The Problem with Posh

Even though Poshmark has gone far beyond what any other fashion app has succeeded in doing as both a thrift app as well as wholesale distribution, there are some unmistakable discrepancies that I’ve noticed as both buyer and seller. I’m not dedicating this entire blog to bashing the platform, of course, because like I said, it’s a very unique and even addictive app. If you’ve not opted to boycott the fashion app yet and still deciding whether or not to give it spin, I should probably tell you… there’s a problem with Posh.

When I realized that I was getting the bare minimum on my disability check, I sort of panicked. Most people have to work a job and a half (full-time and side-hustle) just to get by for a middle-class lifestyle. I was going to be getting only a third of that at best, monthly. Backpay doesn’t last forever, so I knew my only hope would be a side-hustle of my own. Being the fashion-aficionado of sorts, I found Posh pretty quick. So I got all my clothes I could afford to get rid of and began the “Poshing Process,” which if you haven’t experienced first-hand, can only be described as complex and intricate.

When I say you have to bring your “A” game, I’m really not exaggerating the seller’s burden to take the perfect, well-lit and properly embellished flat-lay or producing the most awe-provoking ads to lure in customers. This was great for me because it was an excellent outlet for my creativity while adjusting to a life on disability. I took every chance I got to sponge up Posh perfection with this thirst that just could not be quenched. I joined every party and even invested in some wholesale. It felt like I’d truly found something I could do regularly despite what I’d been told in a court because I was doing something I truly loved to do (share fashion with other fashion lovers) while bringing in a pretty decent and almost steady supplemental income. I’d heard other women had been able to quit their jobs and focus solely on selling on the platform. There was also the enticement of getting boutique certified through the app by delving into the wholesale portion of their app, which is what I did the moment I was ready. I worked all day and even late nights on becoming a top-secret, mentor, and the biggest achievement to me: a Posh Ambassador once known as a “Suggested User,” which is only given to those with the highest ratings and shares. I just knew that once I’d earned that title, my sales would increase. Why wouldn’t they? I’d be reputable amongst sellers and buyers app-wise. So with that notch on my belt, I continued my investments buying wholesale and researching what and where to get the best. Then out of nowhere, someone hit the breaks and the pain wasn’t in my neck… it was in my wallet.

My hopes started flailing when my daily requests for package pick-ups to the post office were dwindling even though my inventory on Posh hadn’t degraded but improved, in my own opinion. I noticed my followers were increasing dramatically since I’d finally reached the highly coveted “Posh Ambassador” milestone, but my sales were stagnant. What was going on? Shouldn’t my sales be increasing? Did someone tweet and blackball me? My curiosity was agonizing so my investigation started almost immediately after I noticed the dramatic drop.

My Google search wasn’t as fruitful as I’d hoped it would be, but it did result in what I noticed to be the common theme amongst the search articles I plundered for answers. Most of the blog headlines read like each and every posher had struck gold just by selling thrift. One article claimed a woman who’d already had serious experience in the fashion industry resold her clothes gaining a profit of thousands of dollars. Another claimed she could teach you how to make $5,000 in just a month on the app and so on. Every article I read exclaimed profit margins in the triple digits reselling your used, unwanted shoes, clothing, and accessories. What they don’t mention is that these women had brand name items, especially from brands you could shop at like Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. I never once heard the mention of your standard brands like Old Navy, Aeropostale, or even American Eagle. I found these articles to be both a little pretentious and discouraging because I’d never even heard of brands like Free People or Flynn Skye so I took those articles and filed them away in the back of my head for later research. I was on a mission at the moment.

