A Reseller's Guide to Poshmark: Tips to Make More Sales

With over 70 million community members across the United States, Canada, and Australia, featuring over 200 million items for sale, Poshmark is a leading social e-commerce marketplace for new and secondhand fashion!

Here's a little about me and why you should read this guide: I just celebrated my seventh Posh-a-versary! Over the years, I have done quite a bit of research on Poshmark analytics, implemented and tested various strategies and activities, tracked and studied my business analytics, and grown and networked within the Poshmark Community. I am a Poshmark Ambassador, Top Seller, Poshmark Event Speaker, and Poshmark Closet Consultant with a specialty in SEO and sales strategy. Here are some of my best tips and tricks to grow your Poshmark business!

1. List Regularly

Listing regularly is one of the most important things you can do to generate exposure and sales on all reselling platforms. This is particularly true on Poshmark, where brand new listings are super-promoted on various feeds and tabs on both the app and website.

Pro Poshmark Tip: List consistently. If you have 50 items to list, it is actually better to list 10 a day for 5 days than to list all 50 at once.

Brand new Poshmark listings appear with a special border and banner. Your icon will appear at the top of your followers’ newsfeeds, advertising that there are fresh listings in your closet. Followers of the brand are also notified via banner and email that new listings have dropped. Further, new listings appear in a special “first glance” showroom during Poshmark Parties!

Pro Poshmark Tip: Source strategically by keeping an eye on what is selling on Poshmark. Check out the article Top Selling Brands in Poshmark in 2021.

Remember that relisting accomplishes this as well. That is, deleting and re-listing your items. Poshmark offers a “COPY” feature that allows you to copy listings that are older than 61 days and relist them to enjoy the effects of having a brand new listing.

Pro Poshmark Tip: Don’t want to wait 61 days? (Me neither, that’s way too long.) I use Vendoo’s delist/relist feature to relist stale inventory every day. This feature allows me to have brand new listings in seconds!

2. Use Amazing Photographs & Descriptive Listings

This is universal across reselling marketplaces. Do not underestimate the importance of your listing photographs and details. Poshmark offers incredible search engine optimization (SEO), with Posh listings being prominent upon search results in both Google and Bing. Most purchases do not happen by chance or by frivolous newsfeed scrolling; many are a direct result of a search performed by the buyer. It is key to include all of the relevant, searchable words in your listing to ensure that your items appear near the top of search feed results! It is to your benefit to research trending keywords and style tags, and to provide detailed descriptions.

As a general rule, photograph as if you do not have a description, and describe as if you do not have photographs. Your photographs should be well lit in front of a solid-colored background, clearly portraying all of the item’s features, details, and flaws. Your description should be so vividly detailed that you can read it and visualize the item with accuracy. A Posh perfect description includes the actual title of the item, appropriate measurements, style name, material composition, style type, as well as descriptions of colors and patterns, rises and hems, and necklines and sleeve lengths. Most importantly, it includes the relevant style tags and keywords to maximize SEO!

Posh Pro Tip: Use the video feature on your Poshmark listings, as a video is worth a thousand photographs. Poshmark is promoting listings with this new feature in the newsfeed, and also with an icon badge on the listing. If your item is already in inventory, use an app like InShot to create a slideshow video with your images to enjoy the extra boost and exposure!

3. Price Appropriately

Poshmark Pricing is a science. You want to price your items low enough that you offer a competitive rate and attract prospective buyers, but high enough that you are prepared to offer a discount and yield a comfortable profit.

It is wise to review “comps” (comparable), to find what your item has sold for, and also what it is currently listed for. This can be accomplished by performing a search using the brand, color, and category fields to narrowly-tailor your results. Be sure to filter from “available” to “all” to review sold items as well. If you cannot locate your exact item, comp research still provides a guideline as to how similar items of the same brand are priced.

Many Poshmark sellers assign greater weight to sold comps, as they more accurately indicate the range in which similar items have already sold. Other sellers entirely disregard the sold listings and focus on their immediate competition- the items which are available for sale. Personally, I consider both, but I do tend to provide greater emphasis as to what is currently available. Sold items are not available, may have been sold by luck for an astronomically high or low price, and may have been sold in a bundle for far less than what the sold price reflects on the search feed. Pricing competitively will effectuate quick and frequent sales.

Pro Poshmark Tip: My Inventory is initially priced up to 35% higher than I need to yield for a comfortable profit under my business model. This allows me to make offers and apply discounts, and to frequently accept offers up to that amount.

4. Create Return Buyers

Poshmark buyers are loyal. I have a handful that purchases from me weekly, and most buyers come back to shop with me again! Creating consistent return buyers is the key to success in any business endeavor, and encourages a form of relatively passive income. Of course, having a consistent presence on Poshmark, stocking new inventory regularly, being responsive, offering great discounts, and shipping quickly are among priorities in your Poshmark business. I try to go the extra mile to truly establish relationships with my buyers, by engaging in conversation, offering discount incentives for their return, encouraging them to connect with me on Instagram, and truly treating them as if they pay my bills (because they do).

Pro Poshmark Tip: Include a thank you or business card in your packaging, encouraging your buyers to connect with you on social media and shop with you again. Providing a monetary incentive increases your chance of turning buyers into customers.

