We’re all looking for some type of side hustle or way to make a bit of extra money, or maybe you just want to empty out your closet. No matter what the reason, Poshmark is an amazing place to make money online.
We’ve written this epic guide on how to make money on Poshmark so you can start selling items from your own closet, or reselling from thrift stores and making great money in the process.
Table of Contents
What is Poshmark?
Poshmark is a clothing reselling website that is designed as both a marketplace and a social platform. On Poshmark you can sell clothing from your own closet, or clothes you buy to resell.
You can also sell shoes, jewelry, and handbags on the app making it a great shopping experience for any thrift shopper.
Before Poshmark most of these types of sales would happen on eBay, however, eBay is a site for selling just about anything and isn’t just fashion focused so it’s less likely that your listings would be found when scrolling.
How Does Poshmark Work?
The app has a ton of different ways for buyers to find your listings, there is the home feed where someone may scroll and based on their searches and likes different items will appear.
There is also the search section, where they may search a brand name, an item type, or a size and items will appear based on search engines.
Poshmark isn’t just a selling platform, but is also a social website where you can follow other sellers and shop other people’s closets. You’re able to comment on people’s items and ask questions before purchasing.
Poshmark’s Selling Fees
Since Poshmark is a business they are going to be taking a cut of the sale price of your item. They are entirely free to post on the app but once you sell something they will take their cut.
If a sale is under $15, Poshmark will have a flat rate fee of $2.95. So, even if an item is only $3, they will take $2.95.
Any sale over $15, Poshmark will have a fee of 20%. So, if an item costs $20, Poshmark will take $4.
For some people these fees seem high, but you do get a lot for this. You get free access to their platform and a built in audience for your stuff, which is super valuable.
You also get pre-paid shipping labels, free credit card processing, and sales tax collection. It’s an awesome system and well worth their cut.
How to Get Started on Poshmark
Setting Up a Profile
Before you sell anything on Poshmark, you need to set up a profile. Having a detailed profile is really important because people will put more trust into a seller who has a photo and something in their bio.
The first thing is to set up a username, this isn’t super important and can be anything you want. However, you need to make sure it isn’t offensive because you don’t want to lose a sale because someone is offended by profanity or something else in your name.
You’ll also be able to put your location, where you went to school, and a ton of social information allowing you to possibly grow a social media following in the process.
Where to Find Items to Sell on Poshmark
The first place most people find things to sell on the app is in their own closets, a lot of casual sellers will just use it to clear out their closet.
However, if you want to make a decent part-time or even full-time income, you’re going to need to go out and source items from inexpensive stores.
The first place to start looking is at resale shops like thrift stores or other discount stores. You may need to comb through the aisles for a while to find a lot of good stuff, but you can usually find some goodies.
When thrifting for resale you should always focus on brand names first because they will sell for the most money on the app. You should also make sure that the items are good quality without any visible tears or stains.
Another great place to find items for a discounted price is to go into the clearance sections at popular clothing stores. You probably won’t make as high of margins since the items aren’t as heavily discounted as a thrift store, but you’ll be able to sell them as new with tags which can make more money on the app.
Tips for Photography on Poshmark
One of the most important things on Poshmark is the photo of the item you’re selling. This is the first thing a person is going to see after a search, or when scrolling, so you want to make sure that your images are clear and show exactly what’s happening.
If you’re going to make money on Poshmark, you need to learn some tips for taking really well lit and high quality photos without wasting money on fancy equipment.
Chances are you have a decent quality camera in your smart phone that can take really great photos, so there is no need for a DSLR camera or anything fancy like that.
You should take your images in front of a single coloured wall (preferably white) so the items stand out and don’t get washed out by a pattern.
You should also make sure that there is even lighting in the image, maybe take it in front of a window during the day. If the item is covered in shadows a customer may see it and think there’s a discolouration or won’t see the pattern the way it actually is.
You should also always remember to take a clear image of the tag inside the item, so that the brand and the size are clearly visible.
This will help your potential customers understand exactly which items they’re getting, who made them, and what size they are because some people aren’t willing to read a description and will just flip through images.
Some Poshmark sellers will use editing apps on their images, this isn’t the best idea in my opinion. You don’t want to make the item look brighter or darker because your customer may be disappointed and leave you a negative review when they receive the item.
Using Brand Images
A thing that a lot of people on Poshmark do, is find an image of the item on an actual model from the store’s website. This is the easiest way to get good quality images with the items being shown in good lighting, however, it isn’t exactly legal.
Taking an image that you didn’t take and using it as your product photo is technically copyright infringement and there is a potential for a law suit. However, the chances of a person tracking down an individual person and suing them are slim, they won’t get much money from you.
I personally like when sellers use the company’s photos because you can get a great feeling for what the item is unlike a lot of people’s dark images.
Creating Your First Listings
The process for listing your items on Poshmark is actually incredibly simple and straight forward.
You’ll be able to post up to 8 photos of your item, we’ve already discussed photography on the app, so we’ll skip that here.
You’ll then need to create a descriptive title that can be found in search, don’t use too many cutesy words that people aren’t going to look for. Be descriptive and realistic.
You’ll then need to create a description, this includes flaws, measurements, and a more detailed description to give your buyer information.
You then need to choose the size, brand, and colour of the item using the app’s menus. Then, set a price for the item. And boom! You’re done.
Poshmark recommends that you post throughout the day instead of posting all of them at once, and have at least 10 items in your closet to start if you want to take it serious!
Maximizing Your Title and Description
It’s extremely important that you understand the basics of search engines to really make selling on Poshmark work for you. The app is really focused on searching for specific brands and colours so those are two things you should include in your title.
For example, if you have a green dress from Free People, you’ll want to include both of those in the title. You wouldn’t want to put Green Dress as the entire title because people are searching for specific brands.
You’re better off doing something like Free People *Item Name* Green Dress, and maybe even adding the size if you have time.
For the description, you’ll want to go into more depth about what the item is about. For example, you could add the measurements for the item, talk about any stains or tears that are on the item, and whether or not it’s been worn.
People also really want to know what type of material they’re purchasing, so adding the percentages numbers for each type of fabric could be a great option as well.
Some Poshmark sellers will even talk about specific ways to wear the item. For example with the green dress, they may say something like “pair with a denim jacket and white sneakers for a casual look, or dress it up with heels”.
Pricing Your Items
For a lot of sellers on Poshmark pricing items can actually be the hardest part, because they don’t want to price too low and lose out on money, but if you price too high, no one will buy.
Thankfully, Poshmark has a sold section that you can look through to see how much similar items have sold for recently. This will help you get a range that will be successful!
Shipping Your Items
One of the best things about selling on Poshmark is that you don’t have to handle calculating shipping costs, the app does it for you, and the customer pays shipping.
Every customer is going to pay a flat rate for shipping, even if it wouldn’t cost that much to ship those particular items, so you can save on having to pay for the shipping costs!
You’re going to need a printer so you can print off these shipping labels, but then you just need to attach them to your packages and send them off! No fuss.
Giving Discounts for Likers
When a shopper is going through the app they have the option to hit the little heart on your item which counts as a like, this means they can go back and see it later easily from their profile.
When someone likes your item you can actually offer them a discount to entice them to buy. These include a shipping discount and have to be more than 10% of the cost you already have on your listing.
A lot of the time people will go through liking items and need a little push to make the purchase, so this is a great way to be more successful as a Poshmark seller.
Negotiating with Buyers
On the Poshmark app there is the option for people to send you an offer where they can offer any amount of money for the item.
Most of the time, these offers are going to be insanely low and not even worth your time, but once in a while someone just wants a few dollars off.
If someone offers you a decent amount of money you can accept it and make the sale immediately, which is nice!
Offering Bundles
As a seller you have the option to allow for bundles on your items. For example, some Poshmark sellers will have a deal where if someone purchases 3 of their items they will get a 10% discount.
This is a really great way to get someone to shop more of your closet instead of buying one item from you and one from another.
Customers are more likely to do this since they pay the shipping and won’t want to pay more than one set of shipping costs!
Posh Parties
A really awesome time to make extra money on Poshmark is during posh parties, these are specific times where certain items can be boosted to people in these parties.
There are parties for things like:
- Plus Sized Clothing
- Petite Clothing
- Jeans
- Shoes
- Accessories
- Etc
During these posh parties you can share your items that work for this party and other people will re-share your items and grow the amount of people who can see your stuff. It’s a great place to start if you’re struggling to make consistent sales.
Growing Your Account
At it’s core Poshmark is both a selling platform as well as a social platform that has followers as a big part of the app.
When someone follows you they are going to see more of your listings and have a higher chance of purchasing something from your closet.
It can be hard to grow an account on Poshmark at first, but it can be done! I’ve found that the best way to gain followers on the app is to find and follow other people who have similar style to you and would like your stuff and follow you back.
You can do this by searching your favourite brands and finding people who are selling these items and following them, some people will definitely follow you back.
Thankfully, there is also the search aspect of the app so you are able to make money without having thousands of followers, so don’t worry too much about building your following and just craft great descriptions for search.
Things You’ll Need
If you’re really serious about making Poshmark your new side gig, or even a full-time gig, you’re going to need to invest a tiny bit of money to make your business thrive.
1. Pinnable Mannequin
The first thing you’re going to need is a pinnable mannequin. This is essential for clothes that you find at thrift stores that aren’t your size, since you won’t be able to try them on and give them the love they deserve.
Putting the clothing on a mannequin will help show what the clothing really looks like to your potential customers, so it’s a necessity if you want to do well on Posh.
2. A Handheld Steamer
If you want to be a successful Poshmark seller for a long time, you want to make sure that the items you’re sending out aren’t completely wrinkled!
A handheld steamer is an essential for making sure that the items aren’t wrinkly in your product photos and when you send them out. These steamers are so much easier to use than an iron and take half the time!
3. A Measuring Tape
A lot of people have weird body shapes and they need the measurements of clothes before they are willing to purchase.
Having a simple measuring tape on hand is essential so you can add these measurements to your listings so you have less questions to answer in the comment section on the item.
4. Thank You Cards
If you really want to compete on Poshmark, you need to get great reviews from your customers. A simple and effective way to make your customer feel appreciated is to send a thank you card along with the clothing item.
It’s simple, just write hey (name), thanks so much for purchasing from my closet! hope you like it! Seriously, this small amount of effort makes the posh purchaser feel so much more important than a regular store.
5. A Printer
You’re going to need a printer to print out the shipping labels for the packages, this is an absolute necessity of the business!
Bonus Tips for Making Money on Poshmark
Share Your Closet Daily
You have the option of sharing your closet to your followers where you can share an item to let your followers know it’s there daily. You don’t want people to forget you exist!
Work to Become an Ambassador
There is a program where specific people can become a poshmark ambassador. These sellers will get recommended when people sign up in the app so they can grow their following more quickly.
You’ll need to meet some of the requirements to get it done, but it’s worth working toward for sure.
Brand Your Cover Photos
Each item that you list can have up to 8 photos for the listing. A great way to set yourself apart from other sellers is to brand your listings by using a specific colour background, or having your branding in the corner of the image. This makes your account look more official and will give your buyers more trust in you.
Don’t Try and Sell Other Items
Poshmark is specifically made for selling things from your closet (i.e., clothes, accessories, shoes). It isn’t made to sell home goods or other things, so you can’t sell these items because Poshmark may put limits on your account.
Share Other People’s Items
You can actually share other people’s items to your followers and this is a great way to build up the community. This will help you gain followers as well because people will love to follow someone who shares something they love, even if it isn’t theirs.
Look for In-Demand Items
If you want to be a successful seller you want to stay up on trends and know what people are wanting at that time. Also, don’t try selling sweaters in the middle of the summer because no one will want to buy. Think about what people will be searching for!
Participate in Posh Parties Often
These parties that Poshmark puts on are one of the best ways to get some sales quickly, because people are in the mood to shop at these parties!
Final Thoughts
Selling on Poshmark is a really amazing way to make money on the side, or even turn it into your full-time job if you work hard enough.
I really hope you learned how to make money on Poshmark in this guide, if you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments below!
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