How I Purged Using The Home Market On Poshmark
Last summer I found myself in the middle of probably my biggest purge since moving — except we weren’t moving. I got to a point where I got tired of seeing “stuff” at every turn — from the clothes in my closet to the decor in my mantle — so I started pulling things out to trash, sell, or donate...
Why did I still have this?
What purpose is this serve?
Will I need/miss it when it’s gone?
I purged all of our closets, gave the pantry an overhaul, and started editing decor in every room.
I had (nor have) zero delusions about being a “minimalist” but I needed some breathing room in my spaces. Thankful there was very little to actually throw away so we packed bags to bring to our local goodwill and the rest I would sell but then I hit a wall — I knew I could sell the shoes & clothes on Poshmark since I’d already been familiar with it, but what about all the houseware? I knew I could explore options like Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace but honestly, none of those options made me feel good. Like our apparel, I wanted to list, sell, ship, with Poshmark handling all the finer in between details.
I hopped on my computer and did a google search — “home goods sites like Poshmark” — and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that earlier that month Poshmark had actually launched a home market on their platform...
REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. — (June 11, 2019) — Poshmark, a leading social commerce platform for the next generation of retailers and shoppers, today announced the launch of the Home Market, an in-app marketplace to buy, sell and connect around home decor. Starting today, Poshmark shoppers and sellers can buy, list and discover a wide selection of home decor products, in addition to the 75 million listings in apparel, shoes, and accessories already on the platform. With home goods being one of the most highly requested categories from the Poshmark community, this is the first time the company is expanding inventory beyond fashion and makeup, bringing its innovative social commerce model to new retail categories.
I squealed!
Partly because of my subscription box days, I found myself wanting to list a lot of decor that was longer serving us — leftover inventory and/or items that I probably shouldn’t have bought in the first place, to be honest.
I was able to list small kitchen appliances, dinnerware, and decorative accents and I felt so much better about being able to pass these items onto someone who wanted em but could now get them at a fraction of the cost; and while I love being able to donate, it didn’t hurt that I could make a little play money in the process.
The process was no different than listing other items for sale —
take photos
enter details
price the item
make the sale
Easy peasy lemon squeezee!
More than half of my sales have been from the housewares — everything from my Keurig to my drawer organizer, along with a few personal electronics like my first-generation Apple Watch. More than the money — money’s good, don’t get me wrong — it felt so good to finally free up some space in my home, without having to fuss with all the other marketplaces out there. I didn’t want to split my attention, navigate to many platforms, or deal with any in-person transactions. Instead, I was about to list & sell, with Poshmark providing the shipping label. I’d print the label then schedule a USPS pick up without any disruption to my life.
The beauty of having my sales on Poshmark is that, if I wanted to, I could also make purchases on Poshmark... from other buyers just like me. I haven’t made any purchases but just having it available is convenient. In case you’re looking to do some shopping, by the way, you can save $10 on your first purchase by using my code ALBIEKNOWS...you’re welcome.
If you’re in need of some purging and decluttering, especially now while you have had this unforeseen amount of time to observe your home, here are how I recommend you get started…
Choose Your Space
No matter the size of your home, do not think you can tackle a purge in one sitting….maybe not even two or three. Prioritize the areas that matter to you most but also be sure to start with some small areas so that you can have some small victories in the beginning. For me, that meant starting with our daughter’s wardrobe -- it was a matter of simply removing the items she’d outgrown and no longer had use for. From there I moved onto her toys and books. After sorting, we decided what was best for donation and what we would try our hand at selling -- as is the case with most children’s items, there were things that were barely used and/or worn.
I followed the same process throughout the house, tackling our closet and housewares -- thankfully throwing very little.
Decide What To Sell
While for our daughter’s items this was a pretty easy process, for everything else this was a bit difficult for me because I didn’t want to “stingy” with donating. I cannot advise you on how to decide what to sell versus donate — hey, maybe you sell it all or maybe you donate it all! -- but whatever it is that you whatever you choose to sell, separate it and commit to selling it. Don’t go rummaging through it later because you think you can make those jeans you haven’t worn in 4 years fit again or because you’ll finally find a place for the vase you bought on a whim at HomeGoods.
You were purging for a reason — never forget that.
Give Yourself A Timeline
After you’ve created your Poshmark account (assuming you don’t have one), adding items to your closet is as simple as photographing them, choosing a market (clothing, beauty, home), adding details such as size & color plus other relevant information (i.e. “never been worn” “used but in good condition”), and then deciding on a price.
A tip for pricing: look for comparable pieces already listed to see “market” value is.
Once I did all of this, I decided how long I was going to keep items that weren’t sold before also donating them. Even though I had them in storage, the ultimate goal from step one was getting rid of things, not hoard them indefinitely. I gave myself enough time to see if they were sold… to lower the prices… before deciding it’s time to go for good.
Listing on Poshmark is not an excuse to hold on to things indefinitely. While I do still have some items that are in storage that haven’t sold in a month of Sundays — thanks COVID — as soon as the word reopens my first stop will be to my local Goodwill with whatever is leftover.
Set Up Your Sales Process
This might be the part where you start scratching your head in confusion because the work doesn’t stop when you make the sale -- it actually just begun. Because of my background is having had a subscription box service some years ago, I had a bit of an upper hand with this part. I already had a label printer — so clutch especially if you plan on selling regularly... I suggest you get one immediately or sooner! -- which has made printing out the label Poshmark provides easier & more profesh looking. I get different size boxes from USPS for free and keep bubble packaging from other deliveries I get, so whenever an order comes through, I’ll be ready to package and ship it. I include a a thank you card with every shipment then I schedule a free pickup with USPS.
