How to Sell on Poshmark + Tips to Maximize Your Earnings

Buying and reselling secondhand products online have become popular ways to make money from unwanted items and save money on discounted purchases. Several websites, such as eBay, Craigslist, and thredUP, have appeared to help people sell used items online. One of the most successful online marketplaces is Poshmark, which connects buyers and sellers of name-brand clothing and accessories. Selling on Poshmark is fast, simple, and potentially very lucrative, if you know a few simple tips to maximize earnings. Here’s how to sell on Poshmark, as well as how to be successful on Poshmark.

What is Poshmark?

Before we get into Poshmark selling tips, making money on Poshmark, and Poshmark success stories, it’s important to cover the basics. Poshmark is a website that allows visitors to buy and sell clothing and fashion accessories.

For shoppers, Poshmark offers the chance to buy gently-used and new designer products at reasonable prices — think Plato’s Closet, but on the web and with nationwide shipping. Users who sign up gain access to thousands of women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing items from around the country.

For sellers, Poshmark offers a wide audience of potential customers interested in good-condition, used items. It takes only about 60 seconds to list an item for sale, making it easy for users to find a buyer for their own unwanted items.

Buyers and sellers can access Poshmark online, as well as through a smartphone app. Poshmark has apps for both Apple and Android devices.

Rules for Poshmark Users

Like all websites that involve buying and selling, Poshmark has community guidelines which users must follow. The key requirements for Poshmark buyers and sellers are listed below.

Rules for Sellers

• You must complete your sales. Once someone has purchased your item, you are expected to ship it out.
• You must not sell counterfeit or unauthorized replicas on Poshmark. (Actually, it is illegal to sell these items anywhere.)
• You may not use any images you didn’t take yourself.
• Follow the theme when hosting Posh Parties.
• Do not host giveaways, contests, or sweepstakes.
• Do not solicit donations.
• You may not have more than one Poshmark account.
• Do not request trades, donations, or transactions off of Poshmark.
• Do not collect personal data off of Poshmark.
• Do not use automated systems on Poshmark (to make listings, reply to messages, etc.).
• You may not sell any items that do not fall into the categories of clothing, accessories, new makeup products, or a limited, Poshmark-approved range of home goods.
• You may not sell any of the following prohibited items:
  • Aerosol products
  • Appliances
  • Cell phones
  • Current, branded uniforms such as those for flight attendants
  • DVDs
  • Electronics
  • Falsely represented Native American arts/crafts
  • Handmade items using portions (such as buttons) from branded items
  • Health and wellness items like body wash and supplements
  • Items that are unclean or in poor condition
  • Large furniture
  • Nail polish
  • Non-fashion children’s items such as toys and strollers
  • Perfume
  • Products made from threatened/extinct species such as furs
  • Replicas/fakes
  • Stolen goods
  • Used makeup
  • Used makeup brushes
  • Used underwear

Rulers for Buyers

• Ask questions about the condition, sizing, quality, and fit of items before completing purchases.
• Confirm that you have received all items you purchase within three days of delivery so the seller can be paid quickly.
• If you wish to cancel a purchase, do so within three hours of purchase.
• Do not bully or harass other users.
• Do not request to purchase items from sellers off of the Poshmark site.
• Do not ask sellers to trade for items.
• Do not try to cancel an order any later than three hours after purchase.
• Do not create more than one Poshmark account.

Penalties for Breaking Rules

Sellers who don’t follow the listing regulations will have said products removed. All members that are caught breaking the rules may receive an email notifying them of their infractions and resulting actions. Potential penalties include either temporary or permanent restriction, suspension, or termination of the Poshmark account.

How to Sell on Poshmark

In order to sell on Poshmark, you will need to create a Poshmark account. You can either sign up with your Facebook account or with an email address. You will need to provide your name, email address or social media account access, a username, and a password. Once you are signed up, log in, and you are ready to get started.

Creating Listings

To sell a product on Poshmark, you will need to download the Poshmark app, which is free. Once you have the app, snap one or more photos of the items that you want to sell. Then fill out the required information for the listing. You will be asked to give your product a name and a description. To optimize sales, be as descriptive as possible in each of these fields.

Next, you will need to put your product in a category. List the quantity, size, brand, and color of the product. Disclose whether or not the product is new with tags, and then move on to pricing.

Before you list your product, you need to specify the original price of your item. If you don’t remember, the best thing to do is to find a similar product that is currently available on that brand’s website and put that in the “Original Price” section.

Lastly, you need a listing price. Once you have come up with a listing price, you are ready to put your item up for sale. All item listings remain active until they sell, so you don’t have to worry about re-posting if the item doesn’t sell quickly.

Listing Fees

Since Poshmark pays credit card fees, processes transactions, and provides prepaid shipping labels, it does charge a fee for each listing. Poshmark takes a 20% commission from your earnings on listings that sell for over $15. On all sales under $15, Poshmark will take a $2.95 flat fee. Find out more about Poshmark payments in the Poshmark.com FAQ section.

