If you don’t mind buying things second-hand and enjoy shopping on eBay, you should also check out Poshmark (if you haven’t already). I’ve been an active Poshmark user since 2014, and I highly recommend it if you are into online shopping just like me.
If you are wondering if Poshmark is legit, let me tell you right away that it is. Poshmark is 100% legit.
And below, you will find my very detailed Poshmark review. I will describe the platform and its pros and cons and share my tips and tricks for buying on Poshmark.
What is Poshmark?
Poshmark is kind of a social media-slash-marketplace where people’s closets get to have profile pages of their own, and other people can browse those pages, follow them, and like, comment on, and share items from those closets.
Even though Poshmark, just like eBay, Tradesy, or Mercari, is a place where people can sell their stuff to other people, Poshmark is very different from any marketplace I have ever purchased from.
First, as I mentioned earlier, Poshmark reminds me of social media with all those followers, likes, comments, shares, and even stories it has available.
Second, Poshmark has a unique atmosphere that some of you might need time to get used to. You won’t see this many smileys in product descriptions anywhere else, and I doubt you’ll be called ‘hun’ elsewhere as often as you will be on Poshmark.
Things you can buy on Poshmark
Poshmark restricts what can be sold on the platform to the following categories:
- fashion (including underwear, but only underwear that is new with tags is allowed),
- accessories,
- select home goods,
- makeup and personal care products (only new, alcohol-free, and aerosol-free items are allowed).
I wouldn’t buy used underwear anyway, so I don’t see those restrictions as a con of shopping on Poshmark.
Poshmark truly has a lot to offer to a fashion lover. I (as a bagaholic and a huge Henri Bendel and Rebecca Minkoff fan) am more than happy with the selection of handbags available on Poshmark. I am pretty sure you will find things you’ll love, too.
Availability
Poshmark.com is available globally, meaning you can browse it from anywhere in the world. There is a catch, though. If you are a registered Poshmark user from outside the U.S. or Canada, and you would like to sign in, you will most probably need to use a VPN.
It is also worth mentioning that items you purchase on Poshmark can only be shipped to the U.S. or Canada (depending on the version of the site you use – American or Canadian).
But if you are not from either of these countries, you can still shop on Poshmark. Read more about how people from countries other than Canada and the U.S. can shop on Poshmark here.
Mobile app
Poshmark has mobile apps for both iOS and Android, but they are only available in the U.S. and Canada.
I am neither from the U.S. nor from Canada, so I use the website to make my purchases.
Signing up
Poshmark’s sign up process is quite simple, and if you’ve already found something you like, I strongly recommend you to sign up.
The benefits of being a registered Poshmark user include:
- you’ll be able to bookmark the items you love,
- you’ll get price drop notifications,
- you’ll receive special discounts from sellers.
How to find what you need on Poshmark
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t have access to the Poshmark app; that is why I will only review my experience with the Poshmark website.
Poshmark is very user-friendly, so I don’t feel there’s much to say about browsing it. I’d just mention that you might either browse available items by categories or use the search bar to find exactly what you need. I think most people would choose to use the search bar as it’s more convenient. I prefer this option, too, because I usually know what I am looking for.
A few words on refining and sorting search results.
- If you wish to see search results starting from the most recently listed items, use the ‘Just in’ option in the ‘Sort by’ drop-down menu in the upper right corner of search results. If you choose to use ‘Just shared,’ you will see listings most recently shared by other Poshmark users first. They might not be the newest ones, and so you might miss out on the latest listings.
- If you’d like to exclude pre-owned items from search results, check ‘New With Tags’ for ‘Condition’ in the left-hand menu.
My tips for a better Poshmark shopping experience
1. Poshmark is much better when you are signed up, so my number one recommendation is to sign up.
2. ‘Like’ items that you love to get private discounts and price drop notifications.
3. Read product descriptions and review all the pictures carefully, and don’t forget to check the comments section before buying anything.
4. Ask questions. That’s what the comments section is for. If you see that product description is missing something you’d need to know before purchasing the item, and there is nothing about that in the comments section, too, just ask the seller. You can also request extra pictures, that’s totally fine.
5. Do not buy anything unless you see photos of the actual item for sale. Sometimes listings only have stock pictures from retailers’ websites and none of the actual item. While they (for sure) look beautiful, they might not represent the item for sale accurately. Plus, it’s better if you make your own judgment regarding the item’s condition, and for that you would need its pictures.
6. Ask if the item is still available before placing your order. This recommendation is particularly true for listings with no recent activity like listing updates or sellers’ answers in the comment section. Even if you’re completely satisfied with product description and pictures, I’d recommend you asking if the item is available first. The thing is, Poshmark doesn’t show the year of the listing’s last update, it only shows a day and a month, so you never know if it was updated this year or, let’s say, three years ago. I once purchased a bag without checking its availability first, and I ended up waiting for seven days for my money to be unblocked.
7. Respect the sellers. If the price is firm, then it’s firm. If the listing says ‘NO TRADES’, don’t offer a trade. If you wish to make the seller an offer, make a reasonable one. Remember, sellers pay Poshmark 20% of the sale amount as a fee. Poshmark is a peer-to-peer platform, so building a good rapport is crucial for keeping Poshmark a great place to shop.
8. Check if there are bundle discounts. Some sellers offer discounts if you buy two or more items from them. You can see if a particular seller offers bundling discounts in the listing details (see screenshot for example). If there is no such option and you like several items from some seller’s closet, you can still create a bundle of those items and ask the seller if they can make you an offer. To create a bundle, you’d need to press the ‘Add to bundle’ button on every listing you like. Please note that you can only bundle items from one seller’s closet.
9. If you purchase something accidentally or regret buying something, Poshmark gives you 3 hours to cancel your purchase. I’ve never used this option, though. I try weighing up all the pros and cons before buying, and, fortunately, I’ve never bought anything accidentally. And even though I happen to have buyer’s remorse from time to time, I ‘ve never canceled my order anyway. If I regret buying something, I either keep the item to myself, gift it to someone, or resell it. But again, I’ve never made an accidental purchase. Anyways, I think people using Poshmark should know that there is an option to cancel an order if it’s an accidental purchase.
Poshmark shipping
Poshmark offers flat rate shipping at $7.11 for a listing. So, if you’d like to buy items from several sellers, you would need to pay this rate several times. Poshmark is not a store; it doesn’t combine shipping as each seller ships their own items only.
There are ways to save on shipping, though.
- First, if you like several items from one seller’s closet, you can bundle them, and you will only have to pay for shipping once.
- Second, there might be free shipping promotions or discounted shipping when sellers discount their items for sale. Don’t forget to ‘like’ the listings you like to get notified when such promotions occur.
What I like about Poshmark (Poshmark pros)
- A great variety of fashion brands and products to choose from. On Poshmark, you can find virtually anything – from vintage items to the trendiest new designer products.
- I’m not sure why, but I scored a lot more great deals on Poshmark than I had on eBay. My only guess is that eBay has more professional sellers than Poshmark does, and Poshmark is more of a place for people willing to clear out their closets.
- Product listings have a comments section meaning you can ask your questions and get sellers’ responses right on the product description page. It is very convenient because you can also see other people’s questions and sellers’ answers.
- Poshmark notifies you when there is a price drop on the item you like, or if the seller offers you a private discount.
- You can score free or discounted shipping if there is a promotion.
- You can bundle items and get a discount along with combined shipping.
- Poshmark accepts international credit cards, which is very convenient for buyers outside the U.S. and Canada. You don’t need to pay any intermediaries to make an assisted purchase on your behalf, just use the card you have.
What I don’t like about Poshmark (Poshmark cons)
I’ve been a Poshmark user for years, and I like the platform a lot. There are some things, though, that I think need improvement. I don’t have access to the Poshmark app, so everything that I mention is about the website.
- You can’t see the year of the listing update (you only see a day and a month).
- You can’t see the number of items found on the search results page. If you browse the website without signing in, you’ll at least see if the number of pages is less than four. But if you sign in, you’ll get an infinite scroll. If, for example, you are looking for a Rebecca Minkoff bag, be prepared to scroll for hours.
- You can’t create saved searches to get notified when something you’re looking for is listed; this is a great feature I use a lot on eBay.
- Although you can freely browse the website from outside the U.S. and Canada when you’re not logged in, you would need to use VPN to browse it being signed in.
- Not enough condition filters. There is just one condition filter on Poshmark – you can choose to only see items that are New With Tags. This way, buyers can miss out on items that are new without tags or are pre-owned but in like-new condition.
- No rating system for sellers. Well, there is a rating system – buyers can rate their purchases from 1 to 5, but nobody but the seller and the buyer who gave a bad rating can see it. Again, I love it how on eBay sellers have ratings publicly displayed on their profile pages. I usually check the seller’s rating before bidding or buying something just to be on the safe side. On Poshmark, you can only see the so-called ‘love notes’ on sellers’ profiles. Love note is an optional comment that a buyer can leave when they give their purchase a five-star rating.
I hope you liked my Poshmark review. If you have any questions about shopping on Poshmark, please let me know in the comments, and I’ll be happy to help!
