Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by Stiletto Socialite
With Poshmark you have to be strategic if you are going to list vintage items because Poshmark is not a vintage platform first like Etsy it is a trendy contemporary platform first. In order to sell vintage on Poshmark, you will have to employ a price, inventory turnover, and sourcing strategy to make a decent profit margin on this reselling app.
The majority of the items I sell on Poshmark are vintage so today I will walk you through how to sell vintage clothing and vintage jewelry on Poshmark!
Does Poshmark sell vintage?
Yes definitely Poshmark sells vintage clothing and vintage jewelry but you have to be strategic on Poshmark if you are going to sell vintage and I think you should cross list to other platforms to make sure you can achieve the profitability you are looking for.
There was a time a few months ago that I was ready to GIVE UP on Poshmark and selling vintage there altogether and before you put me in the loser’s corner as a quitter, understand that I’ve worked 100 hour work weeks in my past life. So for this reason, I put a high cost on my time, I don’t chase dollars that don’t make sense because the opportunity cost of my time is valuable.
I will explain later my reason for almost quitting Poshmark and it had to do with a vintage sale. Truthfully, I have had some vintage sales on Poshmark that were worthwhile, so that is why I still keep some vintage items listed. Although, I will admit that and I don’t really cross-list as much as a lot of my items sell quicker on Depop. However, If I have an in “vogue” vintage item that is a cool throwback, that is trendy enough that will resonate with the contemporary styles that the Poshmark customers like I will list it on Poshmark.
The Price is Right $$$
Often times you will not get the same appreciation for your vintage item on Poshmark, they might think it’s cute, but they will not necessarily translate into a person paying for your item. There are some vintage items that I know some people will not pay what I am looking for but I keep them on Poshmark for the highest visibility possible, the higher the price of an item I am selling the more platforms I will cross-list to. Should I get a low ball offer on Poshmark for something I know will sell higher on another platform then I don’t worry about it.
What type of vintage items to sell on Poshmark?
The best type of vintage to sell on Poshmark is that type that can still be chic, unique, but still, trendy some examples are oversized sweatshirts, mom jeans, vintage designer clothing. They are some vintage trends that are running parallel to contemporary trends, because the vintage market is hot right now, so the contemporary brands like Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 are serving up vintage band tees remakes, mom jeans, and doing collabs with vintage fashion brands like LA Gear and Baby Phat to compete with this hot aspect of the vintage market. Also, cool vintage jewelry that is unique can sell as well, Vintage Designer (i.e. Chanel and Christian Dior) and Vintage Native American jewelry are two types of vintage jewelry that does well on Poshmark.
Describing Vintage Clothing on Poshmark
Make sure if you call something vintage it is actually vintage, they are plenty of websites that help you research what’s vintage. This is an important part of accurately describing what is listed. In order to prevent Poshmark overturning a sale and allowing a return, it’s important that you put the following in your description box to prevent a return on a vintage item:
Make sure you state all flaws and take pictures. Additionally, you have to be very careful with flaws because what you feel is non-consequential or no big deal may not be the customer. For customers, who have a great appreciation for vintage they may be more forgiving, but the Poshmark customer generally is not a “vintage” customer first, they don’t really come to Poshmark for vintage. They come looking for something trendy and cute, and if it happens to be a vintage item and it’s the right price they will buy.
Measuring your Vintage Clothing on Poshmark
In order for you to successfully sell on Poshmark you have to LEARN how to do accurate measurements especially for jeans/pants. The oversized look for vintage tops are trendy right now, people may be more flexible with buying two sizes too big, however for the pants people are looking for them to be fitted. In order to give your customers accurate information, you have to let people know what the measurements are up front. I also recommend you update the size to what is the waist size is for jeans, but let the customer aware that you have done this.
The reason being is that waist size is constant and sizes change over time due to wear and shrinkage. Also, there is the issue of vanity sizing. When measuring its important to lay your garment flat and also because of slight differences in measurement tapes and rounding, please let the customer know the measurements are approximate. Unfortunately, some customers will have a change of heart and buyers remorse once they receive your package and use “inaccurate measurements” as a means to get out of a sale so it is important that you cover your bases here.
