A Complete Guide On How To Start A Successful Poshmark Closet

Hey, cutie hey! So, you want to start your Poshmark closet – yay! And of course, you want to be successful from the get-go? Who wouldn’t? Then you’ve landed yourself in the right place. I’m here to share a complete guide on how to start your Poshmark closet and rocket to success. (And my guide is full of secrets and pro-tips!)

To give you some quick background, I became OBSESSED with Poshmark about a year back. Literally. OB-SESSED. I was so head-over-heels for it that I had trouble falling asleep at night because I literally couldn’t wait to wake up and posh again. Everything about Poshmark is so much fun and I am so excited to share my excitement with you and teach you how to start your rockstar closet off.

First, Why Should You Create A Closet?:

• It’s easy and a ton of fun!
• To get a new wardrobe on the cheap
• You’re looking to make some extra moolah – and possibly a good amount in a short time!
• You want to see what all the hype is about — and trust me there is hype
• To get rid of the clothes you no longer wear  (or never wore in the first place) *yay for not throwing them away//always re-donate!*
• You want to be a part of a super supportive, funny, and inspiring #girlboss community

Creating Your Account:

Let’s start with the basics. Go to the app store and download the Poshmark app! 

Open up the app. From there you will be prompted to create your account either through your Facebook or through email. I picked to do through email.

*If you would like to receive a $10 credit when signing up – please feel free to add my invite code in the box that says “Invite Code”. My invite code is “GABRIELLASGRABS”. It’s a win-win because I will also receive a $10 credit when you sign up using my code, at no extra cost to you. If you do so, THANK you! Note this only works when signing up through a phone.*

Fill in all of the required information to create your account.

My tip for you would be (for fun and if you want to grow your social presence for Poshmark) come up with a catchy or relatable username. Just like when you make a blog, it isn’t ideal to have your username be a bunch of random letters and numbers. Instead, think of something thoughtful. I often see a lot of punny usernames which are more memorable.

Once you create your account it will prompt you to pick some brands you love. Select the ones you love shopping from or ones that are in your own closet! It might also suggest you follow some users to get you going!

Next, add a photo! For me, I always preferred buying items from sellers that had a photograph of themselves. It somehow made me feel safer to buy from a real human face -haha- it makes you more relatable/personable.

Adding a little blurb/bio doesn’t hurt either! Tell the community who you are! 

Starting Your Closet:

Upload your first item!

This is where the fun begins. On the bottom of the site, you will see five icons. Click the one in the middle that says “Sell”.

Select something from that pile you’re ready to finally part with (does anyone else have a weird emotional connection with some of your clothes? Yes? Okay good, moving on.) You can do this one of two ways. Either by filling out the item’s description or taking/adding photographs.

It will prompt you to either take a new photo or select one from your photo library. Either way is dandy! (You can select a rando photo and later delete it so don’t worry if you haven’t taken any yet.)

How to photograph

You’ll want to take and upload as many photographs of the garnet as you can – you site only allows you to upload eight for now. Adding this many images helps buyers see all angles/quality of the item. Which leads to a higher seller confidence in what they are buying!

Things I always do when taking my photos:

1. Photograph in a nicely lit area (preferably with natural sunlight to keep costs down as opposed to buying a lighting kit).
   You want to be sure your photos are clear and accurately capture the color of the item. You wouldn’t want to receive a shirt that looked dark grey but was actually silver, would you? No. And your shoppers won’t either! This means (almost always) you do not want to add a filter to it! Because yes, Poshmark will give you that option. 
2. Set up a nice background!
   I prefer to use a nice fluffy rug underneath the item I’m selling and take a flat lay shot. I’ve seen people use their wood floors, closet doors, or even a nice spot outside. It’s up to you what you like! If you get really creative, you can even add little backdrop items in your background. I used to use little succulents in the corner of my shots. I did this to:
   a) Add a little color to the white rug background
   b) Brand myself so my images would stand out in a crowd of others/be unique
3. Make sure my iPhone is on SQUARE mode.
   Poshmark crops all images uploaded into a pre-set square setting (that you can’t change). It will save you much time and exasperation to have your iPhone set to the square setting while taking photos. This will ensure all the time you spent capturing the details won’t be cropped out!
4. Consider a mannequin or modeling the clothes yourself.
   Mannequins help show the shape/style for when you’re trying to take photos of tricky items – like a dress, or shirt that is fitted yet flowy. I’ve done both options and like both!
   A mannequin can definitely be easier because you don’t have to worry about changing in and out of the item (plus, some people don’t love this as you’re visually wearing the clothes they want to buy) and you don’t have to worry about who is going to take the photo of you. Even though it’s totally possible to do it yourself! Plus we are women, some come on, we can do anything. 
5. Take photographs of virtually every side possible.
   The front, back, sides, armpits (yes – armpits!!), and inside tags. This is great for ensuring to your customers your item is as described and doesn’t have any hidden flaws. People are genuinely curious to see what the item looks like as a whole. You wouldn’t want to shop and only be shown 1/4th of the item you were buying! 
6. Make the cover shot the best/your favorite photo.
   The cover shot will be the image that other users see while searching for your item or looking in your closet. They will only see this one image (until they decide to click on it to see more) so make it a good one!

