9 Valuable Tips You Need for Successful Selling on Poshmark

Well, 2020 has been a crap year, am I right? One thing that I’ve been highly focused on has brought me quite a lot of success though- is selling on Poshmark!

As of today, October 29th, I’ve sold just over $800 worth gently used baby and adult clothes, shoes, and accessories!

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I’ve actually had a Posh account since 2016, but had to take a few years off as all my items were stored in another state.

But now that we bought a house and have a little more space, I have broken out my inventory and started selling again, full-steam ahead.

Since I’ve had a decent go at it so far, a few friends have asked what things I’ve found to be most beneficial. So, I decided to share my top 10 tips on how to have success on Poshmark, hope they will help you too

#1- Take Good Photos

This might be self-evident, but you’ll notice a definite difference in the quality of photos that top sellers list vs. someone not making any sales.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I’ve got a good handle on it now!

You want to have a clean, bright background to start. Whether that is a blank wall, a solid color backdrop, a floor, carpet, whatever. But the important part is that it needs to not distract from your item.

I generally use only 3-4 backgrounds- my cream colored carpet, wood flooring, the wall, or some painted white wood.

I also use a mannequin on my adult items if I think it will help bring out the shape and style better than a flat lay.

I don’t recommend using filters or special borders or anything like that, it just clutters the photo.

Here’s an example of a photo that’s not ideal. Even though the actual product, the boots, might be super cute, you can’t really see them!

Imagine you’re shopping on your phone, looking at listings, you might just scroll right past this since you can’t see it easily.

But this next picture– absolutely gorgeous right? It’s bright, you can see the item clearly, and it’s even shown “in use”. It’s a perfect way to display an item.

Of course, you may not be able or want to model all your items and that’s fine. It’s great if you can, but if not, you can even look for photos online of your item and sometimes you might be able to find a photo from the store or brand that produced the item.

Either way, just make sure your photos are bright, with the correct color, contrast, and tone to accurately represent the item. And take as many photos as you can, up to the limit Posh provides per listing, from all different directions, angles, uses, whatever way you can.

From my experience, the more (good) photos, the better!

#2- Write Useful Descriptions

Your descriptions don’t have to be super flowery and full of marketing jargon to be salesworthy. But, you do need to include all the basic information as well as any insights that the buyer needs to be aware of.

For instance, describe the item just as it is, but also give information on size, color, brand, and especially quality.

If something is “New With Tags”, you can select that check box in the listing creator, or you can just type NEW at the beginning of your description. New items tend to sell a little better, at a discounted price.

And if the item is clothing, you’re most likely going to want to include measurements. Even if you don’t think it’s necessary, trust me, people are going to ask you for them.

For a jacket I give measurements like- chest width, sleeve length, total length, waist size, etc. Or for a skirt, you’d want to give measurements on waist, length, total width at hem, and anything else needed.

Don’t forget to add details about closures like zippers, buttons, pockets, hoods, or any other special details.

Since sizes are so different in every brand, people want to make sure they’re getting something that will fit them, even if it’s listed as their size.

Make sure you give information on any flaws or noticeable wear too. You don’t want to deceive people in any way!

#3- Communicate with Shoppers

If you’re going to be actively selling, you’re going to want to keep an eye on your Poshmark notifications throughout the day.

You’ll get notified if someone “likes” an item, makes an offer, a comment, or “follows” you.

For questions, you will want to try to get back to people as soon as possible. The longer you take to respond, the more likely they are to lose interest in your item.

Sometimes people will want to know more about the item or request additional photos of some aspect of your item. Just do your best to accomodate them, if what they’re asking is reasonable.

Try not to get annoyed if people ask “silly” questions though, it does happen. You want to keep a reputation of being helpful, not irritated. 😉

BUT, a warning, if someone comments about something and then requests you to get back to them off the platform, like via an email or something, I’d be very suspicious. There are known to be scammers everywhere, even on Poshmark. Just stay on the platform and you’ll most likely avoid people like that.

It’s also against Poshmark’s rules to post an item for sale and then complete that sale off the site. Duh, right?

And don’t forget to be willing to communicate with others on their closets. If you like something you see, tell them! The Poshmark Community is very big on helping one another- they refer to sellers as “Poshers”.

