Is It Worth It to Buy and Sell Clothes in 2022?

Poshmark is an online marketplace to buy and sell gently used items, mostly geared to designer and name brand clothing.

You mainly buy and sell through the app, although you can also do this from the website’s desktop version.

In our Poshmark review, we will cover what it is, how it works and if it is for you.

Summary

If you are looking to add to your closet or clear out your closet in a fun way, I recommend Poshmark as a solid option. 

Pros

• Easy shipping
• Flexibility
• Ease of use

Cons

• Buyers market
• Picky shoppers
• Fees

What is Poshmark?

If you have higher-end clothes you want to sell or are in the market for some brand-named clothing, then Poshmark is the right app for you.

As a fashion consumer myself, I found Poshmark a great way to get deals on my favorite brands and make a buck or two selling my designer jeans.

The app was first launched over 8 years ago by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Manish Chandra, former founder of the online shopping site, Kaboodle.

Poshmark embraces a socially-focused buying and selling experience. Potential buyers can “like” items and ask you questions directly on the page the item is listed. They can also follow your closet if they like your style.

Let’s look a little deeper at each side of the app; buyer and seller.

Poshmark As A Buyer

If you love fashion as much as I do, Poshmark is the perfect place to find your favorite brand-names.

The store has a large selection of nearly every type of clothing and accessory item.

Getting Started

To begin, Poshmark gives you the option of signing up with your Facebook account or filling out a form. I simply used my Facebook since it was the simplest way to get going.

Next, they will ask for some profile information, including your gender, clothing and shoe size. I love the idea that I do not have to sort through hundreds of clothes since these pre-questions will take me right to my size.

For the next step, you’ll choose the brands you love. First, they ask you for your top three, but you can go back later and add more.

If you do not see your initial favorites in the 20 offered, click the Follow More button, and they provide a nice long list in alphabetical order to choose from.

Once you pick out your favorites, your personal shopping network is created. It consists of sellers who focus on brands that interest you.

Start Shopping

There are endless clothes to choose from. This is where using the filters at the top comes in handy. For example, I searched for my favorite Ann Taylor brand and added the word jacket.

I then used the left panel filters to choose by my size, color and price range. This allowed for a nice selection to choose from.

From here, go through each seller and review their products offered. And be sure you read the description carefully.

If you find an item you like, clicking either “Make an Offer” or “Buy Now” will take you to a payment platform. Or simply use the “Buy now with PayPal” option.

Personally, I love the PayPal option because the proceeds I get from selling items go to my PayPal account, which I can turn around and use to buy items. Sadly, it is a revolving door, yet for the love of fashion, it is worth it.

Tips On Buying

Saving favorite sellers is one of the best features of Poshmark.  When I find a seller who sells the brands I love, and in my size, I add them to my favorites. It’s easy to click on the heart icon to like and save for later.

Another feature that is great for buyers is being able to haggle for a sale. I love a good ‘let’s make a deal’ type of sale.

When I see a great pair of jeans, yet I am not willing to pay what they’re asking for them, I use the offer button.

Using the offer button is a great way to ask if the seller will reduce their price. Most sellers just want to clear their merchandise, so make sure to ask lower than you want to pay.

Cons of Buying

When shopping for a specific item, you have to list it in the description. For example, Ann Taylor Denim White Jacket. Not all sellers describe their items well.

It would be nice if Poshmark required their sellers to put the fabric texture like ‘denim” or ‘linen,’ allowing the buyer to select from the left-hand panel more options to narrow down the search.

Other than that, buying is easy on the site.

Poshmark As A Seller

Six years ago, I got the idea to start an eBay store to get rid of clothing, shoes and accessories I no longer wanted. (I had a bit of a shopping addiction, but that’s a totally different story.)

At the time, handy selling apps weren’t as popular, so I used eBay, which was both a blessing and a curse. Later, I moved over to the Poshmark platform for its ease of use and selling potential.

When you’re ready to sell, download the app to your phone.

When posting your items, Poshmark asks you if it can access your camera on your phone. From there, all you need to do is take photos of your pieces and post them with a description. Sounds easy, but there are some tricks and ways to get more shoppers to your items.

The Power of Photos

I admit I had a leg up on selling online because I previously had my eBay store. I think all of my years of online shopping have truly helped me understand the customer’s mind.

As a buyer, there were so many times when I’d bounce from a seller’s page because the item listed had blurry or dark photos and no clear description or return policy. Next.

It still surprises me how sloppy some sellers are with photos. Images are sometimes dark, hard to see (especially black or darker colored items), or the close up is blurry, and you don’t know what you’re looking at.

If the color of the item didn’t come out accurately, be sure to note that in the description.

As awesome as smartphones are these days, sometimes it doesn’t capture an item’s color true to life. Instead of customers wondering if the item was olive green or grey, just write it in the description.

I can’t stress this enough: be as detailed and descriptive as possible, and take quality photos. Poshmark allows you to take up to eight photos of your item.

Take advantage of that and use all eight to show your item in different angles, close-ups and model it if you can. It helps to see what the item looks like when worn, rather than just dangling on a hanger.

Five mini-hacks for awesome photos:

1. Take photos in natural lighting

If you can’t, make sure it’s brightly lit inside.

2. Use a comparison item in your photos

If the item is small, snap the photo next to a comparison item (i.e., a coin, an iPhone, anything that buyers will universally recognize). That way, people will easily understand the size more accurately.

