poshmark-reviews

Poshmark Reviews: Is It Safe to Buy and Sell on Poshmark?

In a time when many people buy an outfit, wear it once, and then resign it to the back of a closet (we blame Facebook), fashionistas are always on the lookout for savings.

From eBay to Facebook buy and sell groups, there are a number of ways to boost your wardrobe without breaking the bank, including some sites like Poshmark which exclusively sell clothing.

1. What is Poshmark?

Poshmark is an online fashion community which allows members to buy and sell fashion items quickly and easily.  

Founded by Tracy Sun, Manish Chandra, Gautam Golwala, and Chetan Pungaliya, Poshmark also has celebrity investors including Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, Poshmark is fast becoming the go-to online fashion hypermarket for the USA.  

Those looking for a bargain can either browse the site or search for specific parameters to see what’s on offer and, purchasing is super-easy with payment by Paypal, credit card or Apple Pay.  

From exclusive designer couture to everyday items, brands on Poshmark include Chanel, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Coach, and many many more.  

In addition to finding your new favorite outfit, members can also sell their unwanted or unworn clothing and accessories to make room in the closet or earn a little extra cash.

2. How Does Poshmark Work for Buyers?

Before you begin shopping on Poshmark, you need to open an account which is really straightforward – you can sign up using your social media or email details.

You’ll need to assign yourself a username and password and then you’re all set!

You can shop on Poshmark either on the website at Poshmark.com or via an app on your phone which can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play.  

Once you’re all set up, there are a few ways in which you can shop on Poshmark:

  • Browse – If you’re not looking for a specific item, you can browse through a huge range of items to see what catches your eye.
  • Recommendations – You can set up your Poshmark account to receive personal recommendations from a large number of different stylists.
  • Posh Parties – Buyers can attend online shopping parties in order to find a bargain and to interact with like-minded fashion fans.

Once you’ve found an item that you like, you can tap the blue ‘Buy Now’ button in order to make the purchase.  

You’ll then be asked to enter a payment method (this is obligatory even if you have enough credit on your account to purchase the item).  

Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to review your order before completion.  Once your order is complete, it will be shipped to you by priority mail.  

Unlike many sites, Poshmark offers free authentication for designer items and also protects your payments in the event that your purchase does not meet your standards.  

When buying on Poshmark, you also have the option to make an offer on an item that’s caught your eye.

Use the ‘make an offer’ tool to send a message to the seller with your proposed price – he or she is then able to either accept or decline your offer or come back to you with a counter-offer.

If you’re not quite ready to make a purchase, you can ‘like’ an item which is a handy way of bookmarking it for later purchase.

3. Pros & Cons Buying on Poshmark

Buyer Pros

  • Bargains – By getting to know the site and getting involved, you can find some incredible bargains, particularly within the Just In section.
  • Easy – The phone app is really simple and straightforward to use, allowing you to purchase an item without any fuss.
  • Protection – Poshmark protects your purchase for a risk-free experience.
  • Events – You can attend shopping parties and other events in order to get to know other buyers and sellers.

Buyer Cons

  • Reliability – Poshmark relies on the integrity of sellers and, often, items either don’t arrive or are not as described.
  • Authenticity – On many occasions, Poshmark has reportedly authenticated designer items which have turned out to be faked.
  • Customer service – This is an area in which Poshmark really needs some work as the service team is unresponsive and often disinterested.
  • Bias – Poshmark’s customer service seems to be biased toward sellers as, often, funds are still taken from buyers and credited to the seller even when the buyer has provided ample evidence as to why this should not be the case.
  • Availability – Poshmark is currently only available to customers in the USA.

4. Tips for Poshmark Buyers

  • Just In – Some of the best bargains on Poshmark are found within the Just In section.  Many great bargains are snapped up really quickly on the site so this is a good way of making sure that you don’t miss out.
  • Off-season –  To get the best prices, try shopping for out of season items, i.e. buying coats during the summer or swimwear during the winter.
  • Keywords – Keep your keyword searches super-specific in order to avoid having to scroll through hundreds of listings.
  • Community – Make sure that you join in with discussions and events; by befriending sellers, you’ll often then be privy to new items and special offers before anybody else.

5. How to Sell on Poshmark for Sellers?

Selling your unwanted fashion on Poshmark is quick, easy and can be extremely lucrative once you’ve got the hang of it.

First, make sure that you’ve set up your account on Poshmark and have entered details of where your payments should be sent.

Next, follow our guide to help you become a successful Poshmark seller:

Photographs

Make sure that you take the time and effort to take really good, clear photographs of the item you wish to sell.

With over 25 million items on the site, you need to make sure that yours stands out.

Try to photograph the item in natural daylight and present it professionally either on a mannequin or on a plain background.