Describing your item

Fill out all of the information. When doing this, be totally truthful about the quality of the item. Once you’ve sold it, it will be completely transparent to the buyer if it is less than originally described.

But what if my item has some flaws or I’ve worn it before? Not to worry at all. Disclose that information in the beginning and you will be just fine! To be completely honest, some of the items in my closet have had imperfections or been worn before (duh!) and it didn’t affect my sales or how much the customer loved it.

*Pro Tip* I ALWAYS measure my items and add that information to the description. This means measuring the length, bust, waist, rise, etc. or whatever is applicable!

If you can’t remember what you purchased it for (the Original Price) then it is okay to guesstimate. A useful tool to figure this out is to look up similar items online to see what they’re being sold for. The Listing Price is how much you would like to sell it for. Poshmark will then factor in how much you will make based on those two numbers – very useful!

*Poshmark takes $2.95 for sales under $15 and 20% of all higher-priced sales. This is AWESOME because that means you are pocketing 80%!!*

Now, you’ve uploaded some items and are waiting for your first sale. What to do next?

Being Active On The Site:

Poshmark is totally a socially designed app/site. They revolve around their customer/seller community. (This is awesome if you like this kind of thing because you can get deep into all the social aspects. We’ll get more into that part later.) Poshmark has said that they favor closets that are active.

Active meaning = caring about your closet but also others. They love it when you:

• Follow other closets
• Comment on items you love
• Share other people’s items
• Share your own items
• Actively and timely respond to all comments you receive
• Join and share in the nightly parties (double check it is still nightly)

But how do I do all of this? I just began! Never fear! The app is super user-friendly and I’ll quickly show you how to navigate to do these.

*Keep in mind, you did just begin and you don’t religiously need to be doing these other steps – especially if you are just interested in Posh temporarily – which I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’re interested in the long term.*

Sharing Your Closet:

Click on your recently uploaded item. You will see a little red square button at the top right. Click that and share with your followers. An easier way to do this: Hold down on the image of your item. A screen will pop up at the bottom and you can hit share to all followers from there.

If your item is applicable to share during a party, you can hit that, too. Posh will let you know if your item doesn’t fit the “requirements” to be shared for that particular party.

Following Others:

Find the “Shop” button at the bottom of the red menu. Click that and navigate to the top where it says “All People”. You will find you can search for people in many different ways. Through the brands you love, your city or college, new users, Facebook friends, contacts, etc. Click the blue “Follow” button to follow them.

Note that even though this is a social site, it is still an app for re-selling clothes. You may follow as many closets/people as your heart desires!

*Pro Tip* If you’re itching for people to check out your closet you can always leave a friendly comment that might probe their interests or be beneficial to them in some way.

My personal favorite for this is going to the “New People” button and clicking on closets. From there I will go to their “Meet the Posher” listing and leave a nice welcoming comment. I usually say something along the lines of, “Hi (their name)! Super cute closet (only say this if you actually mean it haha). So glad you decided to join in on the fun. Welcome!” and a smiley face.

This has gotten me many sales in the past. New users have even replied back saying thank you and that they love x item in my closet and might be buying it soon! Woohoo!

Joining Parties:

Parties happen several times throughout the day. It isn’t required to “join” into them but can be great in getting your items out there and seeing others items. Parties go by category/theme and you can only share such items to them.

For example “Best in Tops Party” will only allow users to share tops to the party. No shoes, pants, etc. allowed!

Joining Social Sites:

This is a whole other part of PM and one that just a year ago I discovered. And you totally don’t need to do this to be successful, but again, it’s making valuable connections with those in the community.

You can join groups on Facebook specifically for all Poshmark related things. They are filled with users who love Poshmark and are honestly killing it on the platform. It is very beneficial if you’re wanting to learn about thrifting and tips from the pro’s to join these groups. They are super helpful!

You can also join Instagram and find tons of fellow Poshmark users. I got so inspired by their Insta stories and posts that I even created a separate account just for Poshmark. I was amazed by the tightness and friendliness of the community!

Ways of Purchasing:

People can buy (including you) one of three ways on the site.

1. Outright buying your item for the listed price by hitting the “Buy Now” blue button.
2. Sending in an offer. You can click the “Offer” button next to the item you like and type in an amount you are willing/they would be willing to pay for it. You can go back and forth negotiating on prices with this function.
3. Adding multiple items to a bundle. This lets users only pay for shipping once (woop) and many sellers offer discounts on bundle purchases. Curious? You can read all about it in my guide to Poshmark bundles here.

**P.S./Major Pro Tip**: Some people out there might try to scam you. But don’t let that worry you! Here is what you need to look out for/avoid:

1. Never email back the people that comment on your items asking you to email them for whatever reason, this is a lie.
2. Second, I would not recommend trading with others. Poshmark does not protect you or the other user when trading items.

Woohoo! Rejoice! Your item has sold!