Most people are reciprocal too, if you comment or follow them, they’ll likely follow back. More on this next…

#4- Follow Other People & Join “Parties”

This was a big win for me to figure out this year while selling on Poshmark. Before I was actively selling on a regular basis, I had no idea how helpful/important it was to get “followers” for my closet.

I thought, well, if someone is shopping for something, they’ll just do a search and maybe find my item, right?

Well, that may be true like 10% of the time, but it’s also important to know that when you post a listing, that will become visible in your Follower’s Feed (just like a Facebook feed). So, if you don’t have any followers, who will most likely see your items?

There’s lots of ways to find followers, for instance, you can just click on the “Find People” option under your profile. You’ll usually get a list of Ambassadors to follow. (see #9 for more on that)

But you can also search for people that sell brands you’re interested in, or who live in your city, or went to your university, etc.

I recommend trying to Follow at least 100 new people a day. And whenever you can, Share items in their closet with your own Followers. Poshmark likes when you help out other Poshers.

You will also probably get invites to “Parties” from the PM Editor. These are focused events where you can post and share specific items that you’re selling, to get more eyes on them for purchase.

They have several every day. You just want to get on the App and be sure to Share your applicable items during the parties, to increase your chances of selling your items.

Related Reading: My First Blog Income Report- Ways I Earned My First $100

#5 List, Share, and Re-Share

I also suggest you list new items in your closet on a regular basis. I try to list new items every week, but sometimes I will try to list at least one new item every day, if I have the time.

Another HUGE thing is that you want to SHARE your own items every day! You do this by just hitting the little arrows in the bottom right corner of your listing. See the big red arrow in the image below…

Everytime you do this, your listing is pushed to the top of your Followers feed. The more times your item is viewed, the more you are likely to sell it!

I try to re-share my entire closet at least once per day. Many people recommend you do it several times a day. But depending on your time, just try to be consistent and do it as often as you can.

And again, Poshmark is big on helping out one another in their Community. So, any chance you get, Share someone else’s items too. Posh has said that people who “Share” other Posher’s items have an increase in their own sales from 20-70%. That’s a ton!

I think the reason is, when you Share someone else’s item, they also get a notification. Most active people are likely to return the favor and share some of your items too, to their Followers. BUT, they are also more likely to check out your closet and maybe purchase from you as well.

#6- Packaging and Shipping

To be successful on Poshmark you’re going to want to make sure that items you sell are received well and therefore rated highly by the buyer.

Buyers rate your items on a 5-star system, and you don’t “get” your money from a sale until your item is officially “received” by the buyer.

If the buyer doesn’t click “Accepted” within 3-days of delivery, Posh will release your funds anyway.

But, it’s important to carefully package your items so that they look nice and well taken care of. Just try to imagine how you’d like to receive something you purchased online.

I always put all items in a clear protective poly bag, then wrap in tissue paper and add a small note to thank the buyer. Like a sticky note size piece of paper with a quick message with the buyer’s first name. (People love to see their name in print!)

It doesn’t have to be hard! Just make it look nice!

Here’s a few items I’ve purchased on Amazon that I absolutely LOVE and could not do without in my Poshmark business:

Next, I have to tell you this label maker has been my absolute, hands down #1 investment for both my Poshmark and Etsy businesses, since I started 11 years ago!

This little beauty uses thermal printing so you never have to buy ink!!

It comes with labels that are 4 x 6 which is the perfect size to print and stick on your packages. The labels have sticky on the back too, so you don’t even need tape.

If there was one product I recommend to buy if you are going to be an online seller of any kind, it’s this one…

#7 Learn How to Create Bundles

The other “secret” tip I learned, that has really helped me make sales of multiple items, is how to create a Bundle for someone.

It was a little tricky to figure out at first, so if my directions don’t make sense, please comment and I’ll clarify for you.

Basically, a “bundle” is a purchase or order with more than one item or listing. If someone wants to buy say two or three items from you at a time, that’s a “bundle”.

You can offer special discounts on bundles that can be set up in your My Seller Tools, and then in My Seller Discounts.

So, when someone likes multiple items in your closet, you can create a Bundle for them and even add additional discounts to encourage them to purchase.

How you do this is by first clicking on their closet name, so you are on their “homepage” if you will.

