It's All in the Timing

When it comes to Poshing, it's all in the timing! Certain days of the week, at times of the day are better when it comes to selling, sharing, and being active! Below are some of my tips for any Posher looking to increase sales and followers!

• Sundays = Best Days! Be active on Sundays, especially on Sunday nights. I've found Sunday night to be the most active time of the week! Make sure to always share to the Sunday Night Party because you will get a lot of reshares. Try to get chosen as a host pick for Sunday night parties, it will be the most beneficial to you (See my Post, Get a Host Pick, for tips). 

• Price Drop on Thursdays, Fridays, or on Sundays! Lowering your prices is most advantageous on Thursday nights, Fridays and Sundays. Why? Because these are days that people like to buy! Maybe it's because Thursdays/Fridays are pay days, or because people are online shopping at work, waiting for the work week to end. Either way, these days will yield sales, and sales tend to occur when you lower your prices. Most of my sales occur on Fridays and Sundays, so take advantage of the timing!

• Share at Night! The most important party to share to is the night time parties. Users are the most active at night, since they are home from work or school, so it's best to share when users are active.

Surprising Tips!

Over my time on Poshmark, I've learned some surprising tips that are not known or advertised often. I hope that sharing some of these tips will help you out!

• A listing can only be shared once to a party. This means that sharing a listing multiple times through out the two hour course of a party is pointless! Your listing will only show up the first time you shared it--so don't waste your time! Also, this means that sharing other Poshers listings to parties is pointless too, so just share others listings to your followers, and not to parties!

• Host Picks are only chosen in the afternoon and night time parties. Morning parties are hosted by Poshmark employees, and they do not choose Host picks for these parties! So if you're going to spend time sharing to morning parties, these listings are only going to be seen by people who are shopping the parties!

• Items that you lower prices for only notify people who "liked" the listing if you lower the price by 10% or more. So make sure you're lowering items by more than 10% so people who liked the listing get notifications in their newsfeeds if that's what you want.

• Items get discounted shipping if you lower an item by more than 10% of the lowest price its ever been listed. So if you originally list an item for $50, then lower it to $48 after a week, then lower it again to $43 after another week, your item will not get discounted shipping because $46 is not 10% less than $50. You would have to lower your item to $45 or less in order to get discounted shipping.

• Listing an item will get that item to show up at the top of search listings. To "list" an item again, go to the items page, click "edit" and then click "list." If you then go to "search," and search for that brand and category, you should see your listing at the top of the search results. "sharing" an item to your followers will not make your item show up at the top in search results. This is a good trick to use for items that people typically search for, such as "Coach bags," "MAC Lipstick" or "Michael Kors Shoes." 

• When you search for a specific item, only your sizes will show up in the search results. Poshmark asks users to tell them their sizes in all categories, so they save your personal sizes. If you're looking for a gift for a friend who is a size large, and you're a size small, then searching for "Free People Dress" will only yield results for Free People dresses in a size small. So make sure you refine your search results to include the sizes you're searching for.

• Take photos on your phone under the "Square" photo size setting. Poshmark photos fit perfectly under the square size, so you won't have to worry about cropping the photo when you upload it to Poshmark!

Have any other tips you want to share? Please let me know!

Price Right.

Pricing is an important component to making a successful Posh closet. If you price right, then you'll see it in the sales! Below are some tips for pricing your Posh closet right.

Initial Prices

A lot of Posher's initially price high, and then lower the item over time. I like to initially price my most items at the lowest I'm willing to sell the item. I've found this to be more effective than when I initially priced high, and then lowered the price over time.  Most people don't want to spend a lot of money on used clothing that they can't try on before buying. That's why pricing high initially tends to be ineffective for me.

Discounted Bundles

Also, you can offer discounts for bundles. A bundle is when a person buys more than one item from your closet in the same shipment. Posher's can give discounts on items that are bundled, because it incentivizes people to buy more. I personally don't like giving big discounts on bundles because I realized that it allowed buyers to buy things from me for way lower than the items were worth, since I priced items low to begin with. That's why I changed my bundle discount to 10% off for 3 or more items.

Negotiate Offers

I encourage buyers to make offers, because I am open to negotiating price. I'm willing to sell some items for a little less than priced if I want to get rid of it, or if it has slow activity.  Some people just want to feel like they're getting a good deal, so it's worth it to knock a few dollars off the price to make a them happy. I also like the offer tool because it gives me some insight as to what items need to be lowered. If a bunch of people offer me lower prices on the same item, then I know its overpriced, which is helpful to know.

