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Hi friends! It’s been a while since I have blogged but here I am. And what is it that brings me back to my computer desk? Well, I am loving Poshmark so much and really wanted to share my experience with you. I just broke $1000 in sales since late November and am finally clearing out some of these tubs of clothes that haven’t fit my kids in years.
This post is NOT sponsored but I will toss in my referral link when I can because it saves you $10 off your first purchase ( enter code SBLEVINS1214) and then I get $10 to spend myself.
So, I actually joined Poshmark back in 2014 when it was in it’s younger years and geared more toward luxury purses and designer apparel. I didn’t even log into my account for almost 6 years but last November I did. I had been really struggling to get things sold lately. You all know that through the years I have been very active on Facebook BST boards, eBay and then selling on Instagram but things were getting harder! Selling on social media left me a victim to the algorithm and selling on eBay left me feeling little control or suffering long waits to get the price I wanted for something.
I just wanted it to be easy. And take up as little time as possible. Can I tell you something? I hate selling in local Facebook groups. I feel like the messages get bombarded, people claim things and then get abducted by aliens, I have to chase down payment and then things sit on my porch for weeks on end waiting to be picked up. That is why I liked selling on Instagram. I had a separate account and it helped me separate the selling part from my personal social media accounts. And it worked great until the algorithm decided it didn’t. Apparently, it doesn’t like you not posting for weeks and then posting a bunch of photos in a row. But, I have a lot of people who do shop so for that reason I have been crossposting items to both my Instagram account @our.little.shop and my Poshmark! And things have been good.
For me, Poshmark is the perfect blend of Ebay, Facebook and Consigment sales! I am kicking myself for not getting the ball rolling sooner!
PS: I scored this Joyfolie dress on Abby for like $20 on Poshmark too!
Why am I so happy?
As a self-proclaimed control freak, I love the way it’s set up. It’s almost like an online shop but better. I set prices. I can reduce them as I want. I can send offers to buyers and accept, decline or negotiate offers from people. People can bundle items and I can offer additional discounts. There are SO MANY USERS and it’s really easy to sort by brand to shop yourself. Trust me… I have bought my fair share of goodies too! Let me tell you a little bit more!
How it works + TIPS
First, download the Poshmark App. If you are new CLICK HERE Sign up with my code SBLEVINS1214 to get $10 off your first order. Take a while to browse! I love that you can tap on a brand’s name and see everything listed under that. I typically keep mine under the KIDS market but explore the other ones. I also don’t set up sizes since I am shopping for the whole family. Once on a brand you can FOLLOW it so that it shows up in your feed. And I love how I can use the filter to search by JUST IN or JUST SHARED and more.
Making friends and liking stuff.
So, this is refreshing! When you like or heart a listing it means that you are following it. It allows you to keep track of what you want and also for the buyer to send you an OFFER for that item. If they reduce the price you get an email. Find like-minded people and follow them. You don’t have to like a bunch of their stuff but you can SHARE their item. Then it shows up to people who follow you. You can buy things.
And here is a TIP. Check your credit card offers! This month my AMEX has a targeted offer for $15 back when I spend $50 at Poshmark (up to 2x). I bought something for $50.31 the other day and saw the $15 back on my card right away. Yay!
A note about shipping.
This is probably what people complain the most about. Shipping on Poshmark is a flat $7.11 and it’s paid by the buyer. That is for any size order (up to 5 pounds) so it’s advantageous to buy more than one thing at a time. But that is so expensive, right? Well, not really! Hear me out. We are so used to free shipping that it’s easy to forget how much it costs. When I sell on Instagram I pay $3-$5 for a light item but once it hits 16oz it has to go priority and costs me $10+. So, it’s actually nice for me as a seller. That means you can sell those heavy hunter boots or that winter coat and not have to price it super high to cover shipping yourself. A seller can offer a “shipping discount” but that just means we have to pay that portion of it.
But here is a TIP. Look for the special CLOSET CLEAN OUT DAYS in your notifications. Because oftentimes if you reduce the price of an item at least 10% then they send an email to all of the people who like it and offer a special $4.99 shipping for the next 6 hours. I watch for this and drop prices all of the time. It’s a great way to make sales and boost your bottom line.
Selling your stuff.
I find the selling interface super easy. Note that photos are square format. I take my item on my porch and hang it on the wreath holder for good lighting. You can add up to 8 photos, brand, size, etc and then set your price. Poshmark takes 20%. I am a-ok with that and will tell you why later! But it will show what your EARNINGS are. That is your in-pocket money at the end of the sale. I have a garment rack in my office and keep my currently listed items hung and pull them as they sell.
You want to keep sharing your items every few days. It bumps the listing up to the top of the brand and your CLOSET.
You sold something. Now what?
I love this part. You don’t have to weigh a thing. Shipping is easy. They email your a priority shipping label and you print it out. I do it right from my phone and it’s waiting on my printer! Then you tape it on any poly mailer or any Priority Shipping Box including flat rate.
Tip: You can order them for free here! And then I schedule a USPS pickup and they are picked up off my front porch the next day!
Also, Poshmark is required to collect sales tax and then remit that for you so that you don’t have to!
Once you ship your money is held in MY BALANCE until the buyer receives and accepts the order. Then you can hold it in your account to do some shopping or redeem it as a direct deposit to your bank account. Love that part!
So, back to that 20%.
Here is why I think it’s worth it. First, it covers all processing fees (credit card, etc) which run you almost 4% anyway. But the main reason is that they advertise for me! They run smart ads on social media and Google. So, if someone is searching for something I have then it will show up in their Google Seach Results! And if a buyer looks at something of mine it will keep showing up in ads all over their social media including Facebook. Heck, I even see the adds in my Stock Trader App. This helps me reach so many more people. And it’s still way less than most consignment sales take!
And my stuff is moving. I have sold like 80 things for a total of $1100 in 8 weeks. If I want to sell things, it’s easy to drop prices and move them. If I am firm on a price I can decline offers and wait it out. I love that there is no chit chat or busywork. People pay and you ship. It’s so easy.
Anyway, if you haven’t joined CLICK HERE Sign up with my code SBLEVINS1214 to get $10 off your first order. If you are already a member you can click here to view my closet. My username is SBLEVINS1214. Follow me and let’s connect.
Feel free to leave your username or any questions as comments on this post!
And I hope that you find this motivating. I know that a lot of you are in the same place as me. We were so into Matilda Jane and all of those other boutique brands. We loved it. We bought a lot. Our kids great up and we have our “investment” sitting in tubs or if you are like me a lot of it is still in the closet even though it hasn’t fit in years. I really feel like I am giving things a good home and recouping my money at least a little.
