My experiences selling on Poshmark for 3 months, so far.

Several things converged to cause me to decide to try my hand at selling on Poshmark. (1) A friend gives me loads of yard sale items after she has huge sales. I haul things away to make it easier on her to get new items. Over the last 4 years, she has give me tons and tons of great things.   My son and I, along with friends, sort through each load and choose what we want to keep. We are always left with a huge amount of more items. All free. 

  My son grabs tools for himself and any metal for a pal who recycles. He also chooses clothing such as blue jeans (he got 13 pairs last week from our latest haul), shirts, kitchen wares, and some furniture such as footstools or chairs. 

    I save anything denim because I enjoy designing dresses for myself, making pillow covers, and, mainly, making quilts. I also save clothes for myself and friends as each person has styles, colors, and sizes they enjoy. Other items I enjoy keeping are sheets, pillows, fabric, crafting supplies, household products,  art work, kitchen gear, bags and purses, containers of all sorts, and thread or anything to do with sewing. I never have to shop for clothing as I have more than I could ever use. 

After my son and I have taken what we want, I donate various types of items to  local agencies. 

Vases and small baskets go to an area non-profit organization, Random Acts of Flowers, a place that takes in used flowers and regifts to folks in hospitals, sick at home, or in nursing homes. Toys go to friends who have kids. Education supplies go to local schools. Some jeans go to a handyman who is our pal. Any item new in a box is saved to be given as a gift to pals and friends. Some small items are donated to other area agencies who give as stocking stuffers at Christmas.

All in all, it has been a fun arrangement.

(2)As you might assume, I watch videos on YouTube about thrift shopping which has led me to watch videos about reselling on-line. After years of receiving these great items, the thought hit me that I should try my hand at reselling.

(3) I had heard about the web site Poshmark and decided to learn about it and determine if I could use it. After studying and preparing I began listing clothing items to resell August 2020. Today is November 28, and I have profited about $1,200 or just over $300 a month. I had set a goal of earning $1,000 by the end of the year and I have met that with time to spare.

(4) The time to do this seemed perfect since we were sheltered at home because of the virus. 

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED:

l. Reselling takes a lot of time and space. I list 100 items before I made a sale.

2. Learning the rules and regulations of the web site is wildly important. 

3. Setting prices is key to success. Poshmark gets the first $2.95 up to $15 and 20% above that and the buyer pays the postage. Most sales are under $15.

4. I am sure I would not have made profits if I had to buy the clothing first.

5. Men are easier to please as customers and, therefore, make better customers than women.

6. Some customers are great. They find clothing they like and buy it. Some customers want you to give it to them. I've even had offers for which I would have to pay the site if I sold it for that low price. 

7. Some people try to scam newbies by using rules against us. It is sad to think that people sit at home looking for ways to cheat a person out of a few bucks.

8. I would strongly advise anyone thinking about trying your hand at reselling to sell what you own and do NOT go shopping or spend any money until you have some experience. When you shop, you will probably buy the wrong things and spend way too much.

It is very difficult to earn profits if you spend money for your items. You may see resellers on-line who shop for items to resell, but you are not ready for that yet. Ask family and friends for their leftovers and try selling those. Again, do NOT spend money on reselling. You do not know what to buy and you will buy the wrong things. For example: Items from Old Navy, Gap, former K-Mart, and Wal-mart won't bring you profits and you should never buy them. Why? There are so many copies out there, no one wants them used. 

9. The absolute best sellers on Poshmark are sports clothing such as athletic shorts and tops. Large sizes sell better. Small sizes rarely sell because most folks move up a size and are larger these days.

10. Shoes and bags are hard to sell. Shoes come in sizes and that limits your customer base. Jewelry is also hard to sell. There is a lot of fake stuff out there.

11. Stick with men's sports clothing to begin with and you'll have a better chance at success.

12. Again, pay attention to the rules. Read and reread what you can sell and what you can't. You will get kicked off the sight for selling knock-offs, so check labels carefully. Do not list tee shirts will profanity on the front, again, you'll get kicked off the site. 

13. Unless you have a source for free or really cheap clothing, you can't make this into a business. You need to build up 300 to 1,000 items in your listings. Remember, you may sell between none and 10% for any given week. You constantly need to be listing to replace what you sell.

14. Shipping is very important. You have 3 days from the date of sell to get to the post office. You must figure out what will work from your site. The buyer pays shipping and you will be sent a label via e mail. You MUST own a printer that works. That label has to be on the package. It will begin tracking when it is scanned at the post office. Free mailers and boxes are available at the post office, but you have to wrap and ship in a timely fashion. 

15. You must be able to take and upload several photos per item. Photos make or break your sales. 

16. Get ready for returns. It is a part of the job. Even if the customer is wrong, you have to keep your mouth shut. 

17. You will need storage space that you can get to in a timely fashion. You'll have to develop a plan and system to use to locate items as they sell. You may need to wash clothing or sew up tears or rips. Clothing has to be clean and pressed or steamed. 

