As evidenced by this post and this one, I really like to shop. Also, in these posts is my desire to purge some of the massive amounts of clothing and shoes I have already accumulated. And while I make donations regularly, I have found many ways to clean out my closet and receive cash or some sort of credit in return. I have sold back and/or consigned with the following places: The Real Real, ThredUp, Etsy and eBay (both by making contact with sellers and trading or selling my items so they may have them as store inventory), Buffalo Exchange, Rags Consignment, Moss and Garment, Just Between Us, and many more. The one place I cannot figure out how to work is Poshmark.
I was lucky enough to connect with an amazing influencer, Shamika George, founder of Fro + Fashion, a site where “natural hair and plus size fashion are celebrated.” A little more about Shamika from her blog:
Fro + Fashion, formerly LUVMIKA, has evolved into space where I encourage women to celebrate their plus-size bodies and natural hair with affordable and natural hair care/styling content. I also love to encourage other working women to express themselves through fashion with workwear. We can be professional and cute too!
You can also find her on Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook. Shamika has amazing style, does furniture DIYs, and is a seller (and buyer) on Poshmark. She also a mom with a full-time job besides content creation. No, I am not sure how she does it all either.
I approached Shamika about sharing her secrets to buying and selling on Poshmark and she was kind enough to say yes!
What first drew you to Poshmark?
I love thrifting and I also love donating clothes. However, some of the pieces in my closet pained me to donate because I knew how much I spent on them. I felt Poshmark would be a great way to recoup some of the money I spent. I loved the idea of simply signing onto an app, taking photos of the things I wanted to sell, and naming my price. I did not want to set up a separate site just to sell my clothing.
Did you always want to become a seller? How did you go from buyer to seller?
I became a seller before I became a buyer. I signed up to Poshmark with plans to be a seller, but I quickly realized that a lot of my favorite plus size fashion brands were being listed too. Pieces that were considered new releases only a few weeks ago were being listed for more than 70% off!
Reselling thrifted finds on Poshmark was something that I never thought about when signing on. Thrifting was something I was doing on my own anyway, so when I learned that people were reselling thrifted items I decided to give it a shot. There were so many gorgeous pieces that I would come across in thrift stores that just do not deserve to be there. Unfortunately, I had to leave them behind because they were not my size. Now I can make them accessible to a larger network of thrifters/buyers while creating another revenue stream for myself.
I personally found Poshmark overwhelming. I joked that it could become another full-time job. How do you manage all the offers, bundles, etc.?
I felt the same way at first. As a plus size fashion, lifestyle, and home decor content creator with a full-time job, and most importantly a mom, time is extremely limited. However, during some downtime, I got up, took photos of some of the items I wanted to part with, posted them on the app, and made my first sale within hours of listing. I was hooked.
Now I realize that my Poshmark business can be as busy as I want it to be. When things get a little hectic. My mom helps by staying signed into the Poshmark from her phone, sharing my listings, and letting me know about offers in case I miss them. She is recently retired and loves fashion like I do. Plus, she just loves to help!
Do you have any best practices you can share as far as photographs, captions, or other listing details?
The ultimate goal is to make sales and the best way to do that is to build the buyer’s confidence in buying your items by giving them as much information as possible. This includes quality photos that give them an accurate representation of the item, to captions filled with answers to questions most buyers have. List the measurements, disclosure of any flaws, describe the materials, and even include a styling recommendation or two. All of this is immensely helpful to the buyer. It also minimizes the number of questions you will get on an item. More often than not, I get questions about things I forgot to put in the description, so be as informative as possible.
Any tips for improving sales for sellers who are just starting out?
Be consistently active on the app. List consistently even if it is a few items every other day instead of posting 10 items on one day and nothing else for a long time after. Another tip is to share the listings of other Poshmark resellers. More often than not they will reciprocate by sharing some of your items as well. This opens your pieces to a new audience and increases the chances of a sale.
Tips for finding the best deals for buyers on Poshmark?
If you want to know if you are getting a good deal, look at what the items have sold for in the “Sold” Listings. You can get a general idea of what the items have sold for in the past. However, there are sellers that may price their items low because they have invested little in buying it to resell while others may price the item higher near its actual resale value. You can also negotiate with Poshmark sellers by offering a reasonably lowered counteroffer and go from there. Go for it! The seller will either decline the offer or counteroffer with the lowest they can sell the item for.
I have a full Poshmark Series on Fro Plus Fashion where I have been answering the most common questions I get from my followers and other Poshmark resellers. My first post in the series is actually How to Sell on Poshmark without Getting Overwhelmed (https://www.froplusfashion.com/sell-poshmark-reselling-tips/)!
What advice do you have for someone who wants to start selling online, whether on Poshmark or elsewhere?
Just start! Start with what you have right now. There is no need for an intricate set up from the beginning if you do not have those resources available to you. The first item I sold was hung on the back of my closet door, and I took the photos with my phone. I still take photos with my phone. Educate yourself along the way and you will progressively improve. Do not wait to get the resources the big, full-time sellers have. Do not wait until everything is perfect. Just go for it!
Thank you, Shamika! We hope you will check out all of Fro + Fashion’s sites, especially her Poshmark!
Images by Breezy Ritter