5. SHARE,SHARE, SHARE!

According to Poshmark, the key to success on the platform is sharing your items as often as possible. Frequent sharing will advance your items to the top of search results and in buyers’ newsfeeds. There are three types of shares: self-shares, community shares, and direct shares.

Self-shares are the most important shares on Poshmark, which occur when you click “share” on your own listing and share it with your followers (or a Posh Party). Party shares hare your listings to the current Posh Party, providing an opportunity for your item to be seen by users who don’t follow you, and often yielding a greater volume of community shares by others.

Community shares occur when you share someone else’s item to your followers or to a Posh Party. This is a nice thing to do that is highly encouraged on the app and on Poshmark Facebook Groups. The idea behind this is that when someone else shares your item, the item is seen on the newsfeed of all of their followers. While this may yield further exposure, the burden does not justify the benefit. I highly encourage Poshers to focus on self-shares.

Pro Poshmark Tip: Do not get fooled by sharing groups. Remember that when someone else shares your listing, all that happens is that your listing appears in the newsfeed of their followers… Community shares do not advance or promote listings in the newsfeed. To be frank, it is a waste of time. Utilize your valuable time on self-shares, revising your descriptions to optimize SEO, relisting your inventory, and sourcing new gems!

Direct shares add an item to a user’s bundle. To do a direct share, you click the share icon, and then type in the username of the prospective buyer. This is a lucrative strategy when used strategically. For example, if someone likes multiple items in your closet, do not hesitate to share those items to their bundle and drop a comment or offer. Be sure to utilize direct shares politely and strategically- avoid being pushy and spammy.

6. Make OTLs or Offers to Likers

Throughout the years, one thing has remained consistent in my Poshmark business model: making regular offers to likers (OTLs) yields many sales! Offers to likers are exactly what they sound like: a special offer which is sent by notification and email to users who “like” your item. Poshmark requires that these offers include a price discount of at least 10% and a shipping discount of at least $1.50.

My business model includes making offers to likers at the rate of 15-20% off (and a shipping discount) within five minutes of each “like.” I find that it is important to act fast to attract users while they still have the Poshmark app open, to quickly yield impulsive shoppers.

7. Engage in Negotiation

Do not decline offers- not even the really low ones. There are many analytical studies that suggest that declining offers is detrimental to Poshmark’s algorithm. While this may be speculation, you still should never decline an offer.

When you decline an offer, the only thing you’re doing is halting your chance of making a sale. There is no reason not to send a counteroffer, which yields a far greater chance in effectuating a sale. One of Poshmark’s latest features is advertising when there is an offer on an item. When someone makes an offer on your item, all likers are notified via notification and email that an offer has been made. Further, a banner is shown on the item which cautions all who click on your item that an offer exists. This provides a sense of urgency upon your item, cautioning those who may want it to act quickly!

Unpopular Opinion: There is no such thing as a “lowball” offer, even the lowest offers are opportunities and starting points for a negotiation. Negotiation is frankly part of selling on Poshmark, with most buyers encouraging offers with signs and banners. The buyer does not know or care about your costs, fees, or profit. They’re just trying to get the best deal.

8. Utilize Promotional Features

When Poshmark rolls out a new promotional feature- get on it! Poshmark offers additional exposure to support new features such as stories, free shipping options, videos in listings, and style tags. Often, Poshmark search fields are revised to enhance listings using new features. Poshmark explains all existing and new features on their blog: The Posh Life.

“Do’s and Don’ts” of Poshmark

DO conduct yourself professionally and familiarize yourself with Poshmark’s terms of service and standards of etiquette.
DO drive traffic to your Poshmark from your social media.
DO respond to questions and offers quickly.
DO Participate in Closet Clear Out, where you can drop your prices by 10% for all likers to be notified of the price drop and offered reduced shipping at Poshmark’s expense.
DO use business tools provided by Poshmark such as hidden listing fields, sales report, inventory report, and Poshmark campaigns.
DO take care in packaging and weather protection. Feel free to wrap pretty and include a thank you note- Poshmark encourages this and often buyers expect it.
DO take part in Poshmark Community events, both virtual and in real life.
DO pay attention to top-selling brands and styles. Check out the Poshmark Trend Reports published semi-annually.
DO become a Poshmark Ambassador, you will be automatically followed by new users and have access to extra content and first chance opportunities.
DO communicate with your buyers, thank them for their purchase, and invite them to shop with you again.
DO check out major sellers, and review their inventory, listing details, photography style, bundle comments, and love notes for seller inspiration.
DON’T hassle buyers to accept their orders, just assume you will get paid three days after delivery.
DON’T be a petty posher. Keep it classy. “Ghosting” buyers, repetitive questions, low offers, slow ratings, and rude customers are part of being a reseller. Do not engage.
DON’T try to negotiate pricing in the comments section on an active listing (use the bundle feature to have these discussions).
DON’T wait more than three days to ship. While Poshmark allows you up to seven days, the sooner the better.
DON’T use irrelevant keywords or mistagged brands. Your items will likely be reported and removed.
DON’T post prohibited items, including replicas.
DON’T forget to accurately describe your items including all flaws. While Poshmark does not allow returns, buyers may open a case against you if an item is not entirely as described in your listing.
DON’T believe everything you read on Facebook or Reddit. They are filled with bad advice and inaccurate information. Do your research!