Using the app, you can upload photographs directly from your phone to the Poshmark site for sale.

Price

Next, choose a price for your item.  Before submitting your item for sale, it’s a good idea to do a little research on the site to find out what other, similar items are selling for – if your item is way overpriced and/or has a lot of competition, it won’t sell.

Get social

Unlike straight selling sites such as eBay, Poshmark is an online community – which you can use to your advantage!

Take the time to engage in conversations and events in order to grow your customer base on the site as well as sharing other sellers’ items.
 

Be a customer service champion

Make sure that you respond quickly and efficiently to all queries from customers in order to build on trust and loyalty.

Sold

Once your item has been purchased by a customer, Poshmark will deposit the payment into your Poshmark account, minus its commission ($2.95 on sales under $15 and 20% thereafter).  

Ship

Once payment has been received for the item, it’s time to ship it to your customer.  You’ll find a pre-paid, pre-addressed label in your account which you can print and attach to the parcel before taking it to the post depot for shipping.

You need to make sure that you ship the parcel to your customer within seven days of purchase to avoid breaching Poshmark’s guidelines.

As with any online shopping experience, there are some great things about Poshmark and, some not-so-great ones.

Here, we list the pros and cons of buying and selling on Poshmark:

6. Pros & Cons of Selling on Poshmark

Seller Pros

  • Easy – Listing an item for sale is super easy as you simply need to photograph the item on your phone and then upload directly to the site – you don’t even need to include a description.
  • Community – The huge number of Poshmark users gives sellers a great chance of selling their items quickly.
  • Payment – Getting paid on Poshmark is really straightforward with funds being deposited into your account after each purchase to then be withdrawn.
  • Events – Sellers can use Poshmark’s events to build up a community of customers in order to optimize sales.

Seller Cons

  • High commissions – It takes 20% fees.
  • Price – Customers on Poshmark expect a bargain and will often waste a seller’s time haggling on price only to then decide not to purchase.
  • Returns – Poshmark tends to have a quite high level of returns leaving sellers out of pocket.
  • Unfair penalties – Poshmark has a habit of removing seller’s items claiming that photographs are not genuine, even when sellers are able to prove that this is not the case.
  • Payment – Despite the promise of immediate payment for items sold, it often takes Poshmark a long time (sometimes up to two months) for payment to be credited to seller accounts.

7. Frequently Asked Questions About Poshmark

Below, we give you the lowdown on what you need to know before starting out on Poshmark:

Is it safe to buy from Poshmark?

It is legit to buy from Poshmark, just like any other shopping website. It has more than 30 million monthly traffic and is trusted by millions of shoppers.

Are all the items on Poshmark used?

No.  Poshmark offers brand new clothing as well as pre-loved and, this should be marked clearly on the item description.

As well as new and used items listed by ordinary sellers, the site is also used by fledgling designers and boutiques to showcase their new products and build up a fan base.

As many items are, however, used, any defects or flaws should be clearly marked on the photographs uploaded to the site.  

How long does Poshmark take to deliver?

On completion of a purchase, a Poshmark seller has seven days in which to package and ship the item.

Delivery is by expedited mail and should take between one and three business days so, altogether, a buyer should expect to receive an item within seven to ten days of purchase.

Items not received within 14 days should be reported to Poshmark customer service.

Who pays for shipping on Poshmark?

Shipping by USPS Priority Shipping is paid for by the customer on top of the price of the item purchased.

The cost of shipping (to include either one item or multiple items) is usually $6.49 and is payable at the same time as the purchase price for the item.

Buyers should always make sure that their address on the site is correct as this will be used to generate a shipping label for their item.

How do you get paid through Poshmark?

Once your item has been sold, Poshmark will deposit the price of the item plus the shipping cost into your Poshmark credit account.  You can check your Poshmark balance at any time by tapping onto ‘My Balance’.  

Once you have funds in your Poshmark account, you can withdraw these at any time by tapping onto ‘Redeemable’ and then selecting where you would like to withdraw the funds to – i.e. bank account or Paypal.  

Note that, in the event of a customer complaint or query, Poshmark has the right to deduct funds from your account which may leave you with a negative balance.

8. Conclusion

There’s no doubt that there is the potential on Poshmark for buyers to find a bargain and, for sellers to make money and create a customer base for a clothing business.  

Unfortunately, Poshmark seems to be significantly let down by its customer service, with a staggering 78% of Trust Pilot users giving it a one-star ‘Bad’ rating.  

If buying on Poshmark, you may not be able to trust the company’s authenticity promise so you need to make sure that, if in doubt, you request further authentication from the seller.  

As a Poshmark seller, you need to make sure that the items you are selling are as described and, increase customer trust by shipping quickly and responding to all queries.