How Sellers Are Paid

Buyers can either place a bid on an item, or they can select “Buy Now” and get the item immediately. After a buyer bids on an item, you can either accept it, decline it, or make a counteroffer. These bids are binding once the offer is accepted.

Buyers will pay directly to Poshmark with a credit card or PayPal. Poshmark will accept the payment on your behalf. As soon as the product is sold, Poshmark will send you a mailing label with the buyer’s address. From there, you simply need to print the label and ship out the items to the buyer. If the package is five pounds or less, your work is done. If the package weighs more than that, you as the seller are responsible for the additional cost of upgrading the shipping.

Once the order ships and the package is delivered, Poshmark will release the funds to you. The funds will be released to you within three days of package delivery. The list price, minus Poshmark’s commission, will go into your Poshmark balance. You can spend these earnings within the app, or, if you’d prefer cash, you can request the balance as a direct deposit (which takes two to three business days and requires you to provide the account number and routing number for your checking account), or as a physical check (which typically takes eight to ten business days to reach you by mail).

Suggested Article: Sites Like Poshmark to Consider

Selling Tips

For people looking to make the most of their Poshmark account, we have a few tips for selling on Poshmark:

List all items individually.

Bundles can help buyers save money, but generally, bundled listings will net you less profit. Buyers might be very interested in one of the pieces in your bundle, but not the rest, which may prevent them from going through with the purchase. List popular items or those of particularly high value individually; buyers can get exactly what they want and may be more likely to commit to a purchase.

List your items in a relevant “party.”

Poshmark parties give buyers access to a suite of related products all in one place. Parties can be based on style, item type, brand, or any other factor that may intrigue buyers. For example, you could join a shoe party, a Michael Kors party, or a fall fashion party. If you put your items in relevant parties, they are likely to sell faster. Shoppers who are looking for specific items or styles will want to see what you have available next to all the other options.

Post products at a fair price.

Making money on Poshmark is about doing what’s right. Buyers expect a fair price. If you purchased a $500 handbag two years ago, you probably shouldn’t try to sell it for $500, unless it has that value in the current market. Take a moment to consider what you would be willing to pay for the same product in its current condition from someone else.

Of course, you want to make money, so don’t cheat yourself either. You won’t want to sell that same $500 handbag for $20 if it is still in great condition. If you already sell on Poshmark but want to know how to sell more on Poshmark, lowering your prices may be the key to making more money on Poshmark.

Take good images of your products.

Of all the Poshmark selling tips, this one seems the most obvious, but it’s still worth noting. Images are very important when it comes to selling items. Consider taking numerous photos of the product, especially if the piece looks different from various angles. Be sure the image is in focus and well-lit (daylight is best).

If there are any issues or defects on the product, show that in the images. Customers will not be happy to find even the slightest imperfection if they weren’t warned about it ahead of time. Pointing out any flaws in the photos will prove that you are an honest seller.

For best results, take pictures of someone wearing the clothing instead of having it lying on a bed or couch. This will give buyers a better sense of how the garment fits and make it easier to visualize how it will look on them.

Write a good description of your products.

The more that potential buyers know about products, the more likely they are to complete the purchase. Consider looking at the websites for some of your favorite brands to get a good idea of what people will want to know about your items. Include details about the garment’s size, fit, materials, and quality. Every one of our upcoming Poshmark success stories (listed below) includes good product descriptions in their listings.

Share your listings on social media.

Of all these tips for selling on Poshmark, this one may be the most important. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr — whatever social media sites you use, put them to work for your Poshmark listings. You may be surprised at how much traffic you can get on your products through your social media accounts.

Ask your friends to share or retweet the posts, too. Putting product listings on social media is a great way to get more eyes on your listings, as well as bring new people to Poshmark who could potentially buy from you in the future. How to be successful on Poshmark is made easier when you include your friends.

Refer friends to Poshmark to earn bonuses.

All Poshmark users have a unique referral code. When your friends use your referral code during the sign-up process, the system will notify you once they make their first purchase by sending you $5 in Poshmark credit. Your friends will also receive a $5 credit just for signing up.

Success Stories

Shawna’s Story

One Poshmark success story is that of Shawna. Shawna was able to sell more than 400 items in three months on Poshmark. According to Poshmark’s blog, one key factor that contributed to Shawna’s success is that she keeps at least 100 items for sale in her virtual closet at all times. Shawna explained that she also gives her returning customers discounts, which provide an incentive for them to keep shopping with her.

Shawna also helps out her fellow sellers. If a buyer is looking at one of her products but needs a different size, she will find the item in the correct size and alert the buyer. She looks at this as a way to build friendships and strengthen the Poshmark community. As a bonus, those sellers to whom she referred her customers are likely to return the favor in the future.

Alexandra’s Story

Alexandra is another one of our Poshmark success stories. According to an article on Poshmark’s blog, Alexandra made $5,000 in just 30 days using Poshmark. Alexandra has even made her Poshmark closet her primary business. She has had a great deal of success selling designer products on the website by using great photos, staying active on the website, always having items in her closet, and actively sharing her products on social media.