For example, I once sold some tiny diamond stud earrings, so I put a penny in the photo so customers could compare the size.

3. Use a seamstress tape measure

Lay clothing flat with the tape measure in the photo so you don’t have to write it out in the description, which many customers don’t read anyway.

4. Be upfront about any and all flaws the item may have

Taking photos of all flaws is crucial. Be as transparent as possible so you do not surprise the buyer. Surprises are only great for birthday parties, not when you’re spending your hard-earned money on something.

This not only helps minimize returns, but if you want to continue selling on Poshmark, gaining as many positive reviews will help keep your business going.

5. Use your phone’s editing tool

I would not only snap photos of the flaws, but I would also use my editing tool on my iPhone (called Markup) to draw an arrow to the flaw, so the customer doesn’t have to search for it.

How to Price Your Item

Do a quick search on Poshmark and eBay to see what your item is fetching. Try to price your item as competitively as possible.

Be Descriptive and Use Adjectives

Channel your sixth grade English class and get descriptive. Use as many adjectives as possible, and give detail about the size, color and condition. Plus, explain how the article fit on you when you wore it.

As a bonus, you can suggest ways customers can stylishly wear the item.

Build Your Following

Just like Instagram, you can follow other “Poshers.” The first week I sold items, I was surprised to see I had quickly gained 50+ followers just from posting my pieces.

If you’re thinking about making this a long-term way to make extra money, follow them back.

I’ve also heard about Poshmark sellers who regularly share other people’s items with their own followers, so this is something you may want to try as you’re building your customer base.

Add a Nice Note to Your Package

Each time I sold an item, I stuffed turquoise tissue paper in the customer’s box, along with a nice note.

I also ask customers to please contact me first if there are any discrepancies or issues with the item, rather than opening up a case with Poshmark or leaving me a negative review.

Haggling and Best Offer Option

Poshmark has an “offer” option, which means buyers can make an offer that’s lower than the price you list. Keeping this option open when you sell your item can help gain more customer interest.

Note: You can set the minimum price you’re willing to accept for an item.

Posh Parties

Posh Parties are virtual, real-time shopping events where sellers (and buyers) get together to shop and sell. It’s another way for Poshmark to encourage social engagement on the app and an opportunity to attract more followers.

You can join a party easily. Just go to your listing when the party starts and press the share button to see the current party. If you want to share, hit the button, and you’ll be added to the party.

You can save items to sell only for parties. Just add the new listing when the party is happening, and you’ll receive an option to share it.

Seller Boutique

If you have a lot of things to sell, you can set up your own online boutique on Poshmark. If you appreciate simplicity over fees, then Poshmark might be your best choice. However, if you’re concerned about fees, you might consider eBay, OfferUp, Craigslist or similar sites.

Pros and Cons of Selling

My first experience with Poshmark was awesome! It’s simple to post items directly from the app, communicate with buyers and understand flat fees for shipping.

Pros

The app by far is the key to easy selling. Just follow the step by step instructions to get going. 

Easy Shipping

The shipping is straightforward, as they do a flat rate shipping of $6.79, and the buyer pays this. You can print a shipping label from the app and ship Priority Mail via USPS. And you should also know that you can only ship in the United States.

Flexibility

The app allows you to work from home and to work when you want. It is up to you how much you sell, how much you interact and if you want to create a following of buyers by linking your social media.

Cons

Simplicity comes at a price. As I learned how to use the app, I also learned how to become pricing savvy.

Poshmark’s Fees

Embracing simplicity, Poshmark’s fees are straightforward. For sales under $15, they take a flat fee of $2.95, so if you sell a dress for $14, you’ll pocket $11.05.

If the cost of the item is higher than $15, Poshmark takes a 20 percent cut. So imagine selling that same dress for $16; you’ll pocket $12.80.

Once your sale has been delivered and received by your buyer, the earnings from your sale are yours.

Still, I check other selling platforms before posting to see where I will get the most bang for my buck. 

Poshmark Favors the Buyer vs Seller

The way Poshmark is set up is really geared to the buyer. If the buyer happens to be unhappy with your item for whatever reason, they can open a claim and return the item to you.

Another downside to using the app as a seller is that you can’t get paid until after the buyer receives your item and “accepts” the purchase.

The buyer has three days to do this. Poshmark then releases your funds on the fourth day, and you have the option to release the funds or spend it in the app.

This means you actually don’t get the money until the buyer receives the item and marks it as accepted on the app. It’s a long waiting period, especially if your item gets lost or delayed from USPS.

Let’s say the buyer isn’t happy with the item, for whatever reason. They can use this three-day window to contest or return the item, in which case you won’t get paid.

Not the Best Option for a Store

If you plan on selling a lot of items and want to form a business around selling gently used clothing, Poshmark probably isn’t the best platform because of the high commission fee of 20 percent.

You’re probably better off starting your own e-commerce store using a site like Shopify.

Socially-focused Means Lots of Time

Customers can post questions and comments directly on the item’s page. So there can be many questions, which can take up a lot of your time to answer.

While there’s nothing wrong with answering customers’ questions, constant pinging isn’t an ideal situation either.

I’ve heard of sellers complaining about having to answer tons of questions about size, color, etc., but resulting in very little buying.

The goal of selling is not to have it take up too much of your time since, as they say, time is money.

Poshmark Reviews