the voice of a depop generation

the best diaristic writing is not on substack (interview ft. maddie martin)

Many moons ago, I was coming home and spotted a mysterious lone box of Honey Nut Cheerios sitting on the porch.

Hmmm, that’s weird, I thought. I don’t eat Honey Nut Cheerios. Why would a cereal box be there? My paranoid ass started wondering if this was one of those weird kidnapping bait tactics you hear about from Nextdoor alarmists. I gingerly approached the orange box, locking eyes with the grinning cartoon bee.

Then I saw the shipping label and banged up duct tape job, and all tension melted away into laughter. It hit me that this was a Depop order. Which…of course it was, because nothing screams Depop behavior than mailing a pair of vintage Prada Sport sneakers in an upcycled cereal box.

I like to crack jokes about the cultural differences between Poshmark and Depop because in my opinion, these are the two peer-to-peer resale platforms with the most distinct user behaviors. And being the mid-90s zillennial I am, I enjoy both platforms equally. Poshmark feels like a neat and orderly suburb (albeit with MLM undertones), with binding offers and reliable shipping times.

Depop, however, is the wild west.

Sure, *technically* there are seller/buyer policies…but it’s far less regulated. The platform’s DM feature in particular spawns all sorts of bizarre, heinous, and downright gross situations (well documented on accounts like depopdrama).

But I love it there.

I love browsing my Depop feed because it feels like a cluttered commune with artsy weirdos. And yes some of them are 100% grifters but I accept that you can’t have chaotic good without some chaotic evil. Also, the algorithm knows exactly what I like, which is how I ended up on this listing for a vintage Christian LaCroix skirt:

The skirt was cute, but what stopped me in my tracks was the item description. I thought it was so funny—like a snippet from a GIRLS episode—and next thing I knew I read through this girl’s entire Depop feed for the storytimes alone. (Maybe the best diaristic writing is actually on Depop, not Substack?).

I really wanted to know who this diva was! So I sent her a message, she responded, and that’s how I ended up on a phone call with Maddie Martin, whose aura I would describe as a mix of Margot Tenenbaum and Julia Fox.

In this interview, we talk about:

• how she became a Depop diarist

• her most unhinged clothing stories

• the rise of resale in Gen Z side hustle culture

• why everyone says their shit is “rare” on Depop

Interview has been lightly edited for clarity. All photos courtesy of Maddie Martin.

Hi Maddie! I’m so excited to chat today. So, tell me how you first got on Depop…

I signed up for Depop when I first moved to New York, so around five years ago. I originally was a seller because I was moving and trying to sell every single thing in my closet that I wanted to get rid of—all of my Urban Outfitters stuff. So I could start fresh when I moved here. And then obviously I became addicted to buying things on the app.

It’s so easy to get sucked into the algorithm recs.

The algorithm is too good. It's scary.

And what drew you to Depop over Poshmark or other resale platforms?

All of my friends were using Depop. People my age use it so I'm more drawn to that. It seems like with Depop, it might be easier to find sellers who live in your city or your neighborhood. Whereas I feel like most things when I am on Poshmark, are from somewhere in the Midwest.

So I’m dying to know more about your Depop storytimes. When did you start writing them?!