You will get a notification of this on the Poshmark app, as well as an email sent to your registered email with them. The email will include the shipping label *aaaah – so easy!* and details of the order. Put this aside for now as we move onto the next steps.

*If someone has purchased more than one item from you (woohoo!) it will be a “bundle”. Follow the steps below just the same except you will want to read “print out the shipping label” part carefully!*

On to the next fun part – packaging!

You will totally eat this up if you’re any bit crafty and creative or wish to be.

Think of Poshmark like your own online boutique — which it really is for a good amount of sellers.

You will want your items to be sent out nicely packaged to further your customer’s positive outlook of you.

For me, a cute thank you note is always included. **Pro Tip: This usually hugely helps with receiving love notes from your customers and potentially getting repeat buyers.**

I always say something along the lines of: “Hi (their name)! Thank you so much for purchasing (what sold). I am so glad you are one of my customers! I so hope to see you back in my closet again. Enjoy the (what sold). xx, Gabriella”

Next, I wrap the item carefully in tissue paper. I use tissue paper for my Posh packages because I like the look of it (for this particular instance) better than wrapping paper.

*Pro Tips*

a) If you’re going to wrap your items in tissue paper – buy the WHITE color. I have heard horror stories of people getting their items tainted with color that has been rubbed off from the colored tissue paper.
b) If you do buy the colored paper (I still do this even with my white paper) get little plastic bread baggies (sold at the grocery store) to wrap your items in before wrapping it in tissue paper. This can be hugely effective in making sure nothing happens to your item! Like the giant rainstorm that your package gets left in outside their house.
c) Costco sells massive amounts of white tissue paper (100+ sheets per pack) during Christmas season for like $7. Also, the Dollar Tree sells packs of tissue paper for $1. I really like using their slightly glittered white tissue paper.

I then tie a bow or ribbon around the tissue paper. And stick in my personalized thank you note as my final touch!

Are all these steps necessary? Absolutely not! But – I have done these steps from the start (because I genuinely wanted to) and seen nothing but a steady effect of appreciation and great reviews from doing so.

Put your perfectly packaged item in a free USPS shipping box or poly mailer. 

Again, as you’re just starting off and don’t want to eat out of pocket, opt for using the free USPS boxes. You can pick them up at your local USPS! I always pick up the Priority Mail boxes (even though I know we can ship from Regional Rates and Flat Rates now). Just be sure the boxes you grab DON’T SAY “Express Mail” on them as those shipping boxes aren’t allowed.

Oh, and to do your USPS workers a favor – purchase your own packing tape too – and use it! It will make them like you more 😀 Because technically you should bring in your packages completely wrapped and ready to send out.

Print out your shipping label

Before you do this, you will want to make sure your package isn’t over five pounds. If it is over, you will need to pay a bit extra for the shipping costs of the updated label. Most likely if you’re only selling one or two items at a time, you won’t go over that limit. Heavy items like jeans can make a difference though.

You can check the weight of your items on a little kitchen food scale if you have one! I would definitely recommend getting one of these if you plan to sell a lot of bundles!

1. Print out your label via your printer (I know you can do a 4×6 size but that usually requires owning a thermal printer -and since you’re just getting started, opt for the simpler/cheaper option)
2. Stick it on the package
3. Tape that sucker down (using your clear shipping tape)

Drop it off at the PO or put it in your mailbox

I opt for dropping it off at the PO so I can ensure it is collected, scanned it, and I get a tracking/confirmation receipt. Once you do this, you can go into the item that has sold and check off the boxes in the app that it has been given to the PO.

However, if your mailbox is secure, you can go ahead and leave it in there for your post worker to collect! But if you’re anything like me, I can’t wait to get them off and to their new owner’s homes! Plus I’m TOTALLY friends with my USPS workers 😀

*Pro-Tips*

• Make sure you send out your packages within two days of the user purchasing them! This will help your rates in Poshmark go/stay up and keep your customers happy 😀
• You can go the extra mile and comment to let your buyer know their item is on the way (even though they will get the notified confirmation of shipment)
• Become friends with your USPS workers. They can (and often will) help you out significantly if you were to need it once you have a good relationship with them!

Voilah! The work is done! Now just keep repeating the steps above while waiting for your love notes to come in. 

*Pro Tip* Don’t comment to ask your buyers why they haven’t accepted your package yet or left a love note. This will come if they feel so inclined and rushing them certainly won’t help.

Now, that was a lot! But wait…there’s more!

This isn’t just all of what Poshmark is. There is so much more. Above was the basics, the necessities, the barebone of the beast. Below you will find other important factors in running a successful Poshmark closet (coming soon!). Take a peek!

And THANK YOU!!! for taking the time to read all 3,000+ words of wisdom here! 

If you found this guide helpful, please share the love and repin, comment or email to a friend so fellow Poshers can learn too! I’d love to answer any of your q’s and/or hear how you are enjoying Poshmark so far as a successful beginner!

P.S. Want help learning how to use other reselling apps? Look no further! Read my step-by-step guide about how to ship on Mercari.