The Insider Tips You Need to Successfully Sell On Poshmark

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We’ve all done it. That super cute, pricy shirt was calling out to you, and you gave in to its siren song and pulled out your wallet. But since then, that shirt has just been sitting in your closet, barely worn. What do you do with it now??

The answer lies in handy apps like Poshmark- a place where you can sell your lightly worn pieces at a much better price than consignment shops or chains like Plato’s Closet.

I’ve used Poshmark for close to three years now, and it has been a roller coaster of a time! I’ve bought pieces that have become firm favorites, and I’ve also had clothing arrive looking nothing like I expected. Plus I’ve sold and shipped out $1k worth of clothing throughout those years! Mind you, Poshmark has always been something of a side hobby for me, not my full stream of income. I did move up to become a Poshmark Ambassador last year, which was an exciting achievement. It comes with a number of perks that I will explain later on in the post!

Over my years of time on Poshmark, I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve learned a great deal of valuable information in the process. Today I’ll be sharing these insider tips with you!

How to Successfully Sell Items on Poshmark

The Listing

There are a number of elements that make up an eye-catching, clean, and appealing listing on Poshmark. If you want your items to sell, it’s vital that your listings are 100% clear and honest. One of the first things you’ll need to do before creating the listing is to take some photos!

The Product Photos

Lay the clothing flat on a hard surface, preferably something solid-colored that won’t distract from the item. If you’re selling shoes, the same follows.

You can model your clothing too if you feel comfortable doing so. It’s helpful for the customer to be able to see the fit of the clothes and how they fall on the body. Personally, I don’t go this route because most often I’m selling clothes because they aren’t flattering on my body type. Consequently, I feel that my modeling them would drive customers away rather than bring them in. In the end, whatever is most convenient for you will work!

You’ll want to capture several angles of the clothing. One photo of the front, one of the back, and one of the tag are basics that you’ll always want to include. If there are any fun extra details on the piece that you want to share, take photos of those as well. Be sure to ALWAYS take photos of any flaws present on the clothing or shoes. The last thing you want is for a customer to be surprised by a flaw on a garment and elect to cancel their order.

I like to do a small amount of editing on my photos before I post them, just to make sure that the clothes pop! Avoid editing so much that it changes the color of the clothing and it makes it appear significantly different. You want an accurate representation of how the clothing looks in real life, not some magazine photo-op ideal. (We all know how frustrating it is to see this beautiful piece of clothing advertised online, only to receive it and find out it’s much drabber than it appeared.)

Writing the Description

As with the photos, it’s vital that you are truthful, accurate, and thorough in your descriptions. Are there any quirks about the piece? Does it run small/large? Is there significant wear/flaws that should be mentioned?

It’s helpful to your customers to include the garment measurements in your listing. That way they are already there and your customer doesn’t have to ask! For shirts, I always include the bust and length measurements. For pants, I include the measurements for the waist, inseam, and rise. If you don’t own a measuring tape, I’d highly recommend getting one. I constantly use mine, and it’s wonderfully handy to have around!

Other Listing Details

After writing your description, you’ll record the extra details about your listing. You select a category and a subcategory. (For example, you might select women’s jeans as the category, and boot cut as the subcategory.)

You’ll indicate the quantity, size, and brand. Don’t select a size that’s not the size listed on the tag. I’ve seen Poshers list shoes and clothing as the size they think it fits instead of the actual size. Never do this! It’s misleading to the customer.

Additionally, never list an item of clothing under a different brand to get more views on it. I see people do this often, but it goes against Poshmark’s rules.

You’ll have the option to choose the color that best describes your item. If the item is a color that isn’t listed on the app (lavender, for example) be sure to use that color in the description. You can list it as the closest color (purple) so that people can still filter for it in their searches.

Lastly, you’ll have the option of choosing whether or not your item is “New With Tags.” This is pretty straightforward, but again, be honest about the item.

How to Price Items

Always list the correct original price. If you are unable to remember what you originally paid and you can’t find it online, just put zero. Don’t try to guess or put it at a higher price than what it was. Your customers will notice and avoid purchasing the item because it seems like a rip-off.

As hard as it might be, you have to set sentiment aside about certain items and be honest with yourself. Is it looking worn or faded? Was it trendy several years ago but not so much now? Set the asking price accordingly.

It’s good to go a tiny bit higher with the asking price initially. Usually, customers will want to negotiate the price slightly lower, so keep that in mind.

In a nutshell, it should be a little high, but not too high to be off-putting. It’s a fine line that you will learn to straddle over time!

Important Selling Techniques to Know

So what do you do after you’ve put together your listing and published it? Here are some easy ways to put your listing in front of the eyes of potential customers.

The Share Button is Your Best Friend!

The first thing you’ll want to do after creating a posting is to share it! After that, you’ll want to keep sharing. And sharing, and sharing, and sharing.

Each time you share an item, it gets shifted to the top of the search results for any terms related to that item. Additionally, it can show up on your followers’ feeds for them to share.

There are four Posh Parties a day that you can share your items to, though sometimes they are limited to certain brands or categories of clothing. Posh Parties are a great way to get your listings in front of lots of customers!

Along with sharing your own listings, you’ll want to make an effort to share other Poshers’ listings. In doing so, you’ll get yourself closer to becoming a Poshmark Ambassador (which requires that you have shared at least 5,000 items from other Poshers’ closets.)

When you share other Poshers’ items directly from their closets or from a search, occasionally they will kindly share your items in return. The more people you have sharing your items, the better!

I find that I get the most return shares when I share items from parties. In my experience, people are typically more generous when you share their party items than when you share them from their closets.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Connecting With Other Poshers

Poshmark encourages Poshers to welcome new users to the app, and if you want to leave a short message welcoming them on their “About Me” listing page, you can. It’s a great way to make a connection and perhaps gain a new follower.

What I don’t recommend doing, however, is promoting your page on other Posher’s listings. It’s definitely in bad taste, and they won’t appreciate it. On the same note, if you need to communicate about an item, do it on the item’s listing. I’ve had people treat my “About Me” page like it’s an inbox and leave updates about purchases there. I don’t recommend it!

Some Poshers follow other Poshmark users by the thousands in the hopes that the other Posher will follow back. I’d caution against following too many people too quickly, as Poshmark might flag you for using bots. The same goes for sharing; if you go too crazy Poshmark could take notice.

My personal advice would be to avoid following tons of accounts. Follow only fellow Poshers whose closets you actually enjoy and could see yourself buying from. That way your home feed won’t be cluttered with a bunch of items you’d never want to share, much less buy. You can get the followers later when you become an Ambassador!

Does Becoming a Poshmark Ambassador Mean More Sales?

In a nutshell, sometimes. It does lend credibility to your closet, which will make people more confident when purchasing items from you.

Once you become an Ambassador, you will automatically start gaining followers. When new Poshers start on the app, they are automatically set to follow 142 closets. Poshmark Ambassadors reap the benefit of having new Poshers show up in their following constantly throughout the day. Ambassadors are shared in the “Follow More People” sections of the Homepage as well, giving their closets further exposure.

As an Ambassador, I generally get about 25-30 new followers a day. As of writing this, I have about 32k followers. When I self-share items to my followers, I do find that they’re more likely to be re-shared now as compared to the time I wasn’t an Ambassador.

I expected my sales to go through the roof, but I came to find that Ambassadorship didn’t come with a magical sales explosion. My sales are still highest when I’m actively sharing as much as possible. They begin to wain when I don’t take the time to self-share daily.

Add That Extra (Free!) Incentive

I like to add listings for items that are free with any purchase. It can be a small bag or maybe an item of clothing, whatever feels right to you (within Poshmark guidelines of course.) I just direct customers to add the listing to a bundle, and I’ll subtract the price and send them a reduced offer for the bundle. I’ve gotten a lot of sales this way!

 When You Finally Make a Sale

You’ve made a sale, hooray! Now you need to make sure that you get a 5-star rating from your customer. Potential customers will look at your average ship time and the notes that you have received from past customers. They want to buy from someone who is trustworthy and acts with the customer in mind!

The amount of packaging you use when you ship an item is up to you. Many people wrap items in tissue paper or send them in plastic ziplock bags.

Whether or not you take that extra step, make sure that the item is always folded nicely and not wrinkled. You’ll want to send your clothes in a freshly washed state, free of dust and pet hair.

To make the best impression possible, always send a thank-you note. Your customers will appreciate that you took the time to include this personal touch. If you want to be really extra, you can include a small gift as well. Sometimes I’ll put beauty samples or sheet masks in my packages. It’s a great way to show you care!

Here’s a hot tip that’ll save you from having to go to the post office to get special packaging: start saving your Amazon boxes, or whatever other boxes you get in the mail. You can use these to package your items! In doing so, you’ll be recycling that packaging, and you won’t have to package items at the post office. (Because I’ve done that, and believe me, it’s awkward.)

This next part is vital, and I cannot stress it enough: always ship the item as soon as possible. Ideally, you should ship the package the same day or the next day. If you take three days or more to send a package, it sends the message that you don’t care if your customer’s money is wasted. On Poshmark, the only option is to pay for three-day shipping. When that three days turns into nine days, it’ll leave a sour taste in someone’s mouth.

Do everything you can to earn that 5-star rating! It’s the best feeling when you hear back from satisfied customers who leave happy notes about their purchases. Take pride in what you send out, and aim for complete satisfaction with every transaction.

 Wrapping Up

Poshmark is a great way to make money off of those clothes in your closet that never get worn. And, if you eventually get to that scale, it can even be a small business.

To successfully sell items over Poshmark, your listings need to be honest and clear. If you put the effort into how you present your items, customers will take notice.

You have to be intentional in sharing your own items, as well as other Posher’s items. To make sales regularly, it’s a good idea to be active on the app daily.

When you send off an item, do it quickly and add a personal touch to the package. Your customers will be appreciative!

If you’ve been thinking of signing up for Poshmark but haven’t jumped on it yet, you can use the code MJONES12516 to get $10 FREE credit when you sign up! (I also make $10 when you buy your first item.) I’d be honored and overjoyed if you felt led to support me in that way! If you want to check out my closet, you can do so here.

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