Poshmark is a reseller platform where millions of people sell new and used clothing. This second hand market is making high-end clothing accessible to many more people while giving them a new life and keeping them out of the landfill--win-win!
I started “Poshing” almost three years ago after having gone through a weight loss and then a weight gain transition. I had lost 25 lbs. and I thought to myself “I will never gain weight again!” So, I purged my entire closet and invested in new clothes for a leaner me. After several short months however, the weight slowly started to creep back as life events happened and I could not get back into my health routine.
I was so upset and I blamed my husband for it (he had shoulder surgery, stopped exercising and started bringing in junk food into the house), so I made him give me money to buy “fat clothes” (I don’t like calling it this, but I was not in a good place back then). However, I couldn’t do it, I felt too guilty purging my closet and repurchasing new clothes all over again. It felt like a personal failure and an irresponsible way to live—why was it the earth’s fault I needed more clothes?! I was dreading everything about it, shopping online, the shipping and then returning half of it because it doesn’t fit—or worse, actually going to a mall! Ugh, there had to be something better than this!
#1. 70% Off The Retail Cost
I had downloaded the Poshmark app some time back, but I had only browsed and I didn’t quite have a handle on how to search or buy. For several nights, while in bed I started to get familiar with the app and then suddenly this whole new world opened up, it was a thrift shop (with used and new items) with all sorts of brands at incredibility cheap prices—what a deal! Now, I had always been a thrifter and have thrifted on and off for years, partly because I love a good find and partly because I don’t feel good over consuming new goods, so Poshmark was totally up my alley.
I bought and bought until I had a closet full of clothes that fit me again. I had purchased items from J. Crew, The LOFT and Banana Republic and premium denim which were my go-to brands and style for work, at the time. I was very pleased with myself for having saved a boat load of money and a bit less bitter about my weight gain.
#2. Variety of Clothing Labels in One App
However, I didn’t stop there. I kept browsing through the app and I realized there were many more brands that I had admired but had only made the occasional purchase from such as Anthropology, Halogen, Joie, Alice + Olivia, etc. Within a few weeks, I had my entire new closet up for sale again and utilized all my earnings to upgrade my entire wardrobe!
Here’s the thing about Poshmark that works for me, I can shop from bed, after putting my kids to asleep, and I can search through all the brands in one app rather than several different websites.
#3. Measurements
The other thing I love about shopping on Poshmark is that I can obtain more information about what I am buying than a retailer’s website, like measurements. Clothing sizes (i.e., small, medium, large, etc.) mean nothing, measurements are everything when it comes to fit! This makes the odds of buying clothing that fit waaay higher than buying from an online store, which is a good thing because there are no returns for ill-fitting clothing, you can only return items if they have an undisclosed flaw. I can also ask the seller about feel and draping of garment on a real body that most of us can relate to—on a retailer’s website the models are very slim, between sizes 0-4 or 33” bust, 23” waist and 33” hips, weighing between 90-120 lbs. and are about 5’-7” to 5’-9” in height. If these are not your measurements, the garment is going to look entirely different on you, hence the massive returns from online purchasing.
#4. Democratized Search Ranking
Let’s talk about the reseller’s perspective for just a moment. What is both great and a drag about Poshmark is that as a reseller you have to “share” your items from your closet in order for them to rank high on someone’s search. Unlike other reselling sites, Poshmark does not use algorithms to move certain items higher on a search, it has in a sense “democratized” the ranking system. However, this forces the seller to be a slave to the app. Since I am a part-time reseller with the goal of selling my items to invest in higher-end pieces, fill gaps in my wardrobe etc., and not as income, my approach is very passive. I share my closet 1-3 times a day, some days I’m more motivated than others, but that works for me.
#5. Income Stream
For other full-time and even some part-time resellers however, Poshing is serious business—it spring boards many women to become entrepreneurs. For some resellers, this side hustle can provide income to pay off debt or make special purchases. For full-time resellers, they run it like any other business. Resellers incorporate and brand their business; utilize social media for marketing; their volume requires a large inventory; spend time analyzing inventory and sales reports; establish work flows; and have several means of product sourcing. Many popular resellers on YouTube claim to make six figure incomes!
#6. Variety
What are Poshers selling? Everything. Poshmark has opened up the market beyond women clothing, shoes and accessories by having added makeup and hair products, men’s and children’s clothing and now home goods. Resellers procure products from their homes, friends, neighbors, thrift stores, retail arbitrage (buy at deep discounts from retailers), outlet stores or by the pallet from companies that buy from department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom’s.
#7. Continual Improvements to the App and Inspiration Goals
This past weekend, I attended my first PoshFest (all virtual, of course) where updates to the app were announced to facilitate the ability for sellers to move their product and the expansion into more countries, having just successfully tested out the app in Canada. However, the most exciting conversation I was privy to (well, me and hundreds of other Poshers) was with Nathalie Kelley. While I was already a fan of preloved clothing because it prolongs its useful life and keeps it out of the landfills longer reducing its environmental impact, she took the conversation of sustainability to a whole other level!
Nathalie talked about a concept called Regenerative Lifestyle, which means, in the simplest terms, leave the earth better than you found it. While this isn’t a new concept, as our ancestors and native people have lived this way for generations, the concept has become a necessity in our modern lives to combat climate change. How it relates to clothing is to think about the resources it takes to make textiles. The fashion industry utilizes synthetic materials that pollute our environment and even natural resources that are water intensive and take decades to decompose. As part of a regenerative lifestyle, clothing is made of natural fibers that can be harvested using fewer natural resources and can be composted at the end of its useful life.
#8. Promotes Wearing Pre-Loved Clothing
Nathalie also made another great point about our capitalist culture, over consumption especially with proliferation of fast fashion. American’s purchase billions of tons of clothing every year, but only wear half perpetuating the adverse impact on the environment. I encourage you to listen to Nathalie’s full interview at PoshFest 2020 (it starts at the 56:57 mark), her passion and energy are contagious!
#9. Utility of Inventory
I understand wearing secondhand clothing may be a hurdle to overcome for some people. To help our clients with this, we bring some of our Poshmark inventory to their homes during a styling session. Sometimes we use it to demonstrate how to make a capsule wardrobe and other times to discuss different silhouettes for dressing your body type or shape shifting. Clients are always surprised at the quality of our inventory of pre-loved clothing.
#10. In Line with The Closet Edit Co's Core Values
While there is a long way to go to overhaul the fashion industry to a cleaner and more equitable business, Poshmark enables every day consumers to do their part for the environment and people. I hope you are inspired as we are to continue to wear and promote pre-loved clothing and to take care of our things to extend their useful life. We also encourage our clients to sign up for a Poshmark account to resell their items by using the referral code THECLOSETEDITCO to earn a $10 credit towards a purchase.
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