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If you’re anything like me, your closet is full of things that you don’t really want (and rarely wear) but you just can’t bring yourself to get rid of.
Normally it’s because I feel like getting rid of it will be like admitting that I shouldn’t have wasted money on in the first place. But what if there was a way to trade your clothing for money (or “sell” it as the kids are calling it nowadays…)
Well, millions of people are doing just that on the Poshmark app.
Poshmark is one of the fastest-growing platforms for selling used clothing online. Thousands of people make a full-time income flipping clothing on the app and tons more clear out their personal closets for extra money several times per year.
Beyond being super simple to figure out, Poshmark has a very active user base. We posted a bunch of our eBay listings onto Poshmark about a year ago and have been blown away by the sales we’ve had (of things that sat forever on eBay) and the amount of support we’ve received from the Poshmark community.
But the best part? We’ve made tons of money and I can now fill my closet with things I actually like.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s talk about Poshmark!
- What Is Poshmark?
- How Does Poshmark Work?
- 1. Getting Setup On Poshmark
- 2. Finding Items To Sell On Poshmark
- 3. Listing Your Items
- 4. Sharing And Promoting Your Items
- 5. Shipping On Poshmark
- 6. Getting Paid
- 7. Create A Business Plan
- Growing Your Poshmark Closet
- Poshmark Reviews: Thoughts & Advice From Sellers
- Conclusion
What Is Poshmark?
Poshmark brands itself as a “social marketplace” for buyers and sellers of clothing (both used and new) and HomeGoods. But what does that mean exactly?
Poshmark is a selling platform that specializes in clothing for men, women, and even pets. It allows users to post their personal items to a “closet” and find buyers for their items. Poshmark handles the financial side of the transaction and pays the seller once the buyer has the item. The ensures that Poshmark is a safe and reliable platform.
The real unique aspect of Poshmark is the “social” part of it. You gain followers of your closet and share your items to your feed, giving people an additional chance of seeing your items beyond searching for them specifically.
How Does Poshmark Work?
After you have the Poshmark app, you simply take a few pictures of the item you want to sell, write a description, and list it for sale.
Buyers then find your item through search and can purchase it for your asking price or send you an offer.
Once you have a sale, you print off a shipping label and send the item. Once the buyers receive the item your funds become available on the app and you can choose to spend them or transfer them to your bank account.
Poshmark makes money on the transaction by charging a fee which they take from the seller’s funds before releasing them.
Is Poshmark The Right Platform For You?
For many people, Poshmark is a great fit and they don’t want to sell on any other platform. Many others, however, don’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. This is mainly because Poshmark is unique when it comes to the selling community. Either you love it or you don’t!
Advantages Of Selling On Poshmark
- Large user base. With over 8 million active users, Poshmark is one of the “big 5” in the selling world. While it can’t compete with Mercari or eBay in terms of sheer numbers, thousands of people make a living or sizable side-income on Poshmark.
- Everyone is looking for what you sell. While eBay has an incredibly large user-base, you might be selling something that no one is looking for. On Poshmark, however, every shopper is looking for clothing. As long as you have the right clothing in the right size and style it will be bought.
- Very limited returns. In general, Poshmark has an “all sales final” policy. This works out very well for sellers as it is unlikely that a person will decide several weeks later that they don’t want it (or use it and return it).
Disadvantages Of Selling On Poshmark
- It’s a social platform. If you want to succeed on Poshmark you have to be engaged. If you want to “list it and forget it” then it’s not the platform for you. You need to be actively sharing your closet and should be active during “posh parties” when there are people on the app. If you want to be hands off, choose another platform.
- High Fees. eBay has some of the highest fees of any selling platform. If you’re looking to maximize your profits both eBay and Mercari has more friendly fee structures than Poshmark.
- Limited Items You Can List. If you have oodles of clothing and home goods to sell then, by all means, use Poshmark! But I hope you’re content with those categories because that’s all you’re allowed to sell on the app. If you want to branch out into toys, electronics, or anything else you’ll have to sell elsewhere.
Now if you’re just starting out and want to sell clothing, don’t feel like Poshmark is the only option. While it is a great place to sell, there are many Poshmark alternatives that you can use if you want to branch out.
Still in? Great, let’s get into the “how” of how to sell on Poshmark.
1. Getting Setup On Poshmark
Poshmark is a user-friendly app so, if you’ve been putting off getting an account, don’t! Everyone who can use a computer or phone can figure it out quickly.
–>Follow this link to get a free $10 coupon when you create a new Poshmark account
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Download the Poshmark app
- Set aside a reasonable amount of time (15 minutes or so) to become acquainted with the app
- Make sure to fill out your address information correctly (Poshmark uses this when creating pre-paid shipping labels)
- Decide if you would like your earnings to be sent in the form of a check via mail or deposited into a bank account
- If you choose to use a bank account, have the routing and account number handy so that when you make your first sale you can fill out this information
- Fill out your payment information-if you decide to buy something on Poshmark, this will already be done (You may not be able to purchase anything on Poshmark until this is filled out)
- Buy something! One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the app is simply to make a purchase and see how things work.