I found the majority of my info in a place I didn’t quite expect—Facebook groups. Poshmark, Mercari, eBay, Vinted, etc. all seemed to have open and closed discussion groups by the handfuls on the infamous social app. I joined as many as I could that were Poshmark exclusive or themed in hopes of collecting as much data on the platform as I could. In doing so I found out about the theory of Poshmark sharing algorithms that one woman and her husband were tracking. It’s no secret that “sharing” is the biggest and most encouraged aspect of the entire platform—sharing listings of other Poshers thus getting the same in return. This lady explained that she and her husband had been doing some extensive research in order to figure out the patterns within the app that give each seller their exposure and why. The outcome come was a little upsetting for me. The more listings a sellers has for sale, the best number being in the ballpark of triple digits (which I was and still am nowhere near), the more their listing appeared the open community feed which I’d hoped wouldn’t be the case. What made more sense to me is Ambassador status being an imperative factor because of the number of listings that were sold and the high standard set for ratings which is < 4.5 stars. So essentially, being a top-secret within the top 10 percent coupled with being a top-secret and having been titled Ambassador/mentor had no bearings on the amount of exposure you got. My stomach churned thinking about this because living in a camper (which I own and am currently renovating) doesn’t have the storage for me to reach those numbers unless I decided to invest in a storage unit. That’s not an option as I’d need storage to be located on my property to have 24 hour access. Pricing for that isn’t within my budget. Otherwise, I’d have invested in that the moment I moved into my camper instead of selling my things out Posh to create a little elbow room.

I continued my research on my situation, also realizing that the seller fees were outrageous in comparison to other formats on similar apps like Mercari and Vinted. Anything sold above $20 gets to pay out a 20 percent seller’s fee. Also, a common complaint I often found in the Facebook group feeds were the issues of knockoffs being sold even though Poshmark claims to have a concierge service where any designer item that might be questionable in authenticity would have to be mailed off to the Poshmark corporate office for authentication, which brought into question on who these experts might be and how they confirmed their conclusions of what was real and what was fake. I know I’ve often seen the very popular Betsey Johnson brand name bounced around like a ping pong ball as NWT with very obvious fake takes. They would have had to be preserved as brand new with the tags still attached for years on end because Betsey Johnson's items now come with a more minimalist branded tag instead of the vintage leopard print tag. Poshmark even has that particular tag featured in the cover photo under her brand section where you would find all of the Betsey brand listings. This troubled me. I could only think of how many women had probably been fooled out of their money to get a worthless item likely bought from an Asian wholesaler app such as DHGATE. You can find knockoffs by the handfuls at dirt cheap prices.

Next, I noticed that Summer was a period of simmering down where some women claimed they didn’t sell items for weeks. Reasoning was said to be the vacation factor and that many people who often stay in during the cold months would tend to go out to retailers during warmer months on the instead of shopping online for convenience. That made sense to me. Naturally, I’d think people were apt to be out and about more and shipping fees aren’t exactly favorable. I know I’d prefer to stop at an outlet on a sunny day while out for lunch or on vacation versus sitting at home in front of a screen knowing my shipping fee may cost more than the gas I might use to go shopping.

So, with all the factors in tow, I began to settle with the idea that Poshmark wasn’t going to be my career goal. It’s great for supplemental income. I also love the fact that I can brush up on what’s on the up and up in the fashion community just by browsing the app knowing some of the most coveted items are just a click away from being my next outfit. Not to mention, I am constantly shopping for new clothes at the best discounts in stores. I can easily count this side-hustle as another discount (like renting) on the clothes I buy and then sell on the app. I mean, I’m getting some of that money back if not all of it depending on the item making my fashion life expansive and more accessible. Items I usually wouldn’t think twice about paying a steep price for can now be attained when bought and sold for the right prices. I’d say that’s a win for me in the long run.

All-in-all, the Poshmark app isn't PERFECT for my #careergoals but it’s definitely a huge benefit to wardrobe and purse. Not to mention, the buyer to seller ratio is a bit unbalanced these days with the exposure it’s gotten from the people who’ve done some bragging about their large profit margins. You’ve got tons of people looking for that get rich quick method making sellers by the dozens while buyers maybe account for a third of that community now. Calling it competition is an understatement. I’d prefer to keep it classy, fun, and fancy free. I don’t welcome any of the stress of some of the ladies who’ve quit their full-time jobs to solely focus on Posh.

So if you’re looking to give the Poshmark world a go, just take a few of those factors into consideration before you make any life-altering decisions based around it. Assuming you’ll get rich quick for doing the bare minimum would be a mistake—and we all know what assuming does.