Make Money: How to Sell Your Clothes on Poshmark
Your closet is growing out of control with clothes — some of which still have tags — and shoes you haven't worn in decades. It's about time you finally cut down on the clutter, so why not consider consigning the items collecting dust? You can even ditch them for dollars with easy consignment apps like Poshmark.
What Is Poshmark?
In short, Poshmark is a simple app that lets you sell unwanted items from your closet to total strangers around the world. The app launched in 2011 and has since grown in popularity amongst those who simply want to clean out their closets and earn a few extra bucks doing it, and those who use the app to generate a legitimate income for themselves.
Poshmark boasts over 25 million items and 5,000 brands, so you can shop others' closets on top of selling items from your own closet.
What Are You Allowed to Sell on Poshmark?
Poshmark is a marketplace for women's, kids' and men's fashion and accessories, which means you can sell most items that fall under those categories.
The app asks that you refrain from listing items that don't fall under those categories, as they clutter the marketplace and make shopping more difficult for others. The following are some of the items you're not allowed to sell on Poshmark, according to the app's item policy:
- Unclearly or inaccurately represented items
- Illegal items including but not limited to replicas or fakes, products derived from threatened or extinct species, anything requiring a prescription, misrepresented Native American or American Indian arts and crafts, and stolen goods
- Repurposed items made with portions of branded items, such as a button from an authentic designer jacket used to create jewelry
- Items that cannot be shipped using Priority Mail per USPS regulations, including nail polish, perfumes and aerosols
- Electronics
- Cell phones
- Books
- DVDs
- Homegoods
- Used makeup
- Used underwear
- Any health and wellness products such as lotions, body wash, diet supplements, protein powder, body wraps, breast pumps, curling irons and hair straighteners
- Non-fashion kids/baby items such as toys, bedding, strollers, bottles, formula, diapers and miscellaneous gear
- Current airline and airport uniforms and related items, which include pilot, flight attendant, TSA, baggage attendant gate agents and all other flight and ground crew uniforms
How to Use Poshmark
Poshmark puts it this way: "Snap a photo of the item you want to sell with your iPhone or Android device, fill in a description, set the price, and you're done!" Of course, it's a little more nuanced than that, but these instructions do pretty much sum up how to use Poshmark.
To use the app you fist have to make an account, either via Facebook or an email address. You'll also have to customize your account. For example, you can add your location and size information to optimize your shopping experience, and you can select the brands you like, so you'll be more likely to see listings from those same designers. And, lastly, you'll have the option to connect with other Poshmark users you might know, which you'll want to do to start engaging with the community.
Now let's break down the aforementioned steps in some more depth.
1. Snap a Photo of the Item You Want to Sell
Take a clear photo of the item you want to sell on Poshmark. You're allowed to add filters to your photo and edit them, but you need to make sure that your photo accurately depicts the item so you're not leading on any potential shoppers. And speaking of editing photos, you really should do your best to ensure that your photos are clean, clear and aesthetically pleasing — after all, you want to your products to be sellable.
2. Describe Your Item and Price
Write down all of the pertinent details about your item, including the brand, the size, when you bought it, how many times you've actually worn/used it, what kind of shape it's in, anything that might be wrong with the item, etc. Share as many necessary details as possible so shoppers know what to expect and you can earn their trust with your honesty.
Also set the price for your item. Be sure to make it a fair price, as well as a discounted price, or it's not going to sell.
3. Market Your Item
Once you're done listing your item, you'll have to option to share your listing on several social platforms, such as Pinterest and Facebook. Be sure to market your item on as many platforms as possible, because the more people to see it, the likelier you are to sell it. Also stay abreast of community updates like Posh Parties. Posh Parties are virtual buying and selling events within the app, when you can browse, buy and even list items together with your Poshmark friends. There is a variety of Posh Party themes and brands, so you can certainly find one for your item(s).
4. Sell (and Ship) Your Item
If a shopper decides to buy your item, you'll be notified by both email and an app notification. And Poshmark will provide you with a pre-paid, pre-addressed label to ship your item to the shopper. All you have to do is package it up and ship it off.
How Much Money Can You Earn on Poshmark?
First, it's important to know that Poshmark takes a $2.95 commission on all sales under $15. It also takes a 20 percent commission on any sales above $15.
That said, the amount of money you can earn on Poshmark depends largely on the number and value of items you sell, as well as your engagement with the app. Of course, the more items you have to sell in your shop, the likelier the probability of you selling an item is. The more valuable those items, the likelier you are to earn a decent amount of money. For example, selling a designer purse that's in new or only slightly used shape is going to earn you more money than selling a pair of label-less, worn jeans.
Likewise, the more you interact with other sellers and shoppers, and the more you market the items in your shop, the more money you can earn. It's important to remember that Poshmark is a community and functions a lot like social media; you need to be social on the platform in order to reap the most rewards from it. You can engage by following others, commenting on their shops, marketing the items in your own and building yourself a following on the app.
If you can successfully build yourself a following, you'll find that Poshmark can be a rather lucrative income source. In her first three years using the app, Californian Evelyne Teman famously resold her clothing for a cool $500,000, for example. Meanwhile, top seller Suzanne Canon has personally pulled in over $1 million in sales since she started selling in 2012.
Tips for Building a Following on Poshmark
Again, Poshmark is a community, so building a strong following on the app is essential to earning decent money off of it. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take in order to build a following on Poshmark.
1. Take Great Photos
One surefire way to gain a following on Poshmark is taking great photos. Make sure that your photos are consistently clear, aesthetically appealing and, most of all, accurate.
2. Follow Others
Like other social media platforms such as Instagram, when you follow others, they'll be notified. And this means that they may very well follow you back if they like your shop.
3. Engage with Others
Be sure to keep engaged on the app by not only following others but also by commenting on their items in their shops. The more you communicate with the community and make yourself visible, the easier it is for people to find you — and the more they'll want to engage with you, too. And the more engagement you have, the more you can earn, quickly.
4. Attend Posh Parties
Posh Parties are an easy way to connect with other sellers and shoppers on the Poshmark app. And because these parties can be tailored to different brands and themes, you're likely to connect with other likeminded users interested in the same items.
5. Share, Share, Share
Continue to share the items in your shop across social media platforms, in Posh Parties and across the app. The more you share, the easier it'll be for other Poshmark users to find and follow you.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about women’s empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram @her_report, Twitter @herreportand Facebook.
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