How To Create Poshmark Listings that SELL!
Let’s be real for a second: you probably have a few items in your closet that are in great condition, but that you just never wear. Am I right? If so, you’re not alone. The average person in the United States wears only 20% of their wardrobe. I’ll speak from experience: I have a lot less than the average person, and I STILL have a few items that I haven’t touched in the last year.
I find that getting rid of items in our wardrobe that are in good condition, but that we don’t like, is harder than getting rid of items that we loved but are showing signs of wear. I remember a friend saying to me once, when I asked her why she was holding onto something she never used: “It feels wasteful to get rid of it when it’s brand new.” And I get it! But what if someone picked that item out of your closet and offered you cash for it? Would you still choose to hold onto it? My guess is that you wouldn’t! Getting at least a little bit of a return on your initial investment - and knowing that someone else will use it - does a lot to ease the feeling of guilt.
I’ve tried to sell my unworn clothing many different ways: online, taking them to thrift shops, sending them to online thrift stores, etc. Personally, I have found that the best way to sell the items I no longer want is through the online marketplace Poshmark. I can sell items with a little bit of signs of wear, and I get more money from them than if I took them to a thrift store in person. So today, I wanted to share with you some tips for creating online listings for your clothes that actually sell.
CREATING GREAT LISTINGS
The way I see it, there are three key components to selling anything online:
a) Having great photos - so that when people come across your listing they are actually inclined to click on it.
b) Having a great description - this increases the chances that your listing will appear on search, and makes the buyer more likely to make a purchase without asking you a question first.
c) Positioning the listing so that it is visible to as many viewers as possible.
Every online marketplace has their own way getting the listing viewed by many people, but since this the first two can be applied universally to any platform (and any item) that is what I chose to focus on in the video.
TAKING GREAT PHOTOS
To capture great photos of your item you need three basic things: a camera, good lighting, and a solid background. These are easier to master than most people realize.
CAMERA - Most smartphone cameras are great these days, it’s just a matter of learning how to focus and expose the photos correctly. If you’ve never done this with your phone before, I have found some videos for three of the most popular smartphones these days: iPhone, Galaxy, and Android.
LIGHTING - Natural light is really the simplest and least expensive way to go here. If you’re shooting outside, do so on a bright and sunny day but position your item in ‘open shade’ - where you can clearly see it but its not directly under the light or any harsh shadows. If you’re shooting inside, placing your item near a window, as opposed to in front of a window, is the best way to go.
If you’re using artificial light, the same concept applies, just make sure that you are using white light. Position your light the way the diagram shows below.
BACKGROUND - A solid white background is the best way to go, but if you cannot find this, a solid background in a neutral color is the next best thing. You don’t want to use bright colors because they have the potential of reflecting on your item, changing the way the color appears in the photo.
Once you have your photos, select the best one to be the cover photo for your listing.
WRITING A GOOD DESCRIPTION
The key thing when writing a caption for your listing is to describe the item as if the person buying it could not see it, and knowing that they could not try it on. Your description should always include:
Condition it is in
Brand
Size, and any fit details (runs large, fit is wide)
Brief description of the item
Color
Materials
Mention of any flaws
For example:
“Like new Banana Republic Petite women’s ruffle mini skirt in size Small. Black with white spotted print. 100% polyester. Skirt length is 14in, hits at the waist. Great with a pair of boots for fall or with white sneakers in summer. Model is 5’4 with a 28in waist.”
According to Poshmark, if a description has more than 100 words, the likelihood of a sale increases by 40% - so give your buyer as much information as possible without spamming them, of course!
PRICING YOUR ITEM
The best way to determine a great selling price for your item is to see what other comparable pieces are going for on the platform that you are using and pricing it similarly. This unfortunately has nothing to do with how much you paid for it initially or how much it was new. If you want your item to sell, look at what other people are charging for similar items and list it at a price that is worth your effort, but still likely to sell.
I hope this video is helpful to get you thinking about how you could make some money from those items in your closet that are no longer serving you. Leave me a comment below if you have a lot of experience selling on Poshmark and know how to make the most out of the parties - we could all use those tips!
As always, thank you so much for watching!