Here is an example of a vintage Poshmark listing on a pair of jeans:
Let’s say I have a pair of jeans that are labeled a size “waist 29” and the waist measures a size “26” this is how I will list them:
Vintage Levis 501 Faded Black/Grey Highwaisted Mom Jeans Size 26
Labeled as a “W29/L34”
Size updated as per waist measurement
Measurements are approx laid flat
Waist: 26” (13” doubled—See pics)
Front Rise: 11”
Back Rise: 13”
Leg Opening: 7.5”
Inseam: 30.5”
Hip: 40” (20” doubled—See pics)
Thigh: 11” (1” from crotch straight across)
Please reference measurements for the best fit
Seen on size 0-4/5’8″ height
Vintage denim will have natural distressing, discolorations, or blemishes due to age
Do vintage items sell quick on Poshmark?
The more money you want for an item on average, the more time you may have to wait to get the right price. There is a trade off with Poshmark as with the case with most reselling apps, accepting a lower offer today in the promise of the better offer tomorrow.
$20 offer in May $70 offer in June
Whenever you make a counter offer on Poshmark you have to be ready to walk away from the sale, because you may not get another offer for several months and three months from now when the item is still in your closet you may regret not accepting the offer you previously received! Don’t walk over dollars to pick up pennies. So ask yourself how much time am I willing to invest in sharing this item, promoting this item, will my time be better served with selling and moving on? Lowballs and lower offers will inevitably come on Poshmark as people are looking for deals, how will you handle it?
Which do you want today a quick sale today so that you can can turnover your inventory or are you okay with your inventory sitting for longer periods of time.
THE CASE OF THE TROLL AND THE RESELLING DIVA
I was selling this Harley Davidson top, I actually had this Poshmark troll put a message that I deleted that the “top would have been worth more had I not cut it.” This particular troll sells a lot of Harley Davidson items on Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop.
I know because I’ve seen her stuff when doing price comparisons. I ignored her and blocked her because I don’t go back and forth with people. It’s a waste of my time and my time on the app is money. I think as women we should support and uplift each other instead of trying to take down one another. She purposely put that comment as an attempt to cause doubt in another customers mind of the worth of my item.
I originally listed the item around April. I relisted the item and got an offer for $20 in May which I didn’t accept eventually I received a more favorable offer in June for $70 and I sold it. My asking price was $75
Know your items value
Using the example of the vintage Harley Davidson, I have sold several Harley Davidson shirts and most are not going to go for $70. I’ve sold Harley Davidson shirts for as low as $10, and the highest being $70. In this case, I knew this was a specialty shirt, the condition was good, the material different, plus the prominent dated beach week logo combined together to give it a unique Coachella, summer festival look.
When selling vintage on Poshmark it will require you to be keen in your valuations of vintage clothing and be steadfast in the true worth of your garment. This goes beyond just checking out the “sold” section of Poshmark to see what someone else has sold it for. There are vintage resellers that have built their followings on Etsy, Depop, Mercari, etc who cross-list on Poshmark and they may fetch a price different than a newbie. Understanding “what makes this item worth $100 vs. $40 ” is the better way to build your vintage knowledge base instead of just seeing that someone else sold it for “$100” so I should get that amount also.
In vintage, there are varying factors that can go into condition deadstock vs. new, if its limited edition item of something that was popular when it was first released, the sizing a rare size vs sizes that are plentiful. The problem with just looking at other sellers sold as the only criteria is that it may be a unique circumstance but if you see a seller consistently selling at a price point that you admire, I would study to see what attributes do they have that maybe yielding good sales. There are a lot of people calling items vintage that are not vintage, there are a lot of blogs that are dedicated to providing valuable information on the reseller market to help you date your vintage items. Do your research to build your knowledge base so that you can make that money until it starts making itself!
There are vintage resellers that have built their followings on Etsy, Depop, Mercari, etc who cross-list on Poshmark and they may fetch a price different than a newbie. Understanding “what makes this item worth $100 vs. $40 ” is the better way to build your vintage knowledge base instead of just seeing that someone else sold it for “$100” so I should get that amount also. In vintage, there are varying factors that can go into condition deadstock vs. new, if its limited edition item of something that was popular when it was first released, the sizing a rare size vs sizes that are plentiful.
The problem with just looking at other sellers sold as the only criteria is that it may be a unique circumstance but if you see a seller consistently selling at a price point that you admire, I would study to see what attributes do they have that maybe yielding good sales. There are a lot of people calling items vintage that are not vintage, there are a lot of blogs that are dedicated to providing valuable information on the reseller market to help you date your vintage items. Do your research to build your knowledge base so that you can make that money until it starts making itself!
