Top Ten Tips to Getting Started on Poshmark :My Personalized Journey
Reselling online sort of fell into my lap by dumb luck. Truthfully, I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon it in the first place. So, to make my top ten tips to getting started on Poshmark was a bit challenging at first.
It was several years ago when it was much smaller than it is today. I only knew about purchasing items but had no clue you could become a seller on there. I checked back every so often when I felt like going on a mini shopping spree and splurging.
It was easy to shop, which meant it was even easier to click Buy Now! I really enjoyed scrolling through and finding new additions for my already overflowing armoire that the hubs built me. However, this also presented the recurring problem that I, and I’m sure many other women in the world, (and men!) have. What in the world do I do with all of these old clothes?!
After a few years had passed and I’d built up quite the collection of new clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories, I hated to admit, but they were a bit overwhelming. It was starting to get to me and I couldn’t bear to just throw them out. I do donate a lot of items on a regular basis, but these were more household items, etc. (That is until I discovered eBay! Be Sure to Subscribe to hear about my journey on a future post!)
Clothing, I swear we humans have a strange attachment to sometimes. But what if I need it for an event? But what if it might fit someday? The what if’s are always endless, aren’t they?
My Aha! Moment
Finally, one day after returning from a friends’ wedding that I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid in, I decided it was time to seriously take a look at this gigantic pile of clothes. I started with my bridesmaid dress first. Since I’d purchased it on Poshmark, to begin with, I wondered how hard it may be to resell it the same way.
I’d never tried selling anything on there before, but luckily they’ve made it very seller and user friendly, which made listing my first item a breeze. I was actually amazed at how simple it was getting started on Poshmark, and wondered why I hadn’t thought of this sooner!
After I listed that dress and a few other items, it became clear to me that this could become my new hobby. I could simply purchase clothes on there that I needed or wanted, and resell them back when I needed some extra cash, or was simply over the item. After a month or so, I came across a few YouTube channels that interested me. (I plan to make a post of my personal faves in the future, so be sure to subscribe to be notified when it’s up and ready!)
They were based all around Poshmark and how to become a part-time or even full-time seller. What?! No way, I’d thought. You could do this as a job? You mean I don’t actually need to work for someone else? That’s it, count me in.
Discovering The Thrift
Like wait, so you’re telling me that I can literally go shopping, and then essentially get paid for it? This was the basics of reselling, after all. (Read more about how reselling is found in so much of daily life, by subscribing for a new blog post coming soon!)
It seemed almost too good to be true, and it kinda was at first. I was not that great starting out, as in, I bought nearly EVERYthing I could, that may have had the teeniest chance of selling. Somebody would want it, right? Nope, wrong. This was going to take some serious work, just like every other job. The difference was that I seriously enjoyed it!
It’s not per se, hard work, but it is monotonous and it is time-consuming. However, the days were flying by with the more knowledge I’d gained. I literally felt like a sponge, squishing all the information that I could into my brain. I still feel like that! But it’s fun and the fact that I know anything learned henceforth, can further grow my business, was and is still totally worth it.
I freaking LOVE the thrift stores. Any and all kinds. Particularly mom and pop ones, they have some super-duper deal days. This job has quite literally been my dream come true and I am so ecstatic to share my progress, failures, mistakes, and accomplishments along the way.
Learning Curves
When I began to realize that this had actually been some people’s legit jobs, I figured, why couldn’t I do that too? I worked nearly full-time as a waitress and on a farm when I first started, so Poshmark was kind of on the back burner.
Soon after that, however, I dropped down to just full-time work at the farm. I really liked that job, and it was nice to be able to mesh the two together. Things were going smoothly. When autumn came, I dropped down again to just working at the farm only part-time, while still being able to supplement my current income by hitting it harder on Poshmark on my days off. I was gaining traction, and time was flying by!
Winter came and my season was done for the year working outside. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to prove to myself, and to my husband, (who was still a little skeptical) that I could really make this thing work by putting a full-time schedule towards it.
Of course, this time went by super fast as well, because I was truly enjoying every minute of it, and I still am! Fortunately, my hard work paid off, and I began noticing my monthly income increase day by day, and week by week. After a few long cold winter months of staring at my computer, and finishing listing my death pile, I finally started to make a full-time income. I was doing it!! So cool.
Staying the Course
Poshmark has now become my full-time job. I could not be more thankful for this opportunity and the sheer strength it has given me to pursue my passions while being able to earn a little as well.
My goal in writing this post was so that every other woman, man, or teen out there that wants to take the leap to pursue their passion, whether it be with Poshmark or something else altogether, can understand that experience isn’t always a requirement.
Creating a side hustle, small business, or giant empire, all takes dedication, a lot of time out of your days, and a whole bunch of perseverance. Especially in the online world, that is key. Things take time and you have to be more than willing to have patience with your growth. It will come! So there’s no need to dwell on it. Until you get to a place that you’re comfortable with and can kick your feet back, you’re going to have to buckle in and hold on, ’cause it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!
My Top Ten Tips to Getting Started on Poshmark: Numbers 1-3
- Tip #1: Don’t just slap any old username into the box when you’re signing up. Sure, you can always go back and change it, but it’s kind of a pain and everyone will already be used to your first username by the time you go thinking up a better one. If you’re just getting started on Poshmark, and you really want to make a career out of this, you’re going to want something that sticks, or that may have meaning to you. Make it memorable.
- Tip #2: Don’t buy all the things! I know, this is a super-challenging one. I definitely didn’t stick to this rule when I first started. Once making my way through my closet (More about that next) I had the desire to buy everything out there. Thing is, it takes time to get good and also fast at listing, so you may want to keep that in mind when you’re buying 100+ items in one trip when getting started on Poshmark.
- Tip #3: Shop your own closet first!! This is a must, I do this regularly. If you don’t start by clearing out your own closet, you are missing a vital opportunity. These items have already been purchased and are just sitting around, therefore you’re not spending anything extra until you can really get the ball rolling.
More Poshmark Tips! Numbers 4-6
- Tip #4: List your death pile! And trust me, most often, I can guarantee you’ll have one by this point. Sure, it’s always good to have a few items here and there for backups, but then again, you could always turn to your trusty closet once more. It’s not going to make money lying there on your floor looking back at you, so get it listed! (But do it right the first time!)
- Tip #5: Take your pictures and measurements together! (Check back for a future post about my favorite purchases that have helped my business!) Just do everything right the first time around, and you won’t have to worry about wasting your valuable time doing something over again. Sure, you want to get everything listed as soon as possible, this is how you make all the monies when getting started on Poshmark! However, (and I can say this from experience) it REALLY sucks to have to be elbow deep in a bunch of unnumbered bins because someone asked you what one measurement was from one pair of pants that you listed, like, 4 months ago!
- Tip #6: Figure out a Bin System that you 100% LOVE. And follow that format from DAY ONE. Trust me, I’ve personally changed setups 3x now. Three! The setup I have now is totally the best by far. But it took a few trial and error runs to figure out what worked best for me.
Poshmark Tips on Tips on Tips…7-9
- Tip #7: Keep track of your inventory! Definitely definitely definitely do this from Day One as well. It gets extremely difficult to go backwards and figure out all of your numbers, (what you paid for things, what they sold for, if there was a shipping discount, etc.) when you are several months behind and taxes are due!
- Tip #8: Be nice to your postal workers. They’re working hard every day to make sure your packages get sent out to the right address and on time, so it’ll probably pay off to make them your friends. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.
- Tip #9: Take notice on larger bundles! Don’t make the same mistake I did. Several times I’d be so excited to sell a multi-item bundle! But to my dismay after packing it all up and making it beautiful and personalized, it was overweight. Oof. That hurt. I got so wrapped up in making a big sale, that I completely forgot about being sure not to go over the allotted 5 pounds, nor did I take into consideration the extra cost it would take from my earnings to go towards a more expensive shipping label. Not cool when getting started on Poshmark or any other retailer. (Bonus Tip: This happens most with bundles of sweaters or shoes!)
Most Important Poshmark Tip, Number 10!
- Tip #10: Always, always, always thank your customer. They could have shopped at any other online retailer, or chosen any other of the 5 million+ seller accounts on Poshmark, but they chose YOU! This said the least you could do is add a little friendly reminder that they’re appreciated and that you would absolutely love the chance to do business again in the future. This is beneficial in so many ways. It’ll increase your opportunity to create repeat shoppers, and maybe even some friends as well! (I like to thank right away when an order is purchased, letting them know when I’ll be shipping, and also again with a thank you card in their personalized package. Giving, and receiving something put together with a little extra love, feels good!)
Earn $10 when you sign up for Poshmark! Use code: ROOTEDDRAWERS
Thank You!
A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey including reading today about getting started on Poshmark! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.
Please feel free to drop any comments below that you would like to add! I am always open to advice, suggestions, or even hearing related stories of your own!
I stay as active as possible in the comment section, therefore I will reply to any questions asap.
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Happy selling friends!
-Shelby
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