One of my goals for 2017 is to live with less and one thing I want to live with less is clothes!

About two years ago, I read this article on the Wall Street Journal about “Marie Kondo and the Cult of Tidying Up” and bookmarked for a day when I will decide to declutter my closet.

I finally read the book  “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” on Amazon on Amazon since I felt I was ready to purge my closet. The book inspired me to let go of things, especially clothes that I don’t wear. And I knew just where to start – my closet!

I took a look at what was in my closet – lots of items I’ll never wear again. I accepted the fact that I can no longer fit into my size 4 and 6 Anthropologie dresses. My body has changed since I had Luke and so has my style.  So last summer, I took all the clothes that no longer fit and put them in a pile to either donate to or resale.

I have heard success stories about other people reselling their clothes on Poshmark and wanted to know if it was true. Poshmark is an app you can download to list and post pictures of your clothes for resale or you can purchase clothes from there too. The app takes 20% of your sales as a commission. Sign up is pretty easy. So I downloaded the Poshmark app…again (I actually signed up for Poshmark in April 2014 but never did anything with it).

In August, I listed 23 items on Poshmark and sold five items within the first few days. Most of my items are from Anthropologie (I didn’t know there was a second hand market for all things Antho. Where have I been?). After listing my items, I started getting other users to follow me, share my listing, give offers on my clothes, etc.. The notifications on my phone started to get overwhelming but I was happy that I was able to sell some of my clothes and clearing my closet.

I still have a long way to go to completely declutter my closet but I can say that reselling my clothes on the app has helped with my shopping and hoarding problems. I’ve learned a few things about myself during this whole process: 1) I don’t wear a lot of the clothes I have, 2)  I buy on impulse because “it’s cheap”, 3) I buy because someone else looks good in it (i.e., fashion bloggers).  I’ve noticed that I’m shopping less since I started reselling. I am more mindful of what I buy as I think about whether I would actually wear the clothes or if it’s similar to what I already have.

So far, I’ve had a positive experience with the app. There are things that I like and dislike about it though. I like that they provide me with a shipping label but I dislike the low ball offers and the high 20% commission. If you’re thinking of using Poshmark to resale your clothes, here are a few things you might want to know.

Poshmark as a Social Media

Although the app is for selling and purchasing clothes, it’s set up similar to a social media account. You can follow other user – like, share, and comment on their listing. There’s even a news feed to show the activity of the other users you’re following or new items listed for brands you’re following. I currently have  about 900 followers on my account. But personally, I don’t see it as a “community” as most the people who are following me are also following tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of other users. I’m sure in the early days of the app, you were able to connect with different users, similar to Instagram. I don’t see that as the case for me.

Listing your items

Do some research – Before I list my items, I researched what similar items sold for or are selling as a good point of reference.

Taking pictures – You can either take pictures directly from the app or you can use your phone camera. When taking pictures from your phone camera, make sure you take them in the “square” mode because Poshmark only displays pictures on the app in squares. I also take my pictures from one place in my home (with good natural light) so that the items in my listings have a consistent look. Also, I try to find stock photos of the items but searching online or Pinterest for them. Stock photos do help with the listing. When I started using the app in August, you were only able to have four photos per listing but now you can have eight. The more photos, the better.

Providing a good description – A good description always helps with not having to answer questions about it later. I check the tag for the fabric materials and include that in the listing. Also include if there are stains, pilling, fabric issues, etc.

Measuring your clothes – This question was asked a lot when I first started. So now I use a measuring tape and include the measurements in the description.

Modeling in your clothes – I was asked to model in my clothes various times. I won’t and can’t model in them since they don’t fit. And I find it creepy that someone asks you to model.

Pricing your listing – I try to price my items reasonably. It’s up to you on how much you think something is worth. But remember that you will only get 80% of whatever you sell. For every listing sold under $15, Poshmark will take $3.

Poshmark Parties

I never understood these when I first started. But it’s a great way to share your listings but you have to know when the parties start to share your current listings. One of my listing was a “Host Pick” one time. I started getting people to compliment and congratulate me on the host pick. I had no idea what that was all about but I think Host Picks can sometimes increase the chances of your items being sold.

Accepting and Declining Offers

What I dislike is that some people give very low offers on your listing, even when you’ve priced something at a low price to start out with. You can simply decline or you can counteroffer. My husband tells me it’s like an online garage sale, people are going to try to give the lowest offer and get the best deal. My prices are firm so I normally stay away from the negotiations.

Shipping your items

This is the easiest part. You just use the shipping label that Poshmark emails you, tape it on a box or a USPS Priority Mail box and send it on it’s merry way. Some people have elaborate packaging. I try to keep mine simple – item in box. Most importantly, make sure you wash or clean your items before shipping.

Receiving payment

This is normally a waiting game. You only receive the payment when the buyer accepts the item, which can take up to 7 days after the item has been delivered.

Being rated and reviewed

Buyers must rate you when they receive you package and some can leave comments. Most of my ratings are 5 stars. I’ve had one bad rating saying there was a stain on my dress. I thoroughly checked the dress before sending and didn’t see a stain. There’s no way to respond to that comment but I guess that’s a good thing…

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