Now that you have your account set up you’ll want to check out the Posh Etiquette page. To find it, click on your username at the bottom right corner of the app and you should find it is the second item on the next page
Also, be sure to read through Poshmark’s Community Guidelines to make sure you know what’s expected. Breaking rules on the platform will endanger your account and can get you removed very quickly.
2. Finding Items To Sell On Poshmark
The success of your Poshmark store will, to a large extent, be determined by what you sell. When you first start out it will be easy, you’ll just sell what you have. But once things start taking off for you you’ll want to be soucing items specifically to sell on Poshmark.
Here are the 5 easiest places to source items to sell when you’re just starting out:
Your Closet
If you’re just getting started selling clothing online then your closest is the best place to start. It’s low risk (since everything is free) and if things don’t sell you can just keep them or donate them!
So what should you try to sell?
- Make sure that the items you select are in good condition
- Find items that are free of stains, tears, or any other damage. (If you wish to still sell a damaged item, be sure to disclose that the item has imperfections when you create your listing, and take pictures of the imperfections as well)
- Gravitate toward items that are trendy or well look great in pictures
If you try to sell old items or cheap brands you’re probably set up for disappointment. Most items sell on Poshmark for 25% (give or take) of the MSRP so choose your first items to list accordingly.
Discount Stores
Just about any store with a discount or clearance section can become an inventory source for your Poshmark closet. This is one of my favorite ways to source as items that are NWT (New With Tags) are much easier to list and sell.
While you might have luck just about anywhere, look for items that are at least 70% off at the following stores:
- TJMaxx
- Marshalls
- Ross
- Nordstrom Rack
Consignment and Thrift Stores
Thrift stores are the bread and butter for most resellers as there is so much inventory for a great price.
Familiarize yourself with some of the brands that typically do well and spend an afternoon going through racks item by item to find the real gems.
In addition to thrift stores, you can find great deals at consignment shops, flea markets, or resale stores like Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange.
Online Liquidation Centers
If you’re ready to handle a large amount of inventory (or can’t make it out of your house to source) then buying mystery boxes, liquidation units, or even whole pallets of bulk clothing can be a lucrative sourcing strategy.
We have bought thousands of items from Liquidation.com (check out our review here) and, while the profits are lower, it feels like a treasure hunt and we’ve always made a good profit.
If you do want to go this route, Liquidation.com or Bulq.com are great places to start. Here are the best tips I’ve got for you so you don’t get scammed in some way:
- Do your research before buying. This includes your research on the place you’re buying from and research on the actual items included if they have an invoice. Don’t take their word for how much things are worth, figure it out for yourself.
- There are numerous videos on YouTube where people review the items they have received from these companies. Check them out so you know what to expect.
- When trying out these companies, you may wish to spend a small amount of money at first, so that you’re not too disappointed with what you receive.
- Be aware that the items you will receive will probably be random, and not all the items you receive will be trendy or sell well on Poshmark.
Goodwill Outlets
If you love the thrill of the hunt or if money to get started is tight, the Goodwill Outlets can be a lifesaver. Turning $100 into $1,000 or more is very doable if you know what to buy and are patient.
The Goodwill Outlets (aka “the bins”) are a bit different than a normal thrift store so be sure to read our Goodwill Outlet Guide so you know what to expect when you get there (and how to succeed).
–> Use our Goodwill Outlet Locator to find a Goodwill Outlet Near You
Online
If you’re the homebody type (or have free time at work) then you can find good deals on many websites. You can find flippable items on other selling platforms such as eBay or Poshmark as well as clearance sections on just about every site.
Whe3never I shop online I try to find something to resell to offset the cost.
For example, I can buy two pairs of Nikes from the clearance section on their site, keep one, and put the other on Poshmark, and just like that, I have a free pair of shoes!
Research – How To Know What To Buy
Pretty much everyone can find great deals. What separates you from everyone else is that you will put in the extra work to figure out if something can actually be sold at a profit.
When we first started reselling we bought a special edition Nike tennis skirt that retailed for $550. We got it at Nordstrom Rack for 93% off ($38.50) and figured we could easily make 3-4x our money.
It took over a year to sell and we ended up getting $40 for it. So we lot money after fees.
If you can’t base your buying decision on the MSRP then how do you know what to buy?
Well, there are a few ways:
- Experience.
- Follow Influencers and Fashion Blogs.
- Research Sold Items.
- See What People On Instagram Are Selling.
