Winter stalls sales! Had to put Poshmark closet on vacation hold for the first time ever!

I haven't written in a while.  I have not had the gumption to do much of anything lately.  And, not much had been happening.  I had some sales but nothing to crow about.

But, today, an adventure!  This past weekend we had snow which is enough of a problem by itself.  But, then, it sleeted! Really bad!  No kidding, there is at least an inch of solid ice on top of the snow!

I am nearly 70 years old (in about two weeks) and have osteoporosis which can be a mess if I fall! I had two orders that happened over the weekend and needed to get them mailed.  There was no way I was going to even try to drive anywhere.  Besides my car is completely encased in ice!  

Yesterday, my husband made his way to the mailbox and did not have my orders!  He fell as he went ass over teacups on the sidewalk that was pure slick ice.  Maybe not that bad but he did end up trying to get up and had difficulty doing so.  I went out and was able to get a walking stick to him so he could get up.  I have no idea how I made it there and back without falling.

Today, I asked him to help me get to the mailbox. I didn't want to but those orders had to go out. So, out we went.  He went first and used a very heavy hammer to break the ice so we could get out feet in the snow,  Unfortunately, his steps were bigger than mine and right after moving from the door to the "path" he was creating, I slipped and all fours went in the air and I landed on my derriere!  Fortunately I did because any other position and I could've broken a bone or two!

He pounded a path to the mailbox and we slowly made our way.  Just as we got to the treacherous sidewalk, a good Samaritan showed up to make sure we were ok.  Did he accept her help?  No, of course not.  He successfully navigated the sidewalk and put the orders in the mailbox for the postman to pick up, if he comes.

The good Samaritan made sure we got back on our path to the house.  She is an Amazon driver and I wish I had asked her name so I could send a commendation for her to Amazon.

We made it back but when we got to the place I fell, I asked my husband for the hammer and I broke ice so I could make sure I did not slip again!

That's it.  We are not going anywhere until it melts!  I put my closet on hold because I am not risking a fall again!  As for my husband, he has agreed not to try and clear anything!  I need him around to help me!

Fortunately, we have everything we need and there's been no power outages here.  Besides, I am following the Aussie Open in tennis.  We have one American woman in the semis!  Go Jess Pegula!

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

What else can I do?  Or, How Can I Advertise My Poshmark Closet?

I cannot do live shows! And, now that Poshmark has basically done away with silent shows and so many people are doing live shows, I cannot get my stiff out there enough.  I need to make more sales.  But, how do I get people to engage with my closet?

I add posts to Instagram but I do not have many followers there so who sees it? I make ads for my story on Posh and in my closet but who sees them these days?  Stories are not on the shopping options anymore so no one sees it unless they actually select it in my closet. I do post to Pinterest but that, too, is a very random way to be seen.  I do my blog and a few people have accessed it and I even have five recruits to Poshmark!  That's something. I avoid adding to Facebook because that's family, friends, and former students and I do not want to mix business with just staying in touch with people.

Sharing my own closet many times a day is the best thing I can do.  Finding more followers helps too.  It is no longer helpful to share other people's closets so I withdrew from the daily drudge of the follow games I was doing. 

Doing Pinterest and Instagram more frequently might help but I have no idea who has visited my closet because of what they saw on those two sites.

I do what Posh suggests:  I make the best and most accurate listings I can, I add items regularly, I share my closet several times a day, and I update when I do not have new items to add.

Too much inventory right now and a big need to move a lot out! I love to do the shopping/sourcing part so I've bought too much but how can I pass up Plato's Fill a Bag for nothing offer? And, the shopping gets me out of the house!!!

I suppose I am very worried about getting sales because we could really use the extra money right now.  

Today, I added a comment to 3242 bundles of shoppers who have visited my closet. It really is my only advertising option

If you are taking the time to read my complaining, then you may have the same offer!  Buy 1 Get 2 of equal or lesser value free.  This is for everything in my closet!  Everything!

