I started using Poshmark several years ago, and since then, it’s gradually become my favorite app for buying and selling secondhand fashion. I’m a huge fan of the secondhand market in general–I even bought my wedding dress from a resale site. When used properly, secondhand shopping is a powerful tool that can make luxury style attainable even for very modest budgets.
Posh has become a particularly effective tool for me for both buying and selling. Posh is an extremely popular app that’s only getting bigger, which means there’s tons of listings to shop and plenty of buyers for my own listings. It’s one of the most robust, fast-moving resale apps I’ve found, which is why I love it.
If you’re new to Posh, I definitely recommend trying it out. If you do give it a try, I’d love it if you’d use my referral link here or enter my code when you sign up: SLNOBLES. Take note, Posh is only set up for US-based buyers and sellers right now.
Since I started out on Posh, I’ve come up with a few key strategies that have made my experience even better. This post will just focus on buying on Posh, since selling is a whole different world.
There are two ways to make the most of Poshmark and have the best experience: getting awesome deals and finding high quality listings from reliable sellers. I’ll address both!
By the way: this post isn’t sponsored in any way, I just love Poshmark and want to share some tips!
Part 1 | Scoring great deals
The first piece to successful shopping on Poshmark is using tricks to find the best prices. After all, the great prices are one of the best reasons to shop secondhand! Here’s some ways to assure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Sort by “just in”
One of the most common things I do when I open up Posh is to view all lululemon listings and sort by “just in.” By looking at the newest listings only, you’re upping the chances you’ll find a sweet deal. After all, if it’s a total steal (and a popular brand), chances are someone will scoop it up quickly. So, stalk the new listings to grab a score before someone else does! Sometimes, you’ll even find discounts on brand new styles that are still being sold in stores, thanks to someone who’s missed the return window or already removed the tags.
To sort by “just in”, tap the up and down arrows near the top of the screen. Sorting by new listings is especially important for popular brands or categories with tons of listings. If you’re doing highly targeted searches that don’t turn up many listings, it’s not necessary.
Using this strategy, I snagged a lululemon stay on course pullover (vintage rulu, swoon!) in hard-to-find pigment blue for just $30. I’m sure if I hadn’t bought it quickly, it would’ve been gone within hours, if not minutes!
Buy off season
Everybody loves to buy cute, bright-colored shorts in the summer and fluffy, warm layers in winter. But if you’re willing to go against the flow, get ready for some serious deals. I’ve seen winter outerwear go for half the price in the summer compared to the winter. Likewise, shorts prices plummet from mid-fall to late winter, and rise again starting in spring. As long as you’re confident you’ll still want and use that item in a few months, off-season buys seriously pay off.
Search uncommon brands
I shop for and blog about not-so-mainstream brands all the time. I don’t just buy them new, I also look for deals on the secondhand market, too.
Independent brands can be hard to find on resale sites, but when you do, you can frequently score killer deals. Since smaller brands are generally less popular, there’s usually very little demand to drive up resale prices. This means sellers will often list for very low prices compared to retail value just to make a sale.
Another key with uncommon brands is to be persistent. You usually won’t find many listings, and new listings will be few and far between. With that in mind, I’ll do the same quick search every so often (maybe every couple weeks, maybe every couple months) to keep an eye on whether anything new pops up. If there’s one style in particular I’m searching for, I’ll search more frequently.
And one more thing: be sure to use broad keywords for searches that don’t turn up many listings. So, instead of searching “Varley union leggings”, I would just search “Varley”. A lot of times, I will even try a keyword for retailers like “Bandier” or “Carbon38”, since sometimes people only list where they bought something instead of the actual brand.
Thanks to this trick, I recently scored a gorgeous Caraa Sport bag in flawless condition for $115 compared to the retail price of $395. Yes!!!
Like items
If you find something you might be interested in, hit that like button. This does two things. First of all, it functions as a sort of bookmark, since you can go back to your likes later. Second, when you like an item you’ll be notified when it drops in price. So, if it’s a little bit too expensive now or you’re just not ready to buy, hit like so you can quickly and easily find it later.
Make an offer
Poshmark has a handy tool where you can make an offer on any listing. The seller then has a chance to accept, decline, or send a counteroffer.
My recommendation is to offer 20-30% below the listed price. Since haggling is so common in the Posh world, most sellers expect to get offers rather than full price. If the listing has been up for a while, the seller is even more likely to accept your offer.
If something is a popular item or something you absolutely cannot miss, I recommend just going for it at asking price so you don’t miss out.
Part 2 | Finding quality listings
As much as I love the secondhand market, it does have its flaws. You’re relying on ordinary people to handle accurately representing the item and shipping it in a timely manner. While Poshmark does have systems in place to protect the buyer against items not sent or misrepresented items, no one wants to deal with the hassle or the disappointment.
These tips will help steer you toward purchases that will go off without a hitch.
Look for clear photos of the actual item
Lots of sellers use photos from Google on their listings. While these photos can be helpful extras for showing things like the true color or how the style fits, the seller should absolutely include photos of the actual item that will be shipped to you. This is crucial for ensuring that you know exactly what you’re getting it before you hit “buy.”
First of all, photos of the actual item will assure you that the condition is acceptable. Besides that, it will also demonstrate that the item being sold matches the pics they included. Sometimes the photos people pull off of Google aren’t necessarily the right color or even the right style versus what’s for sale. For example, once someone used one of my blog photos showing Alala’s captain crops, but they had the item listed as “lululemon inspire crops” and did not include any of their own photos. You could imagine that if you were the buyer, you’d be awfully surprised if the item you got didn’t look like the photos!
If the seller doesn’t provide any of their own photos, just ask. Most sellers will add them for you.
Pay attention to the description
While photos are the most important part of a listing, the description is crucial, too.
If the description is something like “cute top” or “not my color” (both of which I’ve seen!) and doesn’t tell you anything about the actual item, that’s a red flag. Read the description thoroughly. Make sure they’ve disclosed the condition. Bonus points if they’ve included more detailed information like the style name, color, or even measurements. In my opinion, the more thoroughly and carefully the seller has described the item, the more likely they are to be a meticulous, reliable seller.
As above, if the seller hasn’t clearly stated something, leave a comment asking for info.
Check the comments for questions
Glance in the comments section and see if others have asked the sellers questions about the item. Has the seller responded to other potential buyers’ questions? If you asked a question, did they address it in a reasonably timely manner?
If the seller doesn’t respond to questions, that’s a red flag. It suggests they might be a careless, inattentive seller, which means you’re more likely to have problems or frustrations with buying from them. If I see a lot of unanswered questions in the comments, I steer clear.
As a bonus, the comments section can also be a source of additional information that isn’t in the listing, like additional measurements or other handy info. I always check the comments before I buy.
Side note: if the comments are questions that are clearly answered in the description, e.g., requests for trades when the seller has already stated no trades, in that case I don’t think it reflects badly on the seller if they’ve ignored them–it only shows it’s the buyer who’s not paying attention.
Don’t forget to be a good buyer!
To wrap this up, I’ll leave you with a couple of best practices for being a good citizen of the Posh world.
First, when you buy things, accept the item as quickly as you can so that the seller can get their funds released. If you’re ever a seller, you’ll appreciate it.
Second, don’t hesitate to report items not as described. If you paid for an item thinking you were getting one thing but you got another, there’s no shame in reporting it.
Third, be polite. Don’t fall into the temptation of making snarky comments. Be matter of fact and ask honest questions, sure, but don’t leave passive aggressive comments on price or pick fights. Posh can be dramatic at times, but do your best not to add to that.
And lastly, enjoy the thrill of the chase!! While you’re hunting those deals, don’t forget to have fun!
Posh is fantastic! I can’t count the number of Vintage denim jackets, dresses, and athletic wear, many designer, that I’ve snagged over the years for prices in the $25-$50 range.
Yes! I’ve gotten *some* good deals elsewhere, but no place has given me as many as Posh!
I’ve gotten a ton of things of Posh! Some worked out really well… others, well there was nothing wrong with them, they just don’t fit exactly right. I know the prices are great because there’s no return policy, but I would kill for even site credit (like Tradesy). That said, I am not above taking a $15 secondhand tank top to get altered if I love the design but it needs a tweak to work on me.
And I lovelovelove the offer function.
Yes, that’s definitely a downside. For that reason, I usually try to stick to things I’ve tried on before or sizeless items, but I’ve definitely struck out quite a few times. :\
Thanks of the tips, I just started trying Poshmark! I don’t actually love the shipping price of $6.95 because I tend to buy lighter things like tanks, but I guess that works in your favor if you buy heavier things.
Also recently I tried to buy a Lululemon tank, but received a different one, and the seller said she mixed the buyers’ addresses for two tanks and we could just swap with each other. I wanted to return it to her, but she said Posh would prefer I just mail it to the other buyer, too. Well, Poshmark provided a shipping label to the other buyer, so I mailed it. Few weeks later Poshmark says they’ve re-imbursed both buyers and seller for all items since likely no one got their item. Which is fantastic of Poshmark, but I was wondering if it was a scam of some sort.
I’ve fortunately never had that happen, but sounds like a huge mess. At least you didn’t end up losing your money over it. And yeah, the shipping costs are kind of a bummer, so I try to factor that into my offer. For a lot of things, it’s still a great deal even with shipping. At least Priority Mail is usually pretty speedy.
Late add in reply but I had that happen once to me! It’s not that uncommon if two people purchase items on the same day to mix up labels if you’re in a rush. It happened when I sold 5 items within a 3 day time frame. I was overly meticulous about labelling which labels go for which item and accidentally wrote the wrong item on the wrong label. It turns out I accidentally sent both another buyer’s item and the same buyer’s item to the same address! I figured USPS would return them to me since I used the same label for 2 shipments but they actually delivered both to the same address! The buyer whom both the shipments went to said she didn’t mind sending it to the other buyer but I guess she forgot or didn’t send it or idk what happened but Posh reimbursed both me and the buyer for the item which was incredibly nice of them. I don’t mind 20% in seller fees if Posh takes care of both its sellers and buyers in such events. Call it regular seller fees + pricey insurance in cases of seller goof up. I actually used to sell on eBay back in the 2000’s and even with Posh’s pricey fees, it turned out I was only paying a few cents or maybe a $1 at most extra to use Posh over eBay so I have been a loyal seller with Posh since then. I love that for the longest time no one thought eBay could ever be outcompeted but Posh changed the rules for the better. With that said, as a buyer I am not very lucky in finding good Posh deals. Out of my 10 purchases on Posh, I’ve truly only like 2 and ended up reselling other 4 at a loss and other 4 are just sitting in my closet waiting to see light of the day. It turns out the clothes that look cute in pictures aren’t always as cute. One of those 2 purchases that I actually wear happened to be Kate Spade pumps that I got for like around $25! What a steal!
I have mixed feelings about Posh. I do check it regularly and have found some excellent deals. Recently I got a beautiful SAM freestyle jacket for $60 in perfect condition! I also have found great deals for my son (eg, high-end toddler clothes that I would never ever in a million years buy full price). In general, Posh also seems to have much lower prices than eBay, and like Christine, I lovelovelove the offer function.
On the flip side, I have also found that there are often items listed that are no longer available. It drives me nuts. Like an item will be listed but then from reading the comments it is clear that the item was sold on Mercari 6 months ago, or the “black one” (which is what is shown in the listing) has been sold, but there is still a “purple one” available. I find that it often takes a lot of comment reading, comment posting, and detective work to figure out whether something is actually for sale, which I just shouldn’t have to do. Before I learned this, I actually bought several things that just never shipped. I was able to cancel the order a week later, but it’s just irritating to think you found something great and have your money taken from paypal and then actually not get the item. This has happened to me A LOT, and would have continued happening A LOT if I didn’t learn about the whole detective work thing that I have to do. I have also had issues with the condition of items – like it will specifically say “no stains” and then it arrives with like 8 different stains. WTF?! This also has happened to me several times…. like, the description is just wrong MUCH more often than it is accurate. I have been able to either remove the stains or return the item every time, and I do appreciate that the returns process is much less anxiety provoking than on eBay, however, it is still a huge hassle, a huge disappointment, and very annoying to have your money on hold for weeks while getting the issue resolved. I almost think that because the returns process is pretty painless, sellers just don’t worry about being accurate. I have actually had sellers say (in answer to my question), “yes there are some small marks, but no biggie, and you can just return it if you aren’t happy.” I really would just prefer to SEE the marks now and have them disclosed in the pictures instead of returning if I’m not happy.
Anyways, your tip to avoid all listings without very clear descriptions and photos is a good one – but it is hard to follow if there is an amazing item that I want for a good deal :)
I agree with everything you said, Carrie. Currently I’m staying away from Posh b/c I’m sick of having bad experiences with inaccurate descriptions and sellers not shipping. I much prefer ebay. Posh should make it so listings are automatically removed after 6 months or something, maybe that would help so we don’t have to sort through unavailable but active listings.
I also agree with Jennifer that the $6+ shipping is annoying and I don’t feel like sellers take this into account when pricing their small items.
Lastly, I hate sorting through Posh’s listings. Being able to “follow” searches on ebay is a much better use of my time. I can scroll through in 30 seconds every morning what the new listings are for items I want and then move on with my day.
That’s nuts! I’ve (thankfully) never had a purchase get canceled on me, possibly since I’m usually stalking the just in listings. I’ve also never had a buyer straight-up tell me to return it, although I have gotten items not as described a couple of times, like a “perfect” top that had clear pilling all over. Ugh. But on balance, I’ve mostly had good experiences so that’s won out for me.
P.S. AA, do you love your new Caraa Studio Bag sooooo much? I adore mine.
I was going to ask the same thing! Which one did you get? I must confess I have the studio 2 and also the studio 1.1 in military green. Love them both.
Hehe I was hoping you’d ask. :) I got the original studio with gunmetal hardware. I’m still trying to figure out how to optimize the whole arrangement, like what goes in which pockets, but so far it’s been great! Very roomy, which is nice for stuffing in bulky tupperware for lunch at work. I also got the dance 2 bag that Caraa sent to me as a gift (on a Caraa spree right now apparently), which I ADORE. I might even like it better than the studio–is that blasphemy??
No! I’ve been eyeing the Dance 2 bag for SO long. I should just get it.
I love my studio 2 because I fill it up with a ridiculous amount of things and it still doesn’t feel awfully heavy. Here’s a sample: sneakers, gym clothes, makeup, morning smoothie, protein bar, wallet, keys, sunglasses. In the winter I also throw in an extra light sweater and/or skinny scarf. I might not be able to do this with the Dance 2… are you doing a review of it? Would love to read that :)
Perhaps you should. :) It’s a bit smaller than the studio and has less compartments/pockets, so you wouldn’t be able to fit everything you listed, although it’s still roomy. (Edit: on second thought, putting the two next to each other, the dance is actually only slightly smaller. Mostly it’s just not quite as deep.) I agree that the weight of both of them (or lack thereof) is really nice. And yes, planning to do a review of both the Dance 2 and the Studio–the Dance 2 is first in the lineup, hopefully in the next week or two. I’m tempted to get the black Dance 2 (mine is Azure) but I think with the black studio, it miiiight be overkill…
Gahhh. I have been eyeing the Dance Studio 2 also. I like the spacer mesh look. Currently though, I have the Liukin and the Studio Bag. So yeah. Overkill. Hmmmm……
Maybe you should do both reviews at once and include a “compare and contrast” section!!! That would be very helpful to at least one reader ;)
…. unless you’re going to state that they are just so totally differently and amazing that it is perfectly reasonable to own both, in which case I should probably not know.
True, a comparison would be good to note! I’ll probably do that in whichever of the two I review second.
Sort of OT: can y’all weigh in on Do Lyfe’s sizing? Have recently put on too much weight too quickly (housebound due to illness) and need some capris (but don’t want to spend ton a moolah). How do they compare in sizing to LLL or Athleta? If there are suggestions of other reasonably priced companies w/ decent product, greatly appreciate the input. TIA!
Hi Sara, if I were in the situation you described, I would just buy Zella (Nordstrom’s brand). They are decent quality (backed by Nordstrom’s amazing return policy), decently cute, very comfortable, and very reasonably priced. They are not amazing or life-changing in terms of functionality, but perfect for what you described. They also have lots of selections at Nordstrom Rack. Oh, and in July at the Anniversary Sale all the basics (like black or grey leggings and capris) will go on great sales (around $30 – $40).
I am M in most brands, S in some, 6 in lulu, and buy S in Zella. They run a tad large (I think similar to Athleta).
I also like Teeki a lot for Yoga and lounging (but no other activities). I wear S in Teeki. Their capris in particular are reasonable, and they have a first order discount (I believe they also sell them at Nordstrom, so you could try both at once!).
Hey Carrie, thank you for the Zella suggestion & sizing advice. They look promising :)
I have one pair of Teeki, bought a year ago, when I was about 20 lbs lighter & never wore. Cant’t recall why but dug them out and they fit now (size M) so maybe they were too big?!? They are a little too thin for wearing in public (for me ;) but they ARE comfy!
Thank you for replying & thank you AA for giving us a place to confer :D
You’re welcome! Yes, Teekis are kinda “slinky” :)
I was also thinking (on topic with this post), you could just look for a size up in the brands you know you like on Posh or eBay (the non-lulu brands that sell particularly cheap).
I second AA’s well wishes for a speedy recovery.
Thank you :)
Sorry to hear you haven’t been well. :( I hope things are on the up and up for you soon! IMO Do Lyfe runs pretty true, but better to size up if you’re in between. Their fabric is more slick, if that’s your thing. I have both the black/white full length and the white granite/mesh crops, but I like the fit and feel of the black/white ones a bit better. Like Carrie mentioned, something like Zella is also a great option. Calia is also good quality for the price and is worth trying out. Good luck!! :)
Thank you :)
Yes, would like a slicker fabric so maybe will check out Do Lyfe’s crops!
Thank you so much for this post, Suzanne! I meant to comment when you first posted this, but schoolwork got in the way. I wanted to say your tips REALLY helped! I just recently started using Posh, mainly for deals on Lulu gear, and I LOVE it. I’ve only purchased 2 items so far, a Lulu half zip and a pair of inspire tights. The half zip is amazing, perfect condition, and a steal. The leggings have yet to arrive, but my fingers are crossed they’re just as good!
Do you have any tips for sellers on Posh? I’ve been using ThreadUp for a while for consignment, but their payout is low so you really only get a large chunk of money if you sent in a lot of gear. Seems like selling on Posh might yield a better return, but I don’t know what’s involved with packaging/shipping, not to mention Posh’s cut of the sales. Any advice? Thanks!
Oh good! I’m glad you’ve had some success so far. :)
Oh man…so much I could say about selling on Posh! It’s definitely more worthwhile than the low payouts of places like Thredup or local consignment. Some quick pointers would be, first and foremost, to take the best photos possible. For me that just means laying the item flat on the floor or a table in good, natural light. I also be sure to use keywords like “lululemon deep zinfandel cool racerback” instead of just “lululemon tank top”. As for shipping, I go to the post office and pick up a bunch of the priority mail bag mailers (NOT flat rate)–they’re free! Or, I just save shipping bags from other purchases and turn then inside-out! That said, I always put the item in a plastic bag (again saved from my purchases!) for extra protection, and/or wrap it in tissue paper if I have it.
I hope that helps you get some ideas. :)
These are excellent tips. I was initially reluctant to try Posh because I just couldn’t believe you could actually find name brand, quality clothing and accessories for such low prices. I really took my time scouring the site before diving in to make my first purchase, and I am now a huge fan! I have added some great pieces to my wardrobe over the past 4 months with the help of Posh, and I have only had one item that wasn’t the size listed in the description. I was able to return it with no issues, but now I know to get a good look at the tag to make sure the seller didn’t accidentally list the wrong size. Anyway, I love it and have had great experiences with the sellers and the items I have purchased. I ordered a beautiful designer dress that I wore for Thanksgiving. It cost $31! I also have a new pair of favorite ‘wear-all-the-time” Paige jeans that I never could have justified buying otherwise. I never knew jeans could be so cute and so soft and comfortable at the same time. So thank you to the sellers who sift through second hand stores, and I recommend anyone reading this to give Posh a try (this is most definitely not a sponsored comment)!
Oh yes, once you figure out some tricks, it’s pretty much the best! Like you, out of many purchases, only about 2 of mine have had any issues and I was able to get a refund on them since they were mis-represented. Happy poshing, may the odds be in your favor. :)
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