You started a reselling side hustle and listed clothes or other items on Poshmark to make some quick cash, but nothing is selling. Here are the top 5 reasons why and how to fix them so you can make sales fast.
Your items are priced too high or too low.
Item price is one of the main points that buyers look at when deciding whether or not to buy something. It’s important to understand what the value of your item is according to Poshmark buyers, which is different from retail price or even what you want to be paid for it. Those are all different price points, and they can vary widely. To sum it up:
Retail price: What the item sells for brand new in a store
Market Value: The average price that the item sells for on Poshmark or other online platforms; this is different than the asking price, this means what the item actually SOLD for
Your Price: What you (the seller) think the item is worth – typically sellers think the value is much higher than the market value demands
If your item is priced too high, the buyer will keep scrolling and won’t even click on your listing; to them, it’s not worth what you’re asking them to pay. Pricing too high is the #1 reason that sellers don’t make quick sales on Poshmark. If the item is priced too low, buyers might think there’s something wrong with the item (such as a stain or hole) or that you’re not serious about selling it. The key here is to find the perfect price range for your item (which is market value) and pricing it in that range.
Read More: Top 10 Highest Price Women’s Clothes to Resell as a Side Hustle
You have bad photos or too few photos
It’s important to have good photos and to have multiple photos of your item when selling on Poshmark. Pictures that are blurry, taken from too far away or without decent lighting tend to be passed over by buyers quickly. If a buyer can’t see the item well, they’re typically not going to buy it. Another photo issue that is becoming a frustrating trend to buyers is the lack of photos showing the actual item for sale; instead, there’s a stock photo or a picture of a picture in the listing, not the actual item they’re buying. Other examples of mediocre photos include:
The item being too far away in the photo
The item looks dirty or excessively wrinkled
Not enough photos or no photos of the actual item for sale
Those are just a few examples that cause most buyers to keep moving to another item in their search results instead of clicking the buy now button. Remember buyers can’t touch or see the item in person, so you must give them an accurate representation in your listing and the best way to do that is using photos.
You aren’t sharing your closet
Poshmark is a social commerce platform (or so they say) and it is necessary for people to be active and engaged on the platform. What does that mean? The software wants sellers to be semi-active and interacting on the platform in one way or another. This doesn’t mean you need to be logged into and surfing around Poshmark all day long, or even 20 times a day. But, the “default” search display for items to a buyer is in order of RELEVANCE. This means that the software is looking to match the words/terms the buyer put into the search bar to the available listings on the platform. The default sort may also be JUST SHARED, which means the most recently shared items will appear at the top of the search for the buyer. Sellers must go in and share their closet regularly in order to remain active and engaged on the platform. By sharing you’re putting your items in front of your followers (aka your buyers) and other sellers to see the great items you have in your closet. If the last time you shared your closet was 6 months ago, that’s probably the reason that you’re not seeing any interest.
You haven’t included item specifics in your title or description
Your listing might not be showing up in search results if you haven’t put the right words into the title or described your item well. It’s important to include things such as brand size, color and type of item in your title and description. That’s just the minimum honestly; have you ever opened the internet and searched for a shirt to buy? Do you just type “shirt” in the search bar and hope for the best? No, you would look for something a little more specific like a J. Crew Button Shirt or J. Crew Sweater. You might be so bold as to put the color you’re looking for too (GASP). Buyers on Poshmark are no different; they’re usually looking for something specific such as a brand name, type of item, color or size. Many buyers also use the drop down filters to narrow their search, so if you haven’t completed those, your item won’t show up in their results.
In your description be sure to include words that actually reflect the item, like button up, zip front, item size, color and the most important: condition. The condition of the item is really important to a buyer, and every seller should be honest about the condition. If it’s brand new with the tags attached, say so. If it’s been gently worn, it would be in great preowned condition. Remember that the buyer can’t see the item and needs to know if the sweater they’re buying is in perfect condition or has 20 holes in it. If they’re surprised and unhappy, they can contact Poshmark and ultimately return the item to you. Too many returns and that can really ruin your ability to sell on Poshmark in the future.
You aren’t engaging with your buyer
Poshmark is a social commerce app that offers a lot of functionality to really engage and entice a buyer to purchase something. Closet Clear Out, Free Shipping, and Posh Credit are all examples of how Poshmark is committed to making sure the buyers are happy and keep shopping (hopefully in your closet!). If a buyer has liked your item, you may want to send them a discount offer to close the sale. Or, send them a message of thanks for liking it and ask them to make an offer. The communication and activity between buyers and sellers is part of the Poshmark experience, and they reward sellers (and buyers) who are active on a regular basis. If you have an item for sale in your closet that has 75 likes, but you’ve never sent an offer or engaged, you might be able to make a quick sale just by sending a 10% offer. Buyer Psychology is real, and they want to be acknowledged. Once you send that offer, you’ve started engaging with them and the sales (aka cash) should follow.