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

 Happy New Year!  Reflections on 2025; Plans for 2026

I am so very grateful for Poshmark.  The company has not disappointed me, except once.  I am happy to have the diversion from my everyday life.  I retired from regular classroom teaching in 2013 and taught in a special situation for 5 years and another 5 online. I completely retired in 2023.  

I started Posh in January 2020 just for fun.  Everyone else was making sourdough during Covid, I started poshing. I had no expectations, especially since I was still working.  In October 2021, I started helping my son by taking care of his boys.  So, I still did Poshmark but I did not devote a tremendous amount of time. May of 2023, I broke my ankle and was laid up for months.  Finally, this year, I was not taking care of the boys, was mobile again, and devoted more time to Poshmark than in the past.

I think I had a really good year. I can't say I made a whole lot but I kept busy, enjoyed what I was doing, and was happy that I made others happy too.  I made more than I spent!  Enough to go to dinner with friends once a month.

What I make is not the point.  What it does for me is what matters.  It makes me feel useful.  It keeps me focused on something other than just sitting around watching TV. It fills the empty next, at least a little.

I admit that I have bought way too much.  Much more than I need to so this coming year, I will cut back on spending by only getting items that are new with tags or are brands I cannot pass up.  I will NOT go crazy at Plato's Closet with the stuff the bag deals and the 80% off clearance!

I need to share my items more, try to get into the live shows, and use Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to encourage traffic to my closet. And, of course, continue my blog!

In the opening, I said I was only disappointed once. Poshmark changed a few things a few weeks ago.  One was to remove Bulk Sharing.  The only easy way to share my items!  I freaked a little.  I wrote to customer support how important it was for me.  I bet a lot of people did too. They brought it back recently and what a blessing.

I do not know if it was the bulk sharing I did or the dropped prices but last week I sold 8 items in two days.  One of my grandsons helped me get all 8 packages ready.  He helped find the items, wrap in tissue paper, get in the envelope or box, and tape on the labels.  He was adorable.

Now, as I start the new year, I still have challenges to face but at least I have something to help me get my mind off my health and keep me busy.  

I hope 2026 is a great year for all of us.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

 I am a bit frustrated with Thrift shops marking items at ridiculous prices!

I absolutely love sourcing for my closet.  My goal is to try and purchase items for less than $5.  Hopefully, closer to $3 or less even! I need that so I can make some money on the items.  If my price point is $20, Poshmark takes $4 and if I give $4.99 shipping, there goes another $1.50.  I'd make $14.40. Not bad.  But, most things sell for a lot less than $20.  In fact, to give you an idea of some typical sales, here's what's happened recently:

A top sold for $8 and I made 5.50.  Subtract $3 as an average of what I spent on it.  And, the net is only $2.50.

A pair of capris sold for $12 and I received $7.55 from Posh.  Subtract $3 and I made $4.55.

A bundle of 2 shirts sold for $19 and my earnings were $13.70.  Subtract $6 for what the two items cost me, and my net is $7.70.

Occasionally, I do make a big sale but the majority result in getting my money back for what I spent on them and a little income.

So, what Salvation Army and Goodwill think they are designer outlets, I get frustrated.

Yesterday, I went to my local Salvation Army.  On Wednesdays, four colors (they color code the tags) are 50% off.  Just about every time I found a NWT item of a decent brand, they had tagged it for $24.99!  Even at 50% off, I could not make money on that item.  I even found one item that had a original store tag that had $22.99 as the retail price and Salvation Army tagged it at $24.99!  Are you.......kidding me?

Moreover, many of these items they had priced out of my preferred range (6.99 or less) were not even great brands.  They had overpriced Shein, Forever 21, Rue 21, and Fashion Nova.

They already have tons of Zara that they sell at half price and most of it is junk because they are all flawed with things like broken zippers and tears!

Goodwill does this to some extent too.  I guess it is ok for people looking for a bargain and are buying for themselves but for resellers, it's a bummer.

