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Things are a lot different right now. For starters, I willingly paid over $140 to The Real Real for 3 (THREE!!!) pieces to resell. I also (reluctantly) paid $50 to the online Goodwill auctions for a pair of Lululemon leggings. Like I don’t even know who I am paying more than $5 for something. It’s not often my eyebrows look this bad (okay, that’s probably a stretch), and I think I’m living out one of my longest streaks of avoiding jeans.
What I’m trying to say is, thrift stores are closed and I have nowhere to look cute for. The current state of reselling has changed. And a couple days ago, I realized something: I was just kind of sitting, waiting for things to go back to the way they were.
I tried online sourcing (which consisted of me switching between The Real Real, Google + Poshmark to try and find a good deal while also maintaining a mimosa buzz). It was like 60% fun, 40% frustrating, eyebrow-furrowing I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doingness. It wasn’t very efficient, and it kind of gave me this feeling that I’m not cut out for online sourcing.
So as a full-time reseller, I was just kind of chilling, half-working my way through the day. Relisted a few things, made some TikToks (follow me @basicposhbabe), a lot of Instagram scrolling, and tried to share my closet 3x a day instead of the usual 2x.
At first, my sales remained steady. I still had some new inventory to list (new things I got before the thrift stores closed, a DIY/death pile, and then clothes from my personal closet). Eventually those piles all got listed, and I was struggling to list three things a day. And eventually, my sales started to slow.
To be clear, people are definitely still shopping on Poshmark--don’t be discouraged. But I have a particular sell-through rate (58% last time I calculated 🔥), and the less available listings I have, the less sales I’m going to make.
After some time of just waiting and half-working, other sellers in the community helped me realize I need to get on my ish! Jen was like, “You’re making excuses and you just need to adapt and change.” And Coco was like, “You need to treat this like an actual full-time job since that’s what it is now.” And Kirsten was like, “You need to wake up earlier to get more things done and stop being so lazy.” And Haley was like, “Stop making online sourcing this complicated thing--it’s not.” All paraphrasing here, of course.
So, as the posh boss babe I strive to be, I decided it was time to restrategize and figure out how I can make my business thrive during this time. I was really optimistic at the start of all this, and reflecting on everything now, I kind of think I was just being lazy. Like, I just wanted everything to go back to normal ASAP so I could carry on comfortably without having to change my strategies.
As I realize now, that’s not how a boss babe should approach it. Of course feel your feels and rest or cry or binge-watch Tiger King (actually wouldn’t recommend that - v overrated IMO), but also, get on with it. Do what you can and find ways to do more.
My two biggest pieces of advice right now? (1) Increase your Poshmark engagement, and (2) keep an open mind.
There are lots of ways to increase your Poshmark engagement without having to list 3+ (or any) new items every day. First, just follow back all your followers. Poshmark will only show you 1000 at a time, so just spend a few minutes tapping + scrolling your way down the list, following everyone along the way. I also recommend finding active accounts to follow by clicking on a new Posher and following all their followers. All these accounts are people who are currently active on Poshmark--I think Sydney was the one who shared this idea (see video below).
I always love sending that #poshlove and doing share-backs, and this is another way to raise your engagement on Poshmark. Find the “Shares” section in your notifications, and spend some time sharing items in those poshers’ closets who shared yours. If there’s a posher who shared a handful of your items, share a handful of theirs!
One more quick + fun way to increase your Posh engagement is to participate in the Poshmark parties. Share your applicable items to the parties, and also take some time to share other people’s items. There’s a few different categories you can share from: Main, First Looks, and Host Picks, for example. It doesn’t really matter what you’re sharing, just spread the #poshlove and share away.
It’s a great idea (also, not my idea) to ask your local community for inventory. Make a post on Facebook or just text friends and acquaintances asking for donations. You can also offer to consign their items and even reach out to influencers or bloggers.
The most important thing is to keep an open mind. I love a good curated closet, but I’ve definitely expanded my range of categories during this time: kid’s, men’s, home goods, even auto and outdoor! Keep an open mind with sourcing: both where you get it and what you get.
Things are different right now, and let me just reiterate it’s okay to feel your feels. I’m just trying to do what I can to make every day a good day. That’s really all you can do. Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself, and make yourself proud. As my gal Yoga With Adriene says, you gotta find what feels good.
Love you and am here for you! Please feel free to reach out anytime.