If you’ve ever wanted to buy a designer bag for less, you’ve probably asked yourself “is Poshmark legit?” Poshmark is a popular shopping platform that lets you buy and sell discounted clothing, beauty products, shoes, and household goods online.
The site works two ways: you can browse for deals and buy products like any other shopping site, or you can create your own listings and sell secondhand items for cash. Or do both at the same time! But is Poshmark safe to use and can you trust the users who buy and sell on there?
I threw myself into some heavy research to find out the truth about this user-generated marketplace. My conclusion? Overall, yes — Poshmark is a legit site for buying all kinds of stuff. Regardless, I laid out everything you need to know to decide for yourself — the good, the bad, and the slightly suspicious.
Before you buy or sell on Poshmark, here’s what you need to know.
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What is Poshmark?
Poshmark is a social marketplace for buying and selling secondhand items at a discount. The company got their start way back in 2011 when four tech gurus founded the company in Redwood City, California. Poshmark now has 80 million users and over 200 million items listed for sale across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. There’s literally a Poshmark sale happening every second in the U.S., according to them.
You can browse items for sale or start a listing either on Poshmark.com or in the Poshmark app (iOS / Android).
What can you buy and sell on Poshmark?
Most Poshmark items are clothes, shoes, handbags, and makeup, but you’ll find other items mixed in, too. Sellers can list fashion items and accessories, new personal care products, home decor, pet stuff, and select tech items.
You’ll find popular brands on Poshmark, like:
Are there things you can’t buy or sell on Poshmark?
Poshmark doesn’t let you buy or sell nail polish, perfumes, aerosols, wellness products (like supplements or vitamins), food products, or select electronics on the platform. If you try to sell things like these, they say they’ll permanently ban you from the site. For the full list of what you can and can’t sell, check out Poshmark’s selling guidelines.
How do you make money on Poshmark?
Anyone with a Poshmark account can list an item for sale.
If you want to start making money on Poshmark, first decide what you’re going to sell. A quick closet scan can help you find items you don’t need anymore, but keep in mind that items that are new with tags are likely to sell faster. Then take a photo of your item, write a description, and visit their “Sell on Poshmark” page to upload your listing.
Use the selling tool to determine the price of your item.
The selling tool will help you determine what your item is worth based on its condition and original price. Poshmark will give you a recommended amount based on the info you provide, but you can choose to list it for whatever price you want. If you’re listing a high-demand item or it’s sold out on other sites, you can sell it for more than the original price (just beware of Poshmark’s Price Gouging policy).
Share your listing to your Poshmark feed or to “Posh Parties.”
Once you’ve uploaded a listing, it’s time to get it noticed. You can share your listing to your Poshmark feed or to “Posh Parties” that happen daily. Posh Parties usually have themes, like cozy fall sweaters or all things for pets. Sharing your listing there is the best way to get more eyeballs on it which ultimately leads to a quicker sale.
Related: Who doesn’t love a good side hustle? Here are 101 ideas for earning extra cash — from drop-shipping to renting out your car.
You have three days to ship your item once it’s sold.
When someone buys your item on Poshmark, you have three days to ship it to them. You can choose to offer free or discounted shipping when you initially set up your listing. Or you can add the shipping fee to whatever the buyer pays. Shipping is about $7 for each product (and only covers 5-pound packages), so keep that in mind as you decide what to charge.
Buyers have three days to confirm they received your item.
Once the buyer receives your item, they have three days to confirm it’s been delivered. Upon their confirmation (or after three days, whichever comes first), the funds from your sale will be deposited into your Poshmark balance. You can either use your balance to buy other products on Poshmark or you can deposit the money directly into your bank account.
TIP: Keep in mind that once you’ve made $600 in sales, you’ll need to enter tax information before you can earn more.
Why are people suspicious of Poshmark?
Poshmark has some scary online reviews.
In fact, most of Poshmark’s reviews on Trustpilot are 1-star ratings (with users who swear they’d give it a “minus” rating if they could).