Thank goodness I still have Plato's Closet and my local SPCA shop here in my hometown and the Curiosity Shop and Teen Challenge in my real hometown.  I've tried God's Thrift before but I remember their prices for secondhand to be outrageous with no deals.

I have so much inventory right now that I do not need anything else but I still love getting great deals with the hope of making more than a few dollars on them.

Conclusion:  Remember my reason for doing this is to keep me busy and focused on something meaningful so I have a distraction from all my worries.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 30% off your item or bundle. 

 Using Virtual Model in my Poshmark Closet

What do you think?  Personally, I think it adds a little bit of Professionalism to my photos.  Hopefully, it will get more people to check out the listing,  I use Photoroom and it is better than when it first became available.  It works best with dresses or any item that is obvious like a men's jacket or a short sleeve top.  It is still far from perfect so I do add a disclaimer in my description sayin the pic was done with AI and may not represent the item 100% as it is for real.  I include many pix so there should be no misunderstanding.

On another topic-  I have way too much stuff.  So, December is clear it all out month.  I will be offering the hottest deals ever!

And, finally, how did I do for November? Not bad. I made $207 net.  I spent a total of $38.57 for 38 items.  So, I cleared $165.20.  Please do not laugh.  To me, that's good.  It pays for my Panera dinner, trips to the diner with friends, and gas for the month.  Every little bit helps!

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

 I hate when that happens! When I miss something on my listing and I have to cancel the sale on Poshmark

So, I had this gorgeous Faux Leather Jacket.  I listed it for $50. (I did find it at Salvation Army for a lot less) I accepted an offer for $35 and was absolutely thrilled until I started to package it and found a spot!  Yes, a tiny little spot that looks like a smidge of the faux leather has flaked off.  

Daggone.  I messaged the buyer three times to see if she still wanted it and received no response.  Then, after at least 36 hours, I canceled the order because I could not send it in good conscience.  If a buyer requests a return, their only choice for the reason for return is to choose "Not as described".  Why, you may ask.  Well, there is no buyer's remorse on Poshmark.  Buyers beware because you may not return  the item for things like "didn't fit" or "changed my mind". 

I did make a copy of the listing and changed the description to include the problem and make it a much lower price.  And, I will accept any offer where I at least get my money back.

I did the right thing.  Nonetheless, it hurts a bit.  However, on the bright side, I have made sales everyday for over a week.  That makes me very happy.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

 I won't make that mistake again!  Why I spent almost three hours fixing my listing prices on my Poshmark Closet!

Yesterday, I saw the "Drop Prices Now" banner on my feed and decided I'd try it again.  After all, last time it did result in a few sales! So, I went to Bulk drop prices and put in 50% and hit the go button.  Boy howdy, did I think I was smart or what?  

Apparently, I was not!  In a few minutes I made a sale on an item I had listed at at least 10 or 15 dollars.  It sold for $4!  WTF! I made all of .05.  I spent more on the tissue paper, card, and tape than that for sure. So, I looked at other items in my closet.  My Ann Taylor wedding dress was now listed at $87! I had it at $225!  

OMG, everything was way too low.  I do not know what happened but it had to be fixed.  Some were even marked as not for sale because it lowered the item to $2.  I have over 840 listings.  I had too go into each listing, edit it to restore a reasonable price and list it again.  Let's see, I started around 8:30 and finished at the middle of Carol Burnett reruns that came on at 11!  About 3 hours!  

When I was working on them, I noticed that I did not lose the likes or offers on anything but some of the offers were higher than the listing price the automated system generated!  I'm sad to lose money on the item sold but glad it brought the issue to my attention.  It's all fixed now, thank goodness.

Chalk it up to lesson-learned.  

I always make generous offers because I just like finding good items and and getting them to people who really want them and will appreciate them.  However, I do like making a bit more than nothing or .05!

For the rest of November, deals include:

1. 30% off all likes

2. Extra 20% off bundles

3.  Free gift with $25 purchase

4. Free shipping on purchase of $50 or more 

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle.