message thread. Keep it factual and short.

4. Send Depop the proof when it asks

   Attach the receipt image to Depop's request. No response or no proof means the buyer is refunded, which is Depop's stated outcome.

   You should see your proof attached to the request, inside Depop's reply window.

5. Open a carrier claim in parallel

   On your own shipping the parcel is your claim to make. Start it as soon as tracking stops moving, because carrier windows are shorter than the argument usually lasts.

   You should see a claim reference from the carrier.

6. Refund the buyer if the parcel is lost

   Depop's position on this route is that you refund in full, since "This shipping method is not covered by Depop Protection".

If it goes wrong

The tracking number was typed wrong

Depop says "You won't be able to amend the tracking information once added", so the field stays wrong. The receipt image is what carries the case, which is exactly why it is worth taking every time.

No scan on the label

A number that never scanned looks the same as a parcel never sent. Ask the counter to scan the label as accepted, and keep the printed confirmation.

Waiting for Depop to decide

The refund follows silence. Treat any request for proof as same-day work rather than something to answer after the weekend.

What happens next

On a Depop label the same claim is Depop's to handle, up to $300 in the US. On your own label the exposure is the item value plus the postage, and the receipt is the only thing that separates a lost parcel from an unshipped one. Tracking still has to be on the receipt within 10 days of the sale, or the order cancels before a delivery dispute can even start.