If you are under 34 and you have ever sold a vintage denim jacket or bought a pair of rare sneakers online, there is a very good chance you have used Depop. It is the social media-meets-marketplace app that turned secondhand fashion into a cultural movement.
But Depop’s ownership story is one of the most dramatic in modern tech — involving three different owners in just five years, a $1.625 billion acquisition that turned into a $400 million loss, and a brand-new chapter that just began on July 30, 2026.
What Is Depop?
Depop is a social e-commerce company headquartered in London, with offices in Milan, Los Angeles, and New York City. It operates an online marketplace that allows users to buy and sell primarily secondhand, vintage, and designer clothing through a social media-style platform.
As of 2026, Depop has over 56.3 million users, 7 million active buyers — nearly 90% of whom are under the age of 34 — and more than 3 million active sellers worldwide.
Depop generated approximately $1 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV) in 2025, with nearly 60% year-over-year growth in the U.S. alone. It was named to TIME’s list of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2026.
Who Owns Depop Right Now in 2026?
Depop is owned by eBay Inc. — the American global commerce giant founded in 1995 and listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker EBAY. eBay completed its acquisition of Depop from Etsy Inc. on July 30, 2026, paying approximately $1.2 billion in cash.
eBay has confirmed that Depop will retain its name, brand, platform, app, and team as its own independent business operating under eBay’s ownership.
The current CEO of Depop is Peter Semple, who runs the platform day-to-day. eBay CEO Jamie Iannone called the acquisition a move that “strengthens our C2C value proposition” and “expands our reach with the next generation of buyers and sellers.”
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) | Current Parent Company | 100% of Depop | Acquisition completed July 30, 2026 for ~$1.2 billion cash |
| Vanguard Group | Largest eBay Shareholder | ~9–10% of eBay | Passive index fund giant; biggest institutional holder of EBAY |
| BlackRock | Second Largest eBay Shareholder | ~7% of eBay | World’s largest asset manager; major EBAY index holder |
| Jamie Iannone | CEO of eBay Inc. | Minimal insider stake | Leads eBay; approved and championed the Depop acquisition |
| Peter Semple | CEO of Depop | Management role | Runs Depop independently under eBay’s ownership |
| Etsy Inc. (NASDAQ: ETSY) | Previous Owner | Fully exited July 30, 2026 | Bought Depop in 2021 for $1.625B; sold to eBay for ~$1.2B |
| Simon Beckerman | Original Founder | No current ownership | Founded Depop in 2011; has since moved on to other ventures |
The Full Ownership History: Three Owners in Five Years
Depop’s ownership chain is short but eventful. It runs: independent (founded 2011) → Etsy (2021) → eBay (completed July 30, 2026).
Simon Beckerman founded Depop in 2011 in Roncade, Italy, originally as a companion app to the magazine he worked for. The concept evolved rapidly into a standalone social commerce platform focused on fashion resale. Depop raised a total of $100 million across 7 funding rounds from 21 investors before its first major acquisition.
In June 2021, Etsy — the online marketplace known for handmade and vintage goods — acquired Depop for approximately $1.625 billion, in what was then seen as a major bet on the secondhand fashion market and the Gen Z consumer. At the time, it was the largest acquisition in Etsy’s history and one of the biggest deals in the resale fashion space.
The Etsy era produced real results for Depop — the platform grew significantly in the U.S. and its GMV climbed toward $1 billion — but Etsy ultimately decided Depop did not fit its long-term strategic focus.
On February 18, 2026, Etsy agreed to sell Depop to eBay for approximately $1.2 billion in cash — a loss of roughly $400 million on what it had paid five years earlier. The deal closed on July 30, 2026, and eBay became Depop’s third owner.
Why eBay Bought Depop — And What Changes
eBay and Depop are actually a more natural fit than Etsy and Depop ever were. eBay was one of the very first peer-to-peer resale marketplaces in the world, built entirely on the same consumer-to-consumer (C2C) model that Depop runs today. The core difference is demographics: eBay’s user base skews older, while Depop’s is almost entirely under 34.
By acquiring Depop, eBay gains direct access to the Gen Z and Millennial fashion resale audience that its core platform has struggled to attract. Depop brings the social discovery experience that eBay lacks. eBay brings global scale, logistics infrastructure, and financial resources that Depop can use to grow faster than it ever could independently.
eBay has confirmed it will keep Depop operating as a completely separate brand with its own app, platform, and team. The goal is integration of capabilities behind the scenes — not a merger of the user experiences.
What Happened to the UK Regulatory Review?
The Depop-eBay deal was not without friction. On June 8, 2026, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a merger inquiry into eBay’s takeover of Depop, examining whether the acquisition could reduce competition in the UK’s online secondhand fashion market.
The CMA ultimately cleared the deal, and the acquisition completed on July 30, 2026 — with eBay confirming the close through an official press release on that date.
How Big Is Depop in 2026?
The platform’s scale as of 2026 is significant. Depop has over 56.3 million total users across its platform. It has 7 million active buyers, with nearly 90% under the age of 34, and over 3 million active sellers.
Its 2025 GMV reached approximately $1 billion, with U.S. growth running at nearly 60% year-over-year — a growth rate that few resale platforms can match. Depop was named to TIME’s TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2026 list, cementing its position as one of the most culturally significant platforms in the secondhand fashion space.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Depop in 2026?
Depop is fully owned by eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), which completed its acquisition from Etsy on July 30, 2026 for approximately $1.2 billion in cash.
Q2. When did eBay buy Depop?
eBay announced the deal on February 18, 2026, and completed the acquisition of Depop from Etsy on July 30, 2026.
Q3. Who previously owned Depop before eBay?
Etsy Inc. owned Depop from June 2021 until July 30, 2026, having originally bought it for $1.625 billion.
Q4. Who founded Depop and when?
Depop was founded by Simon Beckerman in 2011 in Roncade, Italy, originally as an app companion to a magazine before evolving into a standalone fashion resale platform.
Q5. How much did eBay pay for Depop?
eBay paid approximately $1.2 billion in cash — meaning Etsy sold Depop for roughly $400 million less than the $1.625 billion it paid in 2021.
Q6. Who is the current CEO of Depop?
Peter Semple serves as CEO of Depop and continues to lead the platform independently under eBay’s ownership.
Q7. How many users does Depop have in 2026?
Depop has over 56.3 million total users, including 7 million active buyers — nearly 90% of whom are under 34 — and more than 3 million active sellers.
Q8. Will Depop change after the eBay acquisition?
eBay has confirmed Depop will retain its name, brand, app, platform, and team, operating as an independent business within eBay’s broader portfolio.
Depop is fully owned by eBay Inc. — the deal completed on July 30, 2026, following eBay’s agreement to purchase it from Etsy Inc. for approximately $1.2 billion in cash, announced on February 18, 2026.
The ownership chain runs from Simon Beckerman’s founding of the platform in Italy in 2011, through Etsy’s $1.625 billion acquisition in 2021, to eBay’s current ownership today.
eBay is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under EBAY, with Vanguard and BlackRock among its largest institutional shareholders. Depop will continue to operate under its own brand, app, and leadership under CEO Peter Semple — with eBay’s global resources now behind it.