Next, you will click the little image with the shopping bag at the top of your screen, right next to their official closet name. (In my own it doesn’t show my picture, but when you look at someone else’s it will be there too)

So, once you click on that shopping bag, you’ll be on a new page and you’ll see in the top right hand corner, three dots. Click on those dots…

When you click on the dots, some options will pop up at the bottom of your screen. You just choose “Switch to Sell View”.

Next, you will see at the bottom of your screen, any items that that person has “Liked” in your closet.

Also, just a Posher hint, if you don’t like something enough to consider actually purchasing it, don’t hit “Like”. When you “Like” something, that tells that Posher that you are really interested in purchasing the item. So only hit Like if you really might buy it and please expect to receive a discounted offer from the seller if you do.

Okay, back to Bundles. So once you see the items they have Liked, you’ll want to click the little + button in the middle bottom of each listing image, to add that item to the Bundle.

Now you’ve created a Bundle! Your next step is to send them an offer. You can send the automatic pricing option that Posh creates for you (based on each items price, and any Bundle discounts you’ve already set up for your closet) – or you can choose to offer them an even lower total price here. Just click on “Offer” next.

Once you click on the Offer button, you’ll see this screen, where you can choose the pricing and shipping discounts. And you’ll see how different prices will affect how much you’ll earn from the sale.

And that’s it!! You now know how to create a bundle!

My best sales usually come from marking down prices on Bundle offers. It’s all up to you though, and depends on how much you want to earn from the sale.

#8 Add “Marketing” Listings

Okay, now you know all the basics!

My next tip is to create various “Marketing” listings for your shop, that show your personality, or explain your policies.

Because each closet doesn’t have much in the way of personalization, besides your headshot and banner images, this is a great way to differentiate.

I have downloaded an App called “Word Swag” that I use to create the images for these listings. It’s free to use most of the basic tools there, but you have a limited selection of fonts. It’s pretty useful because they connect to Unsplash’s free library of images too.

Just a few examples of ones I have created…

The main thing to note here is that you want to mark the item “NOT FOR SALE” or set a ridiculously high price that no one would actually purchase.

The reason for the second option is that you can slowly lower that price, even $1, and anyone who has Liked that listing will get a notification that the price has gone down on that “item”.

You can then change the info in the “Details” section of the listing, telling folks you’re running a sale, clearing out your closet, anything that you want to get their attention.

Note that there are lots of Posher’s that don’t want people to negotiate their prices. In other words, they don’t accept “offers”. So if you decide you want to do that, it’s a good way to let your customer’s know.

#9 Become an Ambassador

Okay- you’ve made it this far!!

You may or may not be interested in this, depending on how much you plan to work on this.

If you do plan to make this your part-time or full-time gig, you will want to become an Ambassador.

There are a few perks, like you get more options for selling with Posh and you get to be a Recommended Seller so you might get found more often.

I won’t lie, it will take you a while to get through all the requirements to qualify. For instance, you have to have at least 5,000 personal “shares” and 5,000 shares of items from other Posher’s closets.

You can see what the requirements are by going to “My Posh Stats” in your main menu on the App.

Here’s a screenshot of my stats that have qualified me to be an Ambassador.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it! My Top 9 Tips to Successfully Selling on Poshmark.

And keep in mind that it does have it’s own learning curve, just like anything does! Remember, don’t get frustrated or give-up if you can’t figure something out. Always feel free to reach out to people on the App most Poshers are happy to give you tips.

Or, you can always get in touch with me and I’d be so down to help you figure stuff out.

Selling on Poshmark is fun, pretty easy (once you get the hang of it), and can be downright profitable.

So, what are you waiting for? Get signed up today and start Poshing!

And, if you set up a new account using my unique code: LATERMEANSNEVER, you’ll get a $10 credit for your first purchase!

And, leave me any comments below if you have any questions, or need any help. Thanks!

Clarrisa Lee

Clarrisa Lee is a blogger, writer, and small business entreprenuer. She runs 3 successful Etsy shops, plus she's a pro-seller on Poshmark. She loves helping others learn how to get out of debt (like she did!), make more money, and learn how to start their own small business' too! She is happily married (unfortunately with no kids yet!) and currently lives with her husband in Wichita, Kansas.