While you’ll continue to figure out new things all the time, having a solid base knowledge of what brands to pick up can really make you faster while sourcing.
While we’ve written several articles on the best selling brands on Poshmark, here are a few that you should keep your eyes open for:
- lululemon
- Coach
- Free People
- Nike
- Pendleton
- Patagonia
- NYDJ
- Michael Korrs
- J.Crew
- UGG
- PINK
- The North Face
- Under Armour
- Barefoot Dreams
- Dale of Norway
- Diane von Furstenberg
- Moschino
- Rising Internation
- Levi’s
- Flax
- Eileen Fisher
- Harley Davidson
- St. John
- Tory Burch
- Boden
- Carhartt
- Lilly Pulitzer
- rag & bone
- Athleta
- Madewell
3. Listing Your Items
Listing your items on Poshmark is where the rubber meets the road. Many people spend their days sourcing items and build up a huge “death pile” that just sits in their Poshmark room.
That’s called hoarding.
If your item isn’t listed, you can’t sell it. So what’s the best way to turn your finds into cash quickly? By making a great listing that entices people and don’t delay getting your first item listed on Poshmark.
We can do it in three steps:
Taking Pictures
Taking pictures of clothing for Poshmark is an art. Given two items, a buyer will pick the one with the better pictures almost every time.
Now there are quite a few ways to take pictures but, since we’re trying to get this thing off the ground without spending too much money, let’s figure out how to do this as cheaply as possible.
- Find a white background. This can be a sheet, a large piece of paper, a table, or even a wall.
- Hang or lay your clothing item on the background
- Take a picture with your phone. Make sure you have sufficent natural or white light to make the item appealing
That’s it! You don’t need a lighting kit, a special camera, or any other sort of expensive setup. I’ve seen Poshmark sellers take pictures on other backgrounds too such as their kitchen floor, a picnic table, or even their deck.
Lighting is the most important thing you can do so find a place that works and take as many pictures as possible in a row before things change.
While I typically take pictures using a light kit and camera, I decided to look around and see what I could find to take pictures with quickly and without a budget.
Check out these that I just took by just wandering around my house:
Just wander around your house and look for good lighting. Odds are there is something there you can use as a background or something that you can carry around with you. Be ingenuitive!
Creating Your Listing
Creating a listing on Poshmark is as simple as filling out what they tell you to. As the app pretty much walks you through the process, here are some things you might have thought about:
- Be as thorough as possible. A picture may be worth a thousand words but the buyer will want to know how the items feels, fits, etc.
- Include measurements. One of the most common questions you’ll get is “what are the measurements?” so do yourself a favor and just inclue them upfront.
- Don’t leave anything out. Some people try to less damaged or less-than-perfect items by just not disclosing things to the buyer. Be honest and you’ll get much better reviews.
Pricing Your Item Correctly
You can sell almost anything if it’s priced correctly. Unless your item is rare or unusual in some way I wouldn’t let any item sit in my store for more than 6 months. Keep dropping the price until it sells so you can keep the ball rolling.
The best way to price your items on Poshmark is to look around at what everyone else is doing. There will probably be several other options available for nearly every item you sell so, if you are too far above those prices, your item is unlikely to move.
With that being said, we always err on the side of too high when we list an item as we can always lower it (or accept an offer) later.
4. Sharing And Promoting Your Items
Pohsmark is unique in that you “share” your items to get more people to see them. Most Poshers agree that the more you share your items, the more sales you will make.
Many Poshers try to share their entire closet three times per day but, as your inventory grows, this may be impossible.
However, as you’re starting out do your best to follow other people, like, share, and engage as much as possible. The best times to share your closet are when Poshmark has its parties; these are the times when the most people are on the app.
If your closet ever becomes too big to share singlehandedly there are other options. There are services available (some people hire VAs) as well as bots that will share everything for you on a schedule (although use those at your own risk).
On the more traditional side of the business, do your best to please your customer and promote your items. Provide excellent customer service such as answering questions promptly and people will be much more likely to buy from you.
5. Shipping On Poshmark
Many people are intimidated by shipping their items but once again, Poshmark will hold your hand through the entire process.
Once you make your first sale, Poshmark will send you an email with a pre-paid shipping label. Print the label out and keep it handy as you package your item.
Once you start making sales you’ll want to find free or cheap shipping supplies but, for the first few sales, you can reuse boxes or bubble mailers you have around the house.
When you are ready to package your item, fold it neatly and place it into your box. If you want, you can put your item into a self-sealing clear bag. When you’re just starting out, it’s okay if you don’t have them. Surround your item with air pillow film or another type of packing material to cushion your item
Make sure that your item is not moving around too much in the box
Next, you can tape up your box and use clear packing tape to attach your shipping label. Making sure that the label is covered with clear tape ensures that it does not rip during the shipping process.
While I would highly recommend that you get a thermal label printer eventually, you can start off by just printing your labels out on paper and taping them on.
Try to take your item to the post office the same day it was ordered, or the following day. Buyers will appreciate that you shipped out their items quickly.
Pro Tip: Don’t ship your item too quickly, though. Allow three hours to pass before heading out with your package. Poshmark allows a buyer three hours in which they can cancel their order and some scammers use this to their advantage.
You may want to include thank you cards, stickers, and your business card in your package. These items indicate to a buyer that you care about their purchase. Including them may take a little extra time, but may result in repeat business from buyers.
6. Getting Paid
Once your buyer receives your item and accepts it, your money will become available in your Poshmark account.
If a buyer forgets to accept an item, Poshmark will automatically deposit your money in your Poshmark account 72 hours after the time the item was delivered.
After your money has been deposited into your Poshmark account, you can choose to have it sent as a check or direct deposited into a bank account.
Poshmark Fees
Now, you didn’t think that Poshmark was a charity, did you? The way they make their money is by taking a percentage of every sale that takes place on their platform. Poshmark’s fees are high than most other platforms but you can still make a profit
Poshmark takes 20% of the price that your item sells for if the price is $15 or above. If the sold price is lower than $15, then Poshmark will take $2.95
Obviously, it makes sense to avoid seller very low-dollar items.
Poshmark will take their fee out automatically before dispersing your funds to your account so you’ll never need to worry about paying them. What you see as available is all yours.
7. Create A Business Plan
If you want to do more than sell your personal items on Poshmark then you’ll need to come up with a real plan. Many resellers are surprised when they look at their numbers and find out that they’ve been spending all their extra money on inventory and have barely made a profit.
The first thing you’ll need to decide is if you want to go full-time or if you’re content with Poshmark being a side hustle. Both paths have merit.
Part-Time
If you’re just starting out, part-time is most likely the best way to go. But if you really enjoy using Poshmark, and have a knack for research and sourcing, you may want to consider trying to do reselling full time.
Full-Time
Making all of your money from reselling can be stressful. We tried to go full-time flipping thrift store items before we should have and ended up living in my parent’s basement. Seriously. Have your ducks in a row and realize that you need money to reinvest in your business, pay for health insurance, save for taxes, etc.
The most important tip I can give you for growing your store and making more money on Poshmark is this: keep impeccable records.
Your records will let you know how profitable you are, how much you need to reinvest, what to save for taxes, etc. If you don’t keep records you’re not running a business.
We use QuickBooks for tracking our business expenses but there are many options on the market that work well for resellers.
Growing Your Poshmark Closet
When it comes to selling on Poshmark, I’m going to assume that your goal is to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible.
To that end, there are three ninja cheats I’ll give you to have faster sales on Poshmark:
If you are actively selling items and providing great service, you’ll get an invite to join the Poshmark Ambassador program. Many people report increased sales and additional followers when they meet the requirements!
Send & Accept Reasonable Offers
As a Poshmark seller, you’re in the business of making money by selling items. Storing items doesn’t make you money. Many people get offended by lowball offers or try to counter reasonable offers to make a few more bucks.
Don’t do either.
If you can make money on an item, sell it and move on. Holding out for the last few dollars could mean holding for years.
Crosspost Your Items
Not every item sells well on every platform. We experienced a huge increase in sales (around 30%) when we started using List Perfectly to crosspost our items between platforms. We used it to list our eBay items on Poshmark but you can use it to also post your Poshmark items on eBay, Mercari, Depop, FB Marketplace, etc. Check out our full review and be sure to use our List Perfectly Coupon!
Additional Resources
- How To Sell Jewelry On Poshmark
- 14 Must-Have Tools For Resellers
- Poshmark vs Mercari
- Poshmark vs eBay
- Should You Wash The Clothes You Sell On Poshmark?
- Our Favorite YouTube Channels For Resellers
- Our Facebook Page
Poshmark Reviews: Thoughts & Advice From Sellers
On our Instagram Page, we asked people to DM us their Poshmark review (if they’re a seller) and best pieces of advice for new sellers. Instead of quoting the dozens of responses we received, I thought we’d mash them together since they all boiled down to about the same 3 things:
If I were to review Poshmark this is what I would say, “It’s work. There is a lot of money to be made but it’s not a walk in the park. If you want the money, put in the work.
While Poshmark definitley has it’s issues, it is probably the place to go if you’re trying to sell used clothes online.
Poshmark is fine. 4 out 5 stars I would say. But the Poshmark community knocks it out of the part and makes the whole thing worth it. Get involved and meet people!
Conclusion
Poshmark makes it easy to sell your used clothing online. From the listing to the shipping process, Poshmark is very user-friendly. Whether you want to be a part-time or full-time reseller, trying Poshmark is worth a shot.