This is the first chapter of more posts to come on the ways I've been attempting to declutter and simplify the amount of material goods in my life. For those unfamiliar, Poshmark is an incredibly addicting platform for selling, trading, and buying new and recycled fashion. The site/app (only available for Iphone & United States as of right now) is still up and coming and has quite a bit of kinks to work out, but it's personally been my favorite method to sell clothing items that have been sitting untouched in my closet for years. Poshmark has a comprehensive FAQ onsite, but I hope this unofficial guide serves as a useful tool to beginners and those interested!
Basic Information:
- To sell, you must have an iphone, but potential buyers can freely use the online website!
- There is a 20% selling cost fee. (IE - you'll earn $8 dollars from a sold listing of $10)
- A prepaid shipping label up to 2 pounds is sent directly to your email when an item is sold.
- Funds will NOT be released to the seller until the buyer receives and confirms that it is as described.
- Paypal and offline transactions are not condoned because it takes Poshmark customer support out of the picture and leaves more opportunities for scammers to take advantage of users without consequences.
- Shipping is a standard $6.99, but $4.99 on orders over $25.
Getting started - Selling/Buying
- Download the free app and connect with either facebook or email!
- To sell, click "Sell", snap a photo (or two or three) and fill out all appropriate information to provide the most thorough and detailed listings possible.
- To search and potentially buy, enter key words (specific brands/sizes) using the search icon on the "Feed" page of the app and search bar onsite. You can filter according to your needs!
- If a sold item is more than the prepaid 2 pounds (such as heavy jackets or shoes), you can upgrade the shipping label by 1 lb increases straight from the app, but will have to pay for the additional shipping costs (deducted from final earnings). This will generate a new label that will be sent directly to your email.
- If a buyer wants to buy multiple listings (known as "bundling") to avoid high shipping costs, create a new listing with negotiated price as well as their username in the title.
Here's a screenshot of the app layout and a few items in my closet that have sold. The red flag indicates that it was bought directly from posh credit or a debit/credit card whereas the other listings have a simple "SOLD" next to them because they were sold in bundles and not individually!
Tips & Tricks:
- Take your photos in natural lighting to show accurate photos of items and for a more appealing feed. Modeling the items isn't necessary, but be prepared for many requests.
- Be sure to honestly mention all imperfections. Poshmark will refund the buyer asap if there is physical proof that the item was not as described.
- Price items reasonably! Most of my closet is under $15 and from stores such as UO, Gap, Forever 21, etc.
- Bundle items for a discount! I usually do 15-20% depending on what the items are.
- Style your items with statement pieces to get buyers more interested. I've seen cheap items from stores such as Forever 21 and H&M go for RETAIL price or more because they were styled with nice shoes or a pretty necklace. This isn't my style, but hey - get that $$$.
- NEGOTIATE! That's what the comment section is for, but fairly of course. Don't ask a seller to sell you J Brands for $20 if the listing price is $100. I think most people are willing to go down 10-20%.
- Share your listings to relevant "Parties" where it'll reach a wider range of people.
- Pick up FREE boxes from the USPS!! Be sure to get Priority Mailing boxes instead of Flat Rate.
- Share others' listings! They'll probably share yours as well!
And for some negativity, they desperately need to improve the search and filter functions. Date relevance isn't considered and listings from 6 months ago will often be at the very top of your search results. I also find it bizzarre (and semi amusing - I suppose) that users treat it as a social media site (lot of 17 year olds updating their profile photos every two days as well as posting daily status updates about new love interests). There's also your fair share of, "I KNOW UR ADDRESS! I'M COMING TO GET U. SCAMMER!!!" listings and threats, but if you can get past that then Poshmark is a ridiculously easy platform for purging unwanted items.
If you have specific questions that I haven't addressed, please feel free to do so in the comments. I don't have experience with buying, but I'm here if anyone needs further selling advice. If any other Poshmark users have different tips & tricks, please share! Also - if you have closets that you'd like me to share on my feed, link below!
If you have specific questions that I haven't addressed, please feel free to do so in the comments. I don't have experience with buying, but I'm here if anyone needs further selling advice. If any other Poshmark users have different tips & tricks, please share! Also - if you have closets that you'd like me to share on my feed, link below!
