Five Important Lessons I Learned In My First Month of Being a Poshmark Member
When I was first furloughed, I started thinking of ways I could try to make up some lost income before unemployment kicked in. I had always heard of Poshmark and realized I even had an account setup, but just never put in the effort to get items listed. I already had a few bags of clothes and accessories that I planned to list, so luckily they were organized and ready to go when I was. This isn’t a “get rich quick” platform, but there are so many benefits and now is a perfect time to build the foundation for your Poshmark closet for future sales. My goal was to list five things a day at the beginning just to get into the habit. Now, we laugh because literally nothing in our house is safe and could easily end up in the Poshmark pile tomorrow. But, I have started to gain some traction and made some extra money in this shelter in place. Since my first sale was officially a month ago, I am officially an expert! Not true at all, but I have learned some important things during this first month:
1. Take Pride In Your Photos
My only non-5 star review on Poshmark was from a coverup that noted the “color wasn’t like the picture. More of a white background, picture showed more of a beige”. It didn't matter that my description gave the information of the color, but because the photo was not exactly the shade she received, she did not give me a perfect review. I was so embarrassed to receive that review, but I also completely understood where she was coming from! I thought I had done everything right when it came to listing my items, but luckily, she let me know that was not the case. That bit of feedback has helped me tremendously. I learned to no longer take photos in artificial light or at night. Now, I only photograph items during the day and in natural light near a window. It makes SUCH a difference to make your photos stand out and be a true representation of the item you are listing.
2. You Honestly Never Know What Will Sell
My first sell was a romper I bought about six years ago, but had never worn. The next sell was a sweater I used to wear all the time, but then my boss and I accidentally both showed up to work wearing it and I never wore it to work again. I was shocked when a tennis racquet bag I listed for my husband sold almost immediately. You just never, ever know what people are looking for on Poshmark! The majority of clothing items I have sold this month still have the tags on them. Maybe they were a gift or I bought the wrong size and forgot to return, but regardless, those items were not serving me, so off to Poshmark they went to finally get a life! Just because you are tired of an item or have no need for it does not mean someone else would not love to own it.
3. Collaborate With Your Friends to Diversify Your Closet
When I first started, I collected all of the items I had put aside to sell and got to listing! I quickly realized that my closet was a lot of size 10-14 work dresses and blazers, size 10 shoes and a few size Large shirts. That is great for someone my size who works in an office, but I realized for my closet to get more exposure, I was going to need some variety! I started adding some size 6-8 clothing items from a coworker who had just moved as well as some other items from a group of my girlfriends. I asked them if I could list some of their items and we could share the profit? They were all in! Most recently, I got my 6’5” tennis coach husband to clean out his closet and drawers to add to my Poshmark closet. Not only was I adding different sizes, I was adding different styles and tastes to attract more people to my page. Listing for and with my friends and husband has totally changed the traffic on my page.
4. Fast Facts About Sustainable Fashion
Okay, woah. Talk about a research rabbit hole. I could, and likely will, write an entire post about this alone. Resale is such an important aspect to sustainability and Poshmark has opened my eyes to the possibilities. This is so fascinating to me and honestly makes me rethink my shopping habits as a whole. I learned that the fashion industry produces almost 100 million tons of waste each year. Preowned clothing is not only attractive due to the price, but when you buy second hand, you are adding to the life of that piece of clothing or pair of shoes. Here is a pretty astonishing info-graphic I needed to share with you that might have you rethinking that online shopping cart (I am guilty, too!):
5. The Importance of Sharing
Did you know it takes 10,000 shares to become a Poshmark Ambassador? That means sharing your own items at least 5,000 times and items from the community 5,000 times!! There are a lot of other criteria to become an Ambassador (so trust them!), but this one made me realize the importance and reason for sharing items. At first, I did not understand why people were sharing random things from my closet and how I could benefit from sharing items from theirs, but once I dug into it a little deeper, it all made a lot more sense. Sharing items from your closet keeps items fresh and at the top of search results and feeds. When you share from other people’s closets, you are not only building community, but you are also showing off your style to your followers and potential followers.
I am still very new to the Poshmark community, but have been having a lot of fun setting up my closet and joining this community! There are a lot of other great tips - join the parties for exposure, price high but fair (people will also offer lower), package the item nicely, include a handwritten thank you note, and the list goes on!
Find my closet on Poshmark or sign up with my code MKJOHNSTON2 to get $10 off your first order!