Price Competitively 

It's important to price competitively, and not too low or too high. Search on Poshmark to see if other people are selling similar items to yours. Search "sold" items to see what items sold already, and how much people paid for those items.  Don't overprice your items, or you'll never sell them! Be realistic, and remember that most items are likely used, damaged, old, or out of style, so they are no longer worth what you paid for it. In my closet, I have an average discounted price of about 75% off the original price I paid.

Put it on Sale

Putting items on sale works for some Poshers. You can always price your item high at first, and after you get a lot of likes, lower the price a lot. This way, everyone who liked the item will be notified of the price drop, and will be likely to buy the item if its price is lowered substantially. I haven't had any luck with this strategy, but I know some Poshers do. I think it is very effective if you have a very high number of followers and get a lot of likes, otherwise this strategy will likely not work.

Price it Right

When pricing, keep in mind that Poshmark takes 20% of a sale, or $3 from anything $15 or under. When I price items, I never price lower than $6. An item sold at $6 means you will make $3, after Posh takes its $3 share. I've calculated that packaging items costs about $1 (Tissue paper, shipping tape, string, printer ink, printer paper). So, I make only $2 on items priced at $6, which is not a lot at all. Anything sold for less than $6 would not be worth selling. So make sure you keep all of these things in mind when pricing your closet!

Follow The Right Closets

The closets you choose to follow is more important than you think! 

Closets you follow show up on your newsfeed. So it's important to follow Posher's who share a lot, and have a lot of followers! Why? Because you will be sharing closets that show up on your newsfeed, and ideally they will return the shares. 

Share Poshers who have a high number of "shares." They will be more likely to share your closet in return. If a Posher has only ever shared a few closets, they likely won't be returning the shares. 

Share closets that have a large following. When that Posher returns your shares, your closet will get exposure to all of their followers!

Follow closets that share your size, taste and style, if you're interested in buying! That way you will have items show up on your newsfeed that you'll actually be interested in buying, so you won't have to go searching.

Follow Party Hosts. They will likely host multiple parties in the future, so you will be able to see their party announcement posts on your newsfeed, so you can then comment and ask for a Host Pick. 

Follow Suggested Users. They are the most active Poshers on the app. Suggested User's tend to share closets the most often, have large followings, provide useful mentoring, and host parties. As such, it's advantageous to have these Poshers in your network!

RECAP:

• Follow closets that have high number of "Shares" 

• Follow closets that have a high number of "Followers"

• Follow Poshers who are the same size as you

• Follow Poshers who have similar taste and style 

• Follow Suggested Users and Party Hosts

Share, and Share Some More

Sharing is the key to gain followers and make sales! The more you share other Posher's closets, the more likely they are to share yours. When other Posher's share your closet, your items show up on all of their followers newsfeeds. That gives you exposure that you wouldn't otherwise gain.

• Share at least 3-5 items from other closets. You will be more likely to get a reciprocation of shares if you share at least 3 items from a closet, as opposed to just 1 item.

• Share active users closets. If a Posher is currently active on the app, they are more likely to immediately reciprocate the shares. Currently active Poshers are those who show up first on your newsfeed.

• Target closets that share a lot. Share from closets that have a high number of shares because they are more likely to reciprocate your shares. The number of shares are listed at the top of a profile.

• Share during peak hours. Sunday nights are the best times to share because there's a lot of users on the app.  Peak hours also include the times when parties are in progress.

• Reciprocate. If someone shares your closet, thank them by returning the shares! 

• Share your own closet everyday! Try not to go a few days without sharing every item in your closet!

https://poshmark.com/closet/posh_enthusiast

It's All About the Cover Photos

One of the best ways to increase sales and followers is to take well composed, brightly lit, clean, and beautifully styled cover photos!

After a lot of practice, I've discovered the following tips to achieve the best cover shots:

• Bright Lighting. Bright lighting is the key to a great photo. Take photos near the window during the daytime, or shine some bright desk lamps at your item. I use photography lights that you can buy on Amazon. You can also use white cardboard as reflectors, which reflects white light, which is great for photos. Don't use yellow light bulbs because the yellow tint will look unflattering. I use fluorescent lights, which creates a brighter, clear, flattering light. The more lightbulbs used, the better the photo will look. Try to avoid taking photos on cloudy days, or in the late afternoon because the white background will have a blue tint.

• Clean Backgrounds. Use a clean white plain wall as the backdrop, or buy some white foam board or cardboard for flat lay photos. Try not to have anything in the backgrounds to distract from the item. I hang items against  a plain white wall, and flat lay items on a white foam board with a second white foam board leaning against a wall so the background comes out uniform white.