18. Each buyer will rate you-1 to 5, 5 being best,  and you need to keep a good rating. Buyers rule on Poshmark. You want to keep good relations and a great reputation.

19. You are paid after the buyers get the merchandise and rate you. You will need a bank account and an e mail address in order to get paid. Even if you use a phone, you must have an email and printer. 

20. Do NOT quit your job and try this. It could take you 3 to 4 years to work into a full-time basis. This income is not dependable. You might earn $500 this week and $100 next week. Be careful and do not be foolish. 21. Do not depend on the word of resellers who have channels on line. They may not even be telling the truth. Do not spend a lot of money on this business venture. Take your time and ease into each step once you know what you are doing. Some resellers give bad information and guide you in the wrong directions. Be careful. Make decisions for your life not because of what some stranger has said. 22. Nothing is as easy as it seems. Do not get swept up in the emotions of it all. Reselling is hard work. You MUST have a plan, room for storage, computer skills, work ethic, time for shipping, free or very low cost sources for clothing, and communication skills. Remember, when you work for yourself, you never get a day off. You can't go on a week's vacation without planning for your business. 

 

Selling on Poshmark: what you need to know.

 

 Dress for sale on Poshmark

  Our grandmothers sold eggs or took in ironing, our dads fixed cars under shade trees for extra cash. The current trend is to call this sort of thing a “side hustle.” The most popular “side hust
le” for thousands of people, world-wide, is reselling used goods on web sites like eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Facebook Market Place, Offer Up, Craigslist, and others.

   Motivation for these “side hussles” is, of course, the need for money. However, many say they also want to reduce solid waste, recycled used goods, and reuse items that continue to be in good condition.

   Anyone who lost a job or can’t return to work due to the virus can start a business from home with some relatively simple tools and some specific computer skills without spending much money.

   How does reselling work? What do you need to know in order to start your own business and resell used goods on-line? How much are you likely to earn? What are the costs? What are the risks?

   There is a short list of “Must Have” before you can resell on-line. You MUST: (1) Have a certain level of computer skills. (2) Own a computer—desk top or lap top or use a cell phone that has Internet access. (3) Have access to a printer that has Internet access. (4) Have a source of goods to resell. (5) Have packing/shipping supplies on hand. (6) Be prepared to mail/ship items in a timely fashion—every 2 to 3 days. (7) Have an e mail address and access so you can send and receive e mails.

   Assuming you are prepared, here are the steps to operating a reselling business over the Internet: Study the web site of the company you plan to use in your business. Learn how to use this web site. Set up a page with your e mail, password, and photo of yourself or an image you choose. Determine a source for the goods you plan to sell. (Everyone says to begin reselling by taking things from your own home. DO NOT shop and spend money on items to resell until you know what you are doing.) Make photos of the goods you plan to sell. Research each item to learn the original price. Decide on a price you want to set for each item. Prepare and write a description of each item including the designer or producer, color, size, condition, and any other details that need to be given. Begin to build a “closet” or your own section of the web site by uploading between 3 and 16 photos of each item you list.    

  List as many as 100 items for a good start. (It is estimated you will sell 10% of the number of items you have listed. In order to sell 10 items, you need to list 100).

   If you plan to make reselling a permanent part-time job, you will need to continue to add to this number. Many resellers have as many as 8,000 items in their “closets,” most have well over 3,000. You might begin to earn profit after you have listed 30 to 50 items; having more listed in your closet will bring more sales.

   You may need to clean, wash, or repair goods you want to sell. Problems will arise you will need to handle. You will need to develop a good relationship with your local United States Post Office and your local carrier. They can be of great help. The USPS will provide you with free envelopes large enough to hold up to 3 articles of clothing. You will need to research more about this by going on line to their web site and it is always a good idea to discuss your plans with the local workers.

  How much you earn is dependent on the goods you have to sell and the demand for those goods as well as the price you set and the price someone is willing to pay you. Example: You might set the price of a jacket at $50, but the only offers you get are $20. If you decide to hang on to the jacket until you get $50 or something nearer to that price, you are known as a “long tail” flipper. Most resellers will take the $20, clear that item out of their life, and move on. You can’t make any money if you aren’t accepting offers.

  Remember: Nothing is as easy as it appears to the folks who do not have to do it.

   

Denim Quilts Big hit on Poshmark

    This quilt was made from recycled blue jeans, skirts, shirts, and or blouses for the purpose of selling on Poshmark. I have sold 4 other quilts like this one and am getting bids on this one. It is a fun hobby and I earn about $40 profit for each quilt I sell. The one measures 68" x 72" with a backing of light blue 100% cotton. Each square is about 9".

4 years of weight loss success...keeping weight off and being weight stable.

Each month that goes by I continue to keep the weight I lost over 4 years ago off. I have learned how to eat for my body's needs and deal with my food allergies. I am allergic to carbohydrates. So long as I limit carbs to total of 20 or under a day, I keep the weight off. I also have to use portion control. I eat mostly meat with a few vegetables. Fashion fun is one thing that continues to keep me motivated.