Poshmark Success

So, in my previous post about making money as a SAHM, one of the ways I mentioned was through Poshmark. Poshmark is like a mix between Instagram and eBay. But it's much more simple (and fun) to list something. And the pictures don't seem to have to be quite as high caliber as on Instagram (though it is encouraged). I have found Poshmark to be my go to for selling fashion items over other listing apps or consignment shops. I have specifically bought clothes from thrift stores to sell on Poshmark, because they were such good deals and I knew I could make a good profit! Most of the clothes that I buy already come from consignment or thrift stores, so they are not likely to take them back after I've been wearing them for six months or more. But people on Poshmark will buy them! You may not think that anyone wants your old clothing, but trust me they do. Everyone is looking for something specific and you may have just what they're looking for. I have sold several used clothing items that were very nice quality, but I knew would not sell at a consignment store and I knew I could make me money off them (lingerie that I either didn't wear anymore or was too big). Believe it or not those are actually the easiest items to sell. So trust me when I say you can sell anything on Poshmark. However, there are certain strategies you can use to be successful. Some people do better than others because they use these simple steps hourly and daily. Poshmark provides you with these tips & tricks on your seller profile (under Your Guide to Poshmark) and when you first sign up. I have implemented them, I feel like, to the extreme. But I know there are more die hard people out there than me that do this and are very successful.

Pictures

So, the most basic and easiest way to get people interested in your product is to take good pictures. I'm not necessarily talking about fancy stylish Instagram pictures (although that is definitely a plus and what has attracted a lot of people to buy my items). I'm talking about a well lit room, a good example of the item (either on you or hanging up that they can see the item fully), and any in perfection or flaws in the item. Make sure when you're taking your picture that you get the correct color displayed. I don't know how many times I see pictures that look like the shirt is yellow and the person selling it is saying it's white. If it's a white shirt it should look like a white shirt. If it's a gray shirt why does it look teal? I just don't get it. There are plenty of apps and filters you can use to make that shirt look like it's supposed to, even if the lighting is bad. Granted, you want to be careful with the filters you use, because you don't want to make the product look better than it is. For example, some whites do look more dingy than others and if you're using a bright white filter and your item is not that white, that's misleading. So you do have to be careful with how you filter your images and edit them, but I guarantee you if you have good pictures your items will sell. Even more points and views if they are laid out in a stylish way. There are plenty of examples on Poshmark, and I have provided some below just to show you how varied mine are.

Sharing

The next best way I have seen to promote your items is to share share share! This is not like Facebook where people get annoyed by sharing 1 million things that are unimportant to them. Sharing is the way to get your products out there. New people join Poshmark every single day, probably every hour - it's ridiculous. If you're not sharing your items, those new people won’t see  them. And they might want to purchase something, so you don't want to exclude them. It also reminds the people that have already seen your items, to take another look or go check out what else is in your closet.

The second best way to share your item is in parties. I used to be really obsessed with this and really good at it. I would literally share every single item that pertain to that party. But I've gotten a little slack and now I'll only share a couple items that are in that party. Parties are just a place that people go to look for specific items. They have parties for kids and men's now too, because it used to just be for women but people wanted a wider range of shopping choices. SOME of the parties include: “style crush”, trendsetter, best in skirts & dresses, best in makeup and accessories. So, you see, there is a lot of variety (and that’s not even all of them). Parties are great because you can post whatever YOU think pertains to that description (as long as it falls in the guidelines). I have found that after I post to a party, I will usually have at least one or two offers or flat out purchases from sharing things, at least a day or two later. So I know for sure this works. The parties usually last for 2 hours, and there's three parties a day. I use to post multiple times in each party when I was really active and it had great results. The other good thing about the parties is, that once you share it (in the party), it also shares to the main feed and moves that item to the top of your list in your closet. So, you're actually sharing it twice, instead of just once.

Another way that you can get your products and closet noticed is to share other posher’s things. It’s kind of a common courtesy if you share another person’s item, they will return the favor and share something of yours. You can't share the whole closet, but you can share an item. So that's also a way to boost your visibility (helping eachother out).

Closet

Some closet tips that I have are, make sure you have a good variety of items for sale. I have jeans, jackets, jewelry, hats, scarves, workout clothes, dresses, skirts, shoes and so much more. The more varied your closet is, the more likely people are to visit you because they can find different items or create bundles.

Bundled items are such a plus, and I would encourage you, if you want people to bundle items you should make them discounted. I offer a 15% discount on a 2+ item bundle. And I've actually had  2 people buy bundles from me at this time. One lady got two items and another lady got four items bundled together for 15% off! I was so shocked and amazed when that lady got four items. It just made me feel so great that someone wanted four pieces of my clothing, and I still ended up making $35.

Also, make sure if you do any special discounts or if you want people to know anything specific, make a listing about it. Some of my examples below are of my 15% off bundles, that I want people to make offers, and when I've got new items posted. And you can share those too, and people will follow you because you've got good deals always going on.

Another tip is to put your items on sale sometimes. Poshmark used to have this cool thing where if you lowered your price at any point in time, they would give people free shipping or $3 shipping (½ off) to help push sales and encourage buyers. But now they have this thing called “closet cleanout” and they only do it every once in awhile. So it's worth it to you, to see who likes your items and discount those specific items, so people are more likely to purchase them. Because nobody wants to pay that $6 shipping charge, trust me. Anytime they can get discounted shipping, they're more likely to buy. PLUS, if you just lowered it, they’re even more likely to buy because they are already interested in it and now it’s on even more sale. Win win for everybody! Now, don’t feel like you have to go so low just to sell it (unless that is your intention). Put a price a little higher than you think someone will buy it for, because honestly, they will probably just offer lower anyway and you want to have a little negotiation room.

Offers

Which brings us into my final tip: offers. This is where it is similar to eBay, in that people can make offers on your items and even on bundled items now. I accept most reasonable offers. In my opinion, a reasonable offer is $10-$15 off for an expensive item, and $2-$5 off a less expensive item. There are some people out there who see a great condition, brand name item and they want it for super cheap, and that irritates me. I think I’m fairly reasonable about the prices I have, but I expect people to negotiate, which is why some of them may seem a little high (and if they don’t that makes me even happier). Poshmark is NOT like eBay or Craigslist in that sense, but if you’re on it to just get rid of stuff, then make that apparent in your pricing.

So, just be considerate when you're making an offer on something and when others are making you offers. If you think it's worth more, counter the offer. If you want to sell it to them for what they offered, that's fine. Or you can go back-and-forth countering offers all day if you want. No one is obligated to buy anything until you hit accept offer (whether that's you hitting accept or them). I would say probably half of my sales come from people offering, so do not be afraid of the offer button!!

And also, side note, DO NOT talk about how low you will go in your comments. You never know if someone is willing to pay you more for that item than the last person was. Only negotiate through the offer button. Anything you say in a comment will be visible to anyone else viewing your item. It's just like Instagram - everyone can see it, except in Instagram, as the account manager, you can delete comments. In Poshmark, you cannot delete comments, so be very specific and careful what you say to the public. Well that’s all I’ve got for my tips & tricks of succeeding on Poshmark (and I think I did a pretty thorough job). Leave a comment below if there is anything else you want to know, or if you have any questions navigating the site. I’ve been on it for almost a year now and I’m pretty comfortable saying I know my way around it. Also, if you haven't signed up yet for Poshmark - use my code: NTNUO for $5 Posh credit!

Thanks for taking the time to read my longest post ever! <3 Amanda