Attitude Adjustment

Sometimes a little thing changes my attitude from good to bad or bad to good.

It's the last day of the month.  I was focused on end of the month review of my bills and my closet stats.  In the middle of it all, my husband (married 40 years) asks me if I want anything on the grocery list. 

How am I supposed to know on the spur of the moment when I am totally into what I was doing.  I don't know.  There's always too much food here.  He's more about having an item and two back ups and I'm happy with this is what I have now and not getting anuyhing until I absolutely need or want it.  I do not need four boxes of cereal, fifteen yogurts, and three different pastries as choices for breakfast! I do not need two heads of lettuce and so many tomatoes or cucumbers that they go bad before I can eat them in a salad.  In fact, I do not eat lunch every day so having umpteen choices is ridiculous. I won't even get into dinner!

However, this blog is about my Poshmark experience not about my marital challenges.  

As I said, I was in the middle of totalling out January.  Now, I am not one who makes a living on Poshmark but I do make enough to take a friend out for coffee or lunch. It's about how much fun I have and not about what I make.  At my age after 45 years of teaching and 40 years married, I need a distraction.  But, I also need to feel I am doing something not just for myself but for someone else.

The items I bought for January average cost per item was $2.95.  The averaage per item sold was $14.  I'm ok with that.  I received all 5 star ratings from those who rated the tiems.  No negatives.  Several positive comments.  All that makes me feel good about what I am doing.

Poshmark does give me something important.  I feel a purpose and I have hope for the future.  I do not want to sit around all day watching useless television or surfing the internet. When I was teaching, I had plenty to keep me busy.  When I took care of my grandsons, I was constantly doing something.  I miss the good parts of that once in a while until I remember how hard it was to get up at 4 am! 

Thank you, Poshmark and all Poshers who have supported my closet. You keep me busy and feeling a sense of purpose. I feel a little better now. I think I'll go do my own grocery shopping!

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

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. 

 An unexpected frustration!

The other day I read a few articles on how to share my blog with social media and hopefully attract some attention.

Instagram, no problem.  I made an Instagram just for posting things from my closet separate from my personal one.  I did not want to mix the two.  I doubt my friends and family would appreciate all my posts about items in my closet. I do not post often but when I create something on Canva, it's easy to share on Instagram.

The problem was Pinterest.  Yes, Pinterest.  The never in the news, never controversial Pinterest.

I've had a Pinterest account forever.  Before AI and all the many sites on the internet to help teachers, I used Pinterest for finding ideas for bulletin boards, saving my favorite pictures, and dreaming about living in the South of France, Provence to be exact.

One article suggested making an ad for my blog and posting it on Pinterest.  I first explored what was already on Pinterest to see what other people had done.  Then, I went to my trusty Canva site and created an ad.  

I posted it to Instagram and Pinterest.

 Later that day, I received an email that my Pinterest account had been deactivated because I had violated the Community Guidelines.  I am one who likes to do good things.  I am not a bad person and when I get called out on something, I feel awful, like a criminal.  I feel like my dog, Nipper, does when she knows she's in trouble.

I had no idea what I did and still have not received a full explanation.  I am not even sure my ad caused the issue.  All they told me was that I may have been flagged for spam and directed me to read the review on my account.

Funny thing, when your account is deactivated, you cannot get into it to read the review!  Great system!

I emailed not once, not twice, not even three times!  The fourth time was the charm in this case.  I asked every time for an explanation about what happened so I would not repeat the same thing.

They did finally reactivate my account.  I immediately went in to read the report.  All I found in the review was:

Status:  Reactivated

Reason:  Spam

That was it.  Nothing else.  No report.  No explanation.

So, I read the Community Guidelines section on Spam.  Best I can figure is that Google Blogspot is not an approved partner and since I included the link, maybe that triggered it to flag as spam.

So, now what?  If I post again, will they deactivate my account again? Since they have not explained why other than to say "spam", I am very hesitant to post any other ads about my blog.

Here's a kicker.  This post about sourcing had more traffic than any other!!!

Man, sometimes you just can't get a win!  Maybe the traffic came from Instagram!

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

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. 

 

Success at the Salvation Army vs Goodwill Disappointment

Let's start with the positive.  Saturday, I decided to go out of town to another Salvation Army.  I found a few good items including a few brand new cosmetic bags from Estee Lauder.  I can either list them or hold on to them to use as giveaways, if I ever get the nerve to do a live show.

Then, on Monday, I went to my usual Salvation Army.  What luck!  The manager decided to try to get rid of all the Zara items at $5.99 each!  Most had issues like broken zippers or missing buttons.  However, I did find three good items:  1 pair wide leg shorts; 1 faux leather 5 pocket jeans; 1 flat front flare leg faux leather pants.

 Also, on Saturday, I decided to go stay at my Mom's house.  A little alone time is nice once in a while.  There are several thrift stores near her house.  I went to the one that supports a local organization called the Curiosity Shop.  Ihey were having a 50% off sale on all clothes, shoes, and purses.  I found a Liz Claiborne purse for $4.00.  It is new with tags and in excellent shape.  

Now for the disappointment.  On Sunday, I met my sister at a Goodwill near her. Yet another town!  I look forward to going on Sunday because they are supposed to have 50% off a certain color tag.

The last few times and this one included all the certain color tags are few and far between! Apparently, what they do is remove all the outdated items of the speacial color and take them to the back to be discarded. 

What sense does that make?  Why not let it go one more day so people can take advantage of the 50% off?

None of our Goodwills within decent driving distance have bins.  The least they could do is put the outdated items in a bin for a few weeks and then discard them.

My idea- put them in bins and mark them 99 cents!  I mean really.  What do they have to lose?  I understand they need to keep new merchandise coming in and need to make room for it.  But, do they have to throw perfectly good stuff away when it could be something we could use?  I wouldn't think so.

All in all, a successful sourcing weekend.  Today, I'm taking pictures and making listings, a little at a time.

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

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. 

The sun is shining!  Madison Keys won the Australian Open.  I only missed the opening point.  It was a great match.  Very happy for her.  She has been trying for a Grand slam win since she was a teenager.  

It's Saturday.  I am going to go sourcing today and tomorrow.  Changing it up a bit and going out of town to a different Salvation Army today and a different Goodwill tomorrow.

I am also excited to get out of the house and spend the weekend at my mother's house.  My sister, retired Navy Captain, owns it and I stay there a few times a month to keep it clean and lived in.  My mom passed in 2011.  Her house has helped me so much.

One, I know she is with me still when I stay there.  Two, it has come in handy many times.  

When I retired from the classroom and was hired to lead the speacial Middle School language programs, I traveled to Middle Schools all over the state to teach or observe others teaching.  I stayed at my mom's when I taught at one of the schools. That turned out to be two to three times a week.

Next, it was awesome to have it when my son suddenly became a single dad with two small boys.  It is a very long story but the end result was he bought a home in a town only seven miles form my mom's.  I had to be close to him to help with the boys.  I lived at my mom's for the two and half years I helped with the boys. It was a blessing to have the house because I live about seventy minutes away from