Let me just say that I was personally shocked by the overwhelming number of horror stories hidden in Poshmark’s reviews. I know at least four people who buy and sell on Poshmark regularly and swear it’s the best thing ever. Still, tons of people say they’ve been scammed by buyers on Poshmark — and then nothing was done about it.
Most bad reviews are related to Poshmark customer service. Complaints say even after multiple emails and inquiries, customer service didn’t respond for weeks — and sometimes didn’t respond at all. Other reviewers claim that Poshmark doesn’t uphold their policies which promise to protect buyers against fake listings and sellers who aim to scam.
All in all, Poshmark reviews don’t look good. If I had to base my opinion on the reviews alone, I’d probably delete the app.
All Poshmark sales are final.
No, you can’t return any items you buy through Poshmark. If an item doesn’t fit or you just don’t love it, you can’t send it back to the seller for a refund.
Poshmark has policies that protect buyers against scams, and sellers have guidelines to follow if they want to keep listing on Poshmark. But according to the reviews, these policies aren’t always trustworthy.
Related: We found all the stores with the best return policies (for full refunds).
Poshmark keeps a portion of every sale you make.
To be fair, it makes sense for a platform like Poshmark to pocket some of the money from every sale. That’s how they bring in revenue, after all. But some users think it’s unfair they can’t get a 100% return on their sales.
Here’s how the fees for selling on Poshmark break down:
- Sales under $15: Poshmark takes a flat commission of $2.95.
- Sales of $15 or more: Poshmark takes a 20% commission.
TIP: Poshmark is kinda like Mercari, but Mercari takes out a flat 10% commission from every sale.
How does Poshmark protect buyers and sellers?
PoshPost protects buyers and sellers with fast and affordable shipping.
PoshPost is Poshmark’s shipping policy, which guarantees easy, no-hassle shipping for buyers and sellers.
How PoshPost protects sellers:
Any time you make a sale on Poshmark, you get a prepaid, pre-addressed shipping label to use. All you have to do is print the label, place it on your package, and drop it off at a USPS mailbox. You can even have your package picked up for free from your home.
How PoshPost protects buyers:
Since buyers cover the cost of shipping, Poshmark guarantees expedited 1- to 3-day delivery on all orders. In exchange, buyers pay a flat rate of $7.67 for shipping.
Posh Protect guarantees protection against seller scams.
If something you buy on Poshmark never ships or it doesn’t match the listing description, Posh Protect has your back. The policy says you’ll get a full refund if you file a claim within three days.
Here’s what Posh Protect covers:
- Undisclosed damage
- Incorrect or missing item(s)
- Items not as described
- Items that aren’t authentic
Posh Protect doesn’t cover items that don’t fit or transactions and trades made outside of Poshmark, though.
Poshmark items that cost $500 or more have extra coverage with Posh Authenticate.
When you buy something that costs $500 or more, Poshmark authenticates your item for free via Posh Authenticate. Your order automatically goes directly to Poshmark HQ or through their trusted suppliers and resellers. They’ll examine your item’s logos, tags, materials, hardware, quality, and more. If Poshmark can’t verify your item’s authenticity, you’ll get refunded immediately.
So is Poshmark legit?
Yes, Poshmark is legit, but always buy and sell with caution.
When it comes to online shopping, you should always play it safe. As long as you keep a watchful eye, Poshmark can be a great way to buy the items you love for less, connect with other discount shoppers, and sell your secondhand stuff for cash. You may not get to keep 100% of the profits, but cash is still cash.
Yes, Poshmark reviews are alarming, but take these stories with a grain of salt. There’s probably some truth to them, but there’s also no way to know if they’re real — or if you’re getting the whole story.
If you don’t want to give up a percentage of your sale, try selling on Facebook Marketplace instead.
If you can’t live with Poshmark’s 20% commission, you may find better luck listing items on Facebook Marketplace. But again — shop with caution and watch out for Facebook Marketplace scams.
Related: Want more places to sell your clothes online? Here’s where you’ll make the most money.
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