What I Wish I Knew Before Selling on Poshmark
Selling on Poshmark can be a little overwhelming when you’re first starting out. There’s so much to learn—what to source, how to list, and how to actually get your items sold. As someone who has been a Posh seller for years, I wanted to share some things I wish I had known before I started selling on Poshmark. These tips and tools can help you avoid common mistakes and get you on the path to success faster.
This post is sponsored by Poshwatch which provides real data and analytics for resellers, but all opinions are my own. I only work with companies I think will truly help other resellers.
👉 Related Post: The Ultimate Guide to Selling Successfully on Poshmark
Product Resarch is Key (& There Are Tools to Help)
New Poshmark sellers often make the mistake of heading to the thrift store and buying things based on what they personally like and think will sell. And while that may work for some people, it’s not a super reliable strategy. Trust me—guessing isn’t your friend when it comes to sourcing profitable inventory.
Instead, I recommend doing a bit of product research that proves the items you’re buying are actually selling. This is a bit of a struggle on Poshmark because it doesn’t provide tools or analytics to make it easy. Luckily, there are tools like Poshwatch to help you clearly see which brands and styles are selling right now.
Poshwatch’s product research tool allows you to do a search and quickly see crucial data like sell through rate, average time to sell, market saturation, average price and more. Poshwatch is a newer tool that I wish had existed when I started on Poshmark years ago. It has literally never been easier to do product research!
Don’t Ignore Sell Through Rate
Speaking of product research, let’s talk about how important sell through rate is.
Simply put: Sell Through Rate = Items Sold ÷ Items Listed.
For example
- 75 items sold out of 100 items listed is a 75% sell through rate
- 25 items sold out of 100 items listed is a 25% sell through rate
Why does it matter? A higher sell through rate means more of that item is selling. That means a better chance of a sale and less time waiting for your items to move. Again, Poshwatch’s Product Reearch tool can help you quickly see this for any item you’re thinking of selling.
Sharing is Important (But Don’t Do it Manually)
One thing that always kind of bugged me about Poshmark is the need to share your items constantly. Sharing your items boosts their visibility in search and helps you make sales, but stopping what I’m doing to share each item in my closet several times a day? No thanks.
I used to set alarms on my phone reminding me to share my items four times a day.
That’s before I discovered that there are tools our there to share your items for you! There are different types of sharing tools, including Poshwatch which works off your browser and PoshSidekick which works off your phone. All you have to do is set it up and your listings get shared automatically.
Now I share each item 10 or more times a day to ensure that they’re always at the top of the list when people use the “Just Shared” filter (the default filter on Poshmark).
Avoid Sourcing FOMO
Most resellers will agree with me when I say that sourcing is the best part of reselling. Getting to go to the thrift store (or anywhere you source your inventory) and dig around for treasures is why most of us start in the first place. The problem is sourcing FOMO can get you into trouble!
Remember that sourcing is only one part of running a successful reselling business. If you’re spending all your time hunting for inventory, but not listing, sharing, etc. it’s easy to get in over your head. Suddenly you have piles of inventory to list and a lot of money invested in items that aren’t even listed yet. Or even worse, you’re buying stuff that isn’t profitable because you just love the thrill of shopping.
I’ve totally been there! But here are some tips to avoid sourcing FOMO:
- Set Limits: Decide how many hours (or how much money) you’ll spend on sourcing each week. Or limit yourself to only sourcing once all of your unlisted inventory has been listed.
- Be Picky: Don’t just buy stuff because it’s cute or cheap. Prioritize profitable inventory with a good sell through rate.
- Avoid Social Media: Anytime I watch a thrift haul on YouTube or see someone at the thrift store on Instagram, I instantly feel FOMO and need to go. Avoiding social media helps me avoid falling into this trap.
Don’t Stress About Love Notes (Reviews/Feedback)
One thing I see new Posher stress about is Love Notes (aka feedback). When you get a new one it feels like a gold star, and when someone doesn’t leave one? It feels like you did something wrong!
Here’s the truth: not getting a Love Note doesn’t mean you did something wrong. Some buyers (a lot of them, actually) just don’t take the time to leave feedback.
Another thing? Neutral or negative Love Notes aren’t the end of the world. Of course, we should always do our best to describe items accurately, pack them so they get to their new home safely, and have good customer service. But sometimes accidents or misunderstandings happen. One or two bad reviews isn’t going to hurt you as bad as it feels like they will.
Focus on things you can control like:
- Clear descriptions with accurate details so buyers know exactly what they’re buying
- Good photos to back up your descriptions and clearly show your item from all angles (this is proof of condition if there’s an issue)
- Fast shipping is pretty much expected these days and will keep your customers happy
At the end of the day, your sales and the money you’re making matter more than a few lines of feedback. Just do your best and don’t read too much into it.
You Get What You Put Into It
If you truly want to make money with Poshmark, you need to treat it like a real business. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it. If you want a consistent income, you have to take it seriously and work on it consistently. You can’t just treat it like a set it and forget it type of deal.
Some tips for success on Poshmark:
- Use product research to make good inventory buying decisions
- Take clear, bright photos with plenty of angles shown
- Create quality listings with good keywords in titles and descriptions (Poshwatch has a really cool Listing Analyzer to make sure you’re following best practices)
- Create a weekly schedule for tasks like sourcing, taking photos, and listing to stay consistent
Successfully selling on Poshmark is a mix of strategy, consistency, and smart decision-making. For the best chance at success, treat it like a business and use tools like Poshwatch to streamline your product research, improve your listings, and gain valuable insights to help you sell more, faster.
Such great advice! Starting on Poshmark can be overwhelming, but learning from experienced sellers makes all the difference. These tips will help new sellers avoid common mistakes and get their shop on the path to success faster.