Why I use Poshmark: As a seller

In a previous blog, I discussed the many reasons I love shopping on the popular clothing reselling app, Poshmark. (To get ahead of this, NO I am NOT sponsored in ANY WAY with Poshmark, but I do use it frequently as both a buyer, as discussed previously, and seller, discussed here.)

I love Poshmark! My partner Bret got me into using Poshmark when he started using it to try out shoes he wanted to buy for his collection. He was able to build his shoe collection at the start, without it being cost prohibitive.

Bret got me to try it out, and I grabbed a few items, but sadly, my first couple of experiences weren’t as stellar as I had hoped, but I kept seeing Bret and other Poshers get amazing deals, so I chalked that up to less than stellar resellers, and I still do.

So, Bret then shows me all these resellers who are doing this full time, as their job.

I hate my job. I’m an accountant, I am pretty sure one of the criteria for my job is to hate my job, so I am NAILING it by those regards. If I were to resell from home, maybe I wouldn’t need to be an accountant, at least not full time.

I also promised myself my next job after this one would be from home, and reselling could very well be the path to that, so we began to talk about the possibility of reselling, utilizing my skills of thrifting.

You see, I have always loved thrifting. I liked shopping on Poshmark because it was a happy compromise between thrifting and online shopping, and this way supports a small business.

So, we talked about getting into selling on Poshmark. We went thrifting, this time I was not restricted to my own sizes. We enjoyed it, and began the descent into reselling.

So why do I bother with selling?

It’s not for the glowing praise, that’s for sure. Things that I gave five stars for, we have received returns for. Things we have given love notes for, we have received 4 star reviews. Like every other reseller ever, I assume.

So why? Reselling has PLENTY of drawbacks, which I don’t wish to discuss in this blog, BUT it has plenty of upsides too.

The clothes.

Hello. You are on Poshmark all the time. You are thrifting, sourcing, finding new items, for your closet, all the time. You literally find the best clothing, and you get it for super cheap.

The money.

Let us be real, shall we? The money may not be rolling in super-fast, but it is a great ROI for the COG and the process is actually fun. It is super great to be a little low on funds before payday then remember you sold a bundle of some basic J Crew last week and now you can afford that pizza on the Friday before pay day.

Not everyone makes enough to support themselves working from home, but many, many do, I am friends with so many of these classy ladies and disguised gentlemen who make real money, support real lives, all doing reselling. I also know plenty who just make extra cash and keep their wardrobe rotating.

Poshmark allows you to make some real money on the side, selling your own clothing or clothing you sourced at a discount.

In a bigger picture, you are also contributing to the better economy. What do small businesses, thrift stores, USPS, yard sales, all have in common? Poshmark.

Every time another person decides to sell on Poshmark, thrift stores gain another customer, USPS gains another reliable customer (Poshmark has a deal with USPS), Yard sales gain another yard sale shopper…Really, any place where people may source, like outlets, department stores, etc…All see a boost from people investing in inventory, selling it, and shipping it out.

All these sellers become small businesses, boosting the economy with more small business, diversifying it with small, tangible, friendly businesses, away from the sterility that is massive fashion conglomerates.

The best part being you still get to have the brands you and your friends/family want, even if they like big, trendy fashion names, you can support a small business. I love this, and I want to contribute to it, so it is yet another reason to join in on the seller side.

This next reason may be a bit “tea spilling” but here it comes.

All those people who are reading this and thinking “But you are taking nice clothes away from the needy” or any other variation of that same, tired theme. Let me tell you about a terrible, yet highly informative, job I once had.

I worked for an abusive boss who enjoyed yelling at people, namely women. He loved to find reasons to belittle all his employees. He liked to make everyone as miserable as he is, was our greatest theory.

The job I held was shipping manager. My job was to essentially oversee some shipping people, find and package used clothing, that had been sold. On Ebay.

Where did this used clothing come from? A donation box.

Yup. That donation box.

Don’t think for a second that “evil resellers” are cherry picking the best stuff and selling it for a profit, leaving the “poor, defenseless, needy people” with nothing. First of all, I have been to a thrift store, at closing, on half off day, and found Roxy brand jeans, in my size with no damage. I am actually wearing them as I type this. They aren’t depleting the store. They leave it messy, yes, I have complained about that, but they don’t “take everything”.

Second, the company in charge of the thrift store is already doing this, and they absolutely can’t keep up with supply.  The “good stuff” as you put it, is already “cherry picked” (which it isn’t), by those who work for the charity/organization. They sell the clothing to help pay the overhead.

My boss was an asshole, but the concept isn’t bad. They need to pay the bills, and the cost of clothing rarely covers it.

When you shop at a thrift store, the money spent on goods is what helps keeps the doors open too. By sourcing at thrift stores, you are helping their overhead.

But please, don’t tag them. They know what you are doing, if you are a reseller, no matter how clever you think you are, they know, because they do it too. Don’t take pictures, list your COG (Cost of Goods) and your ROI (Return on Investment), and TAG the thrift store.

You are telling them to raise their prices, which hurts you, other resellers, and does, truly, hurt those who are in true need for quality clothing, so, be cool, man, be cool!

The economical impact travels into other reasons I love reselling. The idea of contributing to this crazy thing, is pretty cool. I love being able to contribute to the economy, buy clothing I wouldn’t buy, find things for people who can’t find *that* item in their own town- it is a great feeling!

In Part One I mentioned the environmental impact of reselling, and how reselling helps save the planet, and this applies to selling, as well as buying. Every time you resell, you are giving a garment of clothing a second, maybe more, life. You are extending the life of clothing, saving it from a landfill or our oceans. You are helping stop unethical clothing practices, like child slavery. When you buy or sell on Poshmark (or any reselling app really) you are LITERALLY helping to save the planet. You are also encouraging small business. You are encouraging enterprising teens, single parents, out of work people…. You are also helping people who are harassed at jobs they hate, to leave. You are helping people who have disabilities and can’t hold what has been, until lately, considered traditional employment, stay gainfully employed.

Reselling helps people, just by partaking in it, and that alone was a huge reason to start selling on Poshmark.

The final reason was is so cheesy it’s gouda, but it is also very true.

The community.

The community of resellers is amazing, and Poshmark is no exception.

Sure, like with anything, there are certain, ahem, quirks, that certain people have that drive you up a wall, and people who kind of suck are everywhere- but Poshmark also has some super awesome people that make the whole experience better.

Poshmark encourages an atmosphere that doesn’t exclude everyone being successful. Ultimately, with Poshmark, the better each reseller is doing, the better everyone is doing, due to the nature of reselling. As more people shop and buy, more will enter selling, and more people will decide to start shopping and selling in general, because more and more people are doing it. This atmosphere helps keep some of the unhealthier attitudes like “that could have been my sale” at bay.

Poshmark also has a very active online community, with many of the resellers on Poshmark and other reselling apps, all producing contenting on online. Many resellers have active YouTube channels, beautifully curated Instagram pages, hysterical stories…a huge community of resellers are all online sharing their journey, helping each other grow and better their business, and supporting one another.

It’s no secret that working from home can be lonely, so naturally, plenty of Poshmark sellers need this community, but many part time resellers still have active social media content, sharing the journey and helping others. The engaging, helpful aspect of the Poshmark Community really appealed to me. With Poshmark, people follow back, people like, and best of all, people actually comment, answer questions, and honestly care about you.

Thousands of people have forged meaningful lasting friendships, all from meeting online. They share each other’s closets, they comment, they share in the trials and tribulations. Not only do you get fellow resellers to talk about work, a la a digital water cooler, but you get friends who help you grow as you become a better business owner, reseller, fashion person…whatever your journey is. The community is incredibly supportive, not just with the business side of it, but with moral and emotional support as well.

These people shop each other’s closets, send customers to their way, support and cheerlead as they expand their business, grow their brand. They check on each other, they cheer each other up, hype each other up, and act as the friend circle you need, online.

The community also showed me that every purchase wasn’t a dud like the ones I was getting at first, and ordering from a few PFF’s (Posh Friends Forever) I was able to find amazing deals, beautifully curated, well wrapped, as described, shipped fast. The community got me to keep buying, and ultimately, start selling.

Poshmark is a great place to buy or sell clothes. I haven’t tried others, but if I do, it will be because my amazing reseller community all insist that a certain app is great. Some people will cross list on other apps, more so when they go full time, to diversify their income, but the people, stay amazing. I highly suggest you check it out and see if maybe you find something you like. Or, if you are drowning in clothes and debt, maybe you can solve both your problems. Poshmark also just opened (live tomorrow, I believe) home markets, meaning you can also buy and sell home goods. Download it and try it out. If you want to say I sent you, feel free to enter either of my usernames- But don’t feel obligated- go shop! Go meet your future PFF! Enjoy!

Poshmark Selling Account – @TheDBAMeta

Poshmark Personal Account- Like all my others, @AbbiGrasso

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Abbi

Feel free to follow me on all the social medias: @AbbiGrasso on Twitter, Instagram, Speekin’, LinkedIn, Pinterest, WordPress, Medium, YouTube, WeedTV, Poshmark, and any place else I have forgotten.