A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO SELLING ON POSHMARK
You're looking to get rid of some things you have lying around the house, and before giving them away, you realize that you can get a few dollars for your items. You stumble across multiple websites and apps that will help you sell your stuff, so you download all of them. You're pumped, you're excited, and you set aside a couple of hours to go "sell your stuff." You take the pictures. You post them. Then you wait...
...Days, maybe weeks later, nothing happens, and you're over it. Lol. I've been there! I started on Poshmark in January of 2017, and I didn't make my first sale until August of that year. If I'm honest, the first sale I had was a fluke, and I did absolutely no type of marketing or promotion to help me. But, when I got the sale, I got inspired, and I decided to do little more research on Poshmark and how to make more sales.
I started reading all the tips and tricks on the Poshmark website and then turned to YouTube and Instagram. Who knew there was this whole community of not only Poshmark sellers but resellers from eBay, Amazon, Mercari, Tradesy, and countless others. Here I was looking to make some pocket change, and people were out there running full-time businesses reselling. Mind BLOWN!
I made a decision that I was going to start a real business from Poshmark because if people were out there making a living from this, I could certainly make it a side-hustle. So, in true Jessica-fashion, I learned everything I could learn on Poshmark and reselling. I watched YouTube videos any chance that I could get. I listened to podcasts on my commute to and from work, and I followed hundreds of resellers on Instagram. Then I started applying all of the lessons that I learned.
It's been over two years since I have been selling consistently on Poshmark, and my business has continued to grow. Just like anything, running a Poshmark business takes work. I get a lot of questions about how to get started on Poshmark. Here are a few things to help you get going:
Photography // Thalia Nino
Start With Items In Your House
I am notorious for wearing things a few times and then letting them sit in my closet. I'll say to myself, "Oh, I'll hold on to it, just in case," Then, months later, I'm like, "I forgot I had this. Go through your closet and take an inventory of your clothes, shoes, and accessories. If you can't remember the last time you wore it, pull it and add it to the pile to list!
Style Over Brands
This was probably my biggest mistake as a new Posher. After moving on from items I had in my own closet, I started to thrift. I focused more on labels then I did style because I thought they would sell. Little did I know, I'd have designer labels sitting in my Poshmark closet for months with no interest. Pay attention to what styles are selling. Distressed denim does really well for me despite the brand. Now I'm not saying to pass up on vintage Burberry, but older J.Crew, Madewell, and even Anthropologie brands will not sell as well as their newer styles.
Pictures Matter
If you look back to some of the first items I sold, my pictures were not the pictures you see today. You don't need a fancy camera or fancy lighting equipment, but it is important that your photos are clear and well lit. Imagine you went to your favorite website, and they laid their items on the floor, and their pictures were dim and blurry. Would you spend your money with them? Probably not. I suggest using a white wall and natural light if you do not already have lighting equipment. Investing in photo equipment can come later.
Share Your Items
Once you have your items, you've taken your photos, and you've listed them to the app, you are not done, sorry! A huge part of Poshmark is sharing your items to the feed. Sharing your products brings them to the top of the search feed. When someone searches 'Nike Air Max 95', the products that were last "shared" will appear at the top of the search. If you can imagine how many people are posting Nike Air Max 95's a day, you can understand how important it is to share your items routinely.
List Consistently
I'm still not 100% clear on how this affects the Poshmark algorithm, but listing consistently to your closet brings more eyes to your closet, which brings you more sales. This has been proven to me over and over again. I recommend listing to your closet at least once a day. If you only have seven new items, list one each day rather than posting them all in one day. Poshmark's draft feature makes this simple for those of us who like to batch their work.
If I told you that you'd see immediate success after applying all of these tips, I'd be lying. You may see immediate results, but like anything, success takes time. There are thousands of Poshmark resellers out there, but if you are consistent and give it time, you will breed results. Keep learning. Keep pushing.
If you've never used Poshmark before, download the app and sign up with my code MYWALKINNCLOSET for $10 off your first purchase.
Xo,
Jessica