If you are trying to switch to a third-party shipping service like Pirate Ship to save on postage, you might open up a new listing draft only to find that the "Arrange your own shipping" toggle is completely gone.
A common rumor floating around the reselling community is that you are locked out of custom shipping until you hit a specific milestone, like making 10 or 50 sales.
The truth is a little different—and getting that custom shipping toggle back doesn't require waiting around for sales milestones. Here is the breakdown of why your option is missing and exactly how to turn it on.
Why is the "Ship On Your Own" Option Missing?
To streamline the platform and guarantee tracked data for customer support disputes, Depop has pushed hard toward its "Ship with Depop" prepaid label system.
For many newer accounts or regional configurations created recently, Depop entirely hides the option to use personal shipping by default. It isn't explicitly tied to a strict sale count; rather, it is a default security and user experience filter applied to standard profiles to prevent untracked packages and drop-shipping issues.
How to Get Personal Shipping Turned On
If your account settings only show Depop Shipping options and don’t let you toggle to personal shipping on your listing page, you have to bypass the default interface. Here is the step-by-step method to unlock it:
1. Contact Depop Support Directly
Because it is restricted at an account level, the fastest and most effective route is requesting access manually.
- Head to the Depop Help Centre or submit a request directly through the app under Settings > Need Help?.
- Submit a support ticket under the category related to Selling > Shipping Policies.
2. State Your Specific Business Case
Depop support agents are more likely to instantly unlock the feature if they know you aren't trying to cut corners. In your message, explicitly state why you need it:
- International Orders: "Ship with Depop" labels only cover domestic shipments. Tell support you want to expand your business globally and need to arrange international shipping.
- High-Weight Items or Bundles: If you sell heavy coats, vintage boots, or large bundles, standard prepaid tiers can occasionally get incredibly restrictive. Mention that you need custom shipping to offer combined bundle shipping for your buyers.
Once the support agent approves your request, they will update your backend profile, and the "Arrange your own shipping" toggle will reappear under your account's shipping settings and future listing forms.
The Catch: Don't Forget to Automate Your Workflow
Unlocking your own shipping gives you incredible flexibility, but it introduces a major manual headache: manually tracking data. If you use your own label, you have to manually copy and paste the tracking number into every single transaction page on Depop to avoid getting flagged for late shipments.
Doing that item-by-item while typing out listing drafts will stall your business's growth.
When you use Depop Automation, you can bypass the manual drafting loop entirely. While you manage your custom shipping strategy on the side, our vision AI instantly reads your inventory photos to generate optimized keywords, descriptions, titles, and exact categories automatically.
Don't let rigid defaults hold your reselling business back. Contact support, unlock your custom shipping lines, and leave the listing production work to an intelligent machine. Try Depop Automation for free to see how fast an optimized store can scale.