We all know that Depop sellers are the devil. From their inability to ship packages on time, selling clothing that doesn’t match its description, and horrible communication skills, they make shopping second-hand more of a chore than it has to be. However, among their long list of indiscretions, one of the worst things about Depop sellers is how they hike the prices of fashion items from ten years ago, proclaiming them to be ‘vintage’.

Millennials were sent into a particular frenzy over this phenomenon at the weekend, and rightly so! A Gen Z Depop seller was found selling sequin leopard print shorts from Forever 21 from 2011 that were initially $15 for $298. The seller explained that the $283 price increase was due to the Forever 21 shorts being similar to the viral vintage Charlotte Russe shorts spotted at Coachella this year. Millennial and writer Alex Morillo expressed deep anguish upon seeing the listing posted on X, remarking that she “felt as aged as a gallon of milk let out in the sun.”

Instead of mocking millennials or brushing off their distress, Gen Z should view this incident as a warning for our future. Social media has accelerated trend cycles, with countless trends and micro-trends emerging and fading in the public consciousness in recent years. In this context, it’s no wonder that young people are labelling clothing from just over a decade ago as ‘vintage’. 

Adding to the confusion, terms like ‘vintage’ and ‘upcycled’ have become marketing ploys, often misused to boost sales. Manipulating consumers into paying an extricate amount for polyester shorts that will probably last you for a year, if you’re lucky. 

Some of the best fashion resellers can be found not on Depop but on Instagram. From Singulier MTL to Retold, based in London, you can find a Roberto Cavalli black ruffled top for $125 and vintage Fendi sandals for $350. High-quality vintage for a fraction of the price, or a little over if you’re willing to splurge.  

As fashion cycles continue to shrink, Gen-Z will soon see their beloved styles labelled as ‘prehistoric’, and with Gen-Alpha entering the consumer market, that reckoning will start sooner rather than later.