Do you get psyched at clearance sales and scoring that final pair of shoes in your size?

Unfortunately, fashionistas like us are contributing to retail’s rank as the second most polluting industry on the planet.

After squirming at the thought of barely-touched clothing piling up in warehouses, I faithfully converted to frequenting thrift stores. The more times I heard, “we only keep the best,” upon dropping off full bags of clothes in the Goodwill parking lot, I started to realize that Goodwill and its counterparts would not satisfy my hopes of giving my clothes a new life.

Once summer rolled around, I found myself aimlessly sorting through clothes in my closet perplexed about whether to pass them on to friends or make the dreaded trek to Goodwill. This time, I made the choice to test my luck with Poshmark and I haven’t regretted it since.

Poshmark accounts are easy to set up and maintain. Whether you can’t afford the prices of brand names or hope to tailor your retail-shopping addictions; here’s why you should join Poshmark for free today.

Need to get rid of your excess clothes? Here are some highlights of selling on Poshmark.

3 Best Poshmark Selling Tips: Become an Eco-Entrepreneur

1. Put the same care into your listings as your selfies

Just like sharing your fave angle on Instagram, it’s easy to take a quick pic just to get your listing out there. However, my experiences have proven that the quality of the pictures you take are the determinative factor in whether your item sells or not, So take it from me: don’t rush the listing process.

Instead of settling for hasty shots from your camera roll, its important to test out multiple angles when taking pictures of your item. For example, many poshers prefer to see pictures of shoes from all angles before purchasing, to make sure that the seller isn’t attempting to hide any damage. Take pics of shoes from the side, front, even the bottoms and insides.

Going the extra mile and posting more pics instills more trust in your buyers because it shows the public that you have nothing to hide about your item.

2. Shamelessly Self-promote

Hit the share button. Common advertising practice says it takes an average of three times for a person to see an ad for them to understand and process it, and 7 to take action. 

You have the option of sharing your listings to a live feed or to “Posh Parties,” specialized pages tailored to a certain style or clothing category. As a seller, I have noticed a definite increase in comments and likes with the increase of self-shares.

Poshmark also welcomes bargaining and bundle deals, so haggle away with the users commenting on your listings. In the Poshmark community, it is not seen as a self-indulgent behavior to haggle with your potential buyer. Your dedication to alter your listing to fit the needs of your buyer is a marker of your dedication to satisfying your customer. And it’s almost science: Happy customers buy more.

 3. Handle your package with care

One of the fun parts about selling is the creative freedom you take when packaging your sold items. I’ve opened many thank you notes from buyers who received packages with a little extra effort. My secret to ensuring a return buyers? I’ve bedazzled the outside, left them a note inside, or put in an extra gift.

If you are concerned about the sustainability of shipping, re-use packaging from an item that you received – as long as the previous shipping label is removed and is in decent shape. It’s totally acceptable.

Now that you made a little extra cash from selling, treat yourself.

2 Poshmark Purchasing tips: Defeat Buyer’s Guilt

1.Your excuse to get shopping

The easiest way to establish relationships on these sites is to participate in the community as much as possible. So start buying!

Shopping from other Poshers can help you discover how to best sell your listings as well. Pay attention to what makes you buy – including little things like their shipping speed and packaging care.

2. Buy gently used

Poshmark offers a “NWOT” (New Without Tags) category. As a buyer, I have easily avoided this category due to the often-higher pricetags, and have received high quality “gently used” items.

When buying gently used, double check that the listing has at least two pictures posted and a description. Another trick? I always comment with questions when buying used. So far, I haven’t received any items that haven’t matched the description.

Overall, Poshmark is perfect for secondhand buying or selling. Defeat the fear of losing your clothes to a shredder, warehouse, or the judgment of a Goodwill employee, and give your clothes a new life.

Along with the retail-free satisfaction, you can ensure one less piece of clothing gets dumped in a warehouse, and make the most of the unworn clothes hanging in your own closet.

Are you a Poshmark regular? Tell us about your best tips in the comments.

Cover Photo: The Etsy Blog 

array(4) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7978 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(207)
    ["name"]=>
    string(20) "eco-friendly clothes"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(20) "eco-friendly-clothes"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(207)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(4)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7979 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(274)
    ["name"]=>
    string(7) "Fashion"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(7) "fashion"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(275)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(23)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [2]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7980 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(3134)
    ["name"]=>
    string(12) "Poshmarktips"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(12) "poshmarktips"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(3150)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(1)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [3]=>
  object(WP_Term)#7976 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(3019)
    ["name"]=>
    string(15) "Thrift shopping"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(15) "thrift-shopping"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(3033)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(5)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julia Davis is finishing her second year at Temple University. She has a great love for many art forms including dance, creative writing and visual arts. As a Pittsburgh-native, she has developed a great love for repurposing used or abandoned materials and making art out of them, but most of all loves a good snuggle with her dog Fig. View all posts by Julia Davis