• Flat Lays. Flat lays are great ways to style your items. I style on white foam board from a drugstore or a craft store. I look at fashion blogs and Pinterest for inspiration, which helps a lot. Take the photo directly from above, straight down, because it's more flattering than angle shots. When you take the photo on your phone, put it in the "square" setting, because this is the size Poshmark uses for its photos. That way you won't need to crop them in Poshmark.

• Hang Items. Some items need to be photographed hanging up because they are unflattering when laid flat. Use nice hangers, and just hammer a long nail in the wall to hang them on. I like to use black velvet slim hangers or nice wood hangers to make the items look more expensive. You can also hang them on a cute wall hook if you have one. 

• Style Items. Use cool and trendy items you have in your closet to enhance the style of the item in your flat lay. I like using clothing with prints in the same color family as the item, fresh flowers, and accessories (books, postcards, photos, jewelry, sunglasses, perfume, makeup, bags, shoes, fur pillows) to make boring or simple items more exciting. You can also style a less expensive item with your personal designer pieces to make it look more high end. 

• More is Better. Always include the maximum number of photos allowed, and take photos from all angles. If I flat lay the item in a cover shot, I like to add photos of the items hanging up. I also try to include a modeling photo if possible. I also like to search online for the item to see if there are any stock photos online from the store or website I originally purchased the item.

• Update Cover Photos. If an item isn't selling, or getting any likes, I like to change the cover shot. I try to change the look completely, or I will hang an item that was in a flat lay, or vice versa. Changing the cover photo really helps gain more attention from different viewers! 

• Edit Photos. I always edit my photos after I'm done shooting. First, I like to use the HD setting on my Iphone to get a higher quality photo. Then, I use the PS Express App (It's Free) to edit the photo. I like adjusting the Shadows, Clarity, and Highlights. If the photo's white background turns out blue tinted or dark, then I use the Snapseed app (Free) to whiten the background. Just use the "Selective" Tool, click on the white background, and increase the brightness. This will whiten the background!

Get a Host Pick!

Share to Posh Parties!

Share to one of the four daily Posh Parties to gain exposure and increase your following! 

The morning party starts at 9 am PT, and is typically limited to specific brands. The day time party is at 12 pm PT, and focuses on categories of clothing and accessories. The 4 pm PT party is typically for Mens, Plus Size, Boutique, or Kids items. At 7 pm PT the night party begins, and allows a wide range of items within a theme such as "Casual Cool Party," "Work Week Chic Party," or "Total Trendsetter Party." 

Share your items to these parties! Try to share to at least one party per day. I prefer the night parties because the party limitations aren't as restricting, and more people tend to be active during the night parties. You will gain followers from the exposure, and you will increase your opportunity to sell your closet. 

Get Selected as a Host Pick!

The afternoon and night parties have "Hosts" who each choose 100 "Host Picks" for each party.  Getting a Host Pick will increase your exposure because your listing will be one of the 100 listings that will show up on the "Host Picks" page. (Go to the "Party," click on the "Host Picks" tab at the top, and enter the showroom).

Getting on the Host Picks page will increase your following and increase your chances of selling that item! If you want to greatly increase your chance of being chosen as a Host Pick, just follow these simple steps. It really works!

• Go to the party preview page to find out who the Hosts are for a specific party. Go to the night parties and look for the hosts listed at the top, by their profile photo.

• Go to each Hosts closet and look for an announcement post for the party they are hosting.

• "Like" the Party announcement post, share it, and comment on the post, asking the Host to check out your closet for a Host Pick. (just comment: "Congrats on hosting a Posh Party! Please check out my closet for a host pick! Thanks!"

• You can also search for party announcement posts by searching under key words like, "Hosting Party," "Party," or "Co-hosting."

I have had a lot of luck doing this, and I've been chosen many times as Host Pick as a result. Being a Host Pick has helped increase my shares, followers and sales!

https://poshmark.com/closet/posh_enthusiast

Welcome Poshmark Enthusiasts!

Welcome to my blog, The Poshmark Enthusiast. I joined Poshmark back in October 2015, and in about 8 months I have become a Suggested User, a Top 10% Seller, a Top Rated Seller, and accrued about 11 thousand followers. A year later, I've gained over 50 thousand followers!

I have learned a bunch of tips and tricks to help other Poshers achieve the same success that I have. I hope this blog serves as a tool for new Poshers or anyone interested in making a business out of selling on Poshmark!

Check out my Poshmark closet: @posh_enthusiast  (formerly @valeriesar)  

https://poshmark.com/closet/posh_enthusiast

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