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I remember being home with my family for Thanksgiving and my husband’s cousin mentioned this app called Poshmark where she had sold some of her name brand clothing items. She mentioned how easy it was to list items on your own and make a few extra dollars, she had me intrigued right away. Again, I am always looking for unique ways to make some extra money and pay off debt. I’m pretty sure that night I made an account and when we got home that Sunday I posted my first item and the rest is history. This was at the end of 2015 and since then I have made an extra $7,500 with very minimal effort. Here is how to get started:

1.) Sign up for a FREE account with Poshmark. Use my referral link found here. 

2.) Go through your clothes, bags and shoes and decide what you want to part with and sell. Know that on Poshmark you can sell women’s clothing and accessories, men’s clothing and accessories, and kids items. Choose lightly used items or even items you may still have a tag on, (we all know you have something in your closet that still has tags on it from months or maybe even years ago). I highly recommend making sure things are washed, wiped down, cleaned out and inspected for stains, holes, etc. Try to imagine if you were going to receive this item, would this be a condition that’s acceptable for you? This is how you get and maintain good reviews (that future buyers can see) and in turn get more sales!

3.) Start doing some research. This can be pretty quick and easy. I always look to see if the specific item is currently on Poshmark first, then check how much it’s selling for (note the condition of it) and what it has sold for in the past in order to price the item competitively. Finally, I look up the item online to see the original price. There will be an area to put the “original price” in and the listing price. I always try to put in the “original price” when I can so that the customer can see how heavily discounted the item is. 

4.) Once you have your research done and price in mind, go ahead and start listing. Poshmark will have you start by taking pictures of the item. Always use a well lit room with no clutter. Nobody is going to buy an item that is not well pictured and hard to see. Think about the images/items that catch your eye and that you stop scrolling for. Try to emulate those images: bright, clear, and clean. Also, make sure to take multiple pictures of your ORIGINAL item and show all sides. Don’t use pictures from the internet. For example, if you are selling a J. Crew shirt, don’t pull it up on the website and use those images. People want to see first-hand what the actual item is that they are buying. If there are any flaws (stains, tears, pulls, scuffs, etc), make sure to mention them and picture them so people know what they are buying. Be as honest as possible in order to retain genuine reviews.

5.) Once you have posted some items in your so called “closet”, then start making connections on the App. The more followers you have, the more people will see your items in your closet and the more sales you will make. I have found some strategies to help gain followers. One of the best strategies is to go on the “feed” where you can check out other people’s listings and share them by simply clicking the “Share” button. Once you share someone else’s item(s), it will notify them that you did so and draw them towards your closet and hopefully elicit a follow and increase the chance that they will share some of your items to their network of followers. Think about it as “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”. When you see someone has “shared” your item, you can and should try to click on their closet and share something(s) back. If you really want to get someone’s attention you can share numerous items of theirs at a time. 

6.) You should also join parties and share the items you have that fit that party’s description. You will get a notification when a party has started. For example, if there is a “maternity party” from 1-3pm, make sure you share all of your maternity clothing in that party. You can “share” items as many times as you want; again the more you share = more views = more sales, which will also help boost exposure. Typically people who are shopping this party are looking for specific items, such as maternity wear, so you are hitting your target audience. This might feel like a lot of work but honestly I would share things and make connections while watching Netflix, riding in the car, waiting at an appointment, etc. There is a good chance you probably would be scrolling your phone anyways during these downtimes so why not build your network and sell some things that are just taking up space and try to earn some extra cash?

7.) When you are sharing others items and browsing parties, you no doubt will come across something you like for yourself, and what you will want to do is “like” it. That will alert the seller that you are interested in this item and the App will store it in your “my likes” folder to come back to if you decide you want to pull the trigger. Also, if you “like” something and the seller decides to put it on sale you and anyone else who “liked” it will get a notification of the sale and any discounted shipping. So this is also the same if someone likes one of your items. If you decide you want to offer a better price on the item you can do so to try to make the sale (take note that in order to trigger the alert to the buyer, the sale price has to be 10% lower than the lowest price it was listed for previously). 

8.) One of the rules I have to keep this a profitable endeavor (if that’s your goal) is to NEVER buy anything unless I NEED it and unless I have made that amount of money on Poshmark to cover the cost of the purchase. As you share other seller’s items, you absolutely will come across things you want and think are such a good deal, but try not to get sucked in unless you have the means!  

9.) Once an item has SOLD, do a little happy dance first! Then:

a.) Print the shipping label by either checking your email OR printing directly from the App.

b.) Get your item and do one last inspection to make sure it reflects the quality that was portrayed on your site. You get rated on the quickness of your shipping so try to be organized with your items that are listed and make them easy to get to. I keep all the items I have posted in one area. I use one of our guest bedroom closets so I know exactly where everything is so I can grab it and ship it quickly. On one side of the closet, I keep items that have been listed and on the other side, items that are ready to list.

c.) Package your item. I use amazon boxes (that are in good shape). You can also get boxes from USPS for free. Pack the item nicely and include a simple thank you card – this goes a long way! I use ones from the dollar section at target, or you can even make your own if you are crafty and want to save money. Attach your label and send!! Often our USPS man will take it from our doorstep or mailbox and ship it or you can drop it at the USPS store. Once I have done this, I like to go back into the App under “my sales”. Here you can click all the check boxes indicating you have printed the label, packed the item and shipped it. 

10.) Keep it fun! I just love how you can take it at your own pace. You can list when you want and build your network when you want. Especially during these times like these, it’s a great way to make some extra money from your home with items you already have that are just taking up space and causing clutter.

About the Author: Abbey Sladek is a new mom who loves to find different ways to provide income for her family. She has been using Poshmark to do so for about four years now and loves to share her tips and tricks. She is also a nurse practitioner and she recently started a lifestyle blog, Versatile Mama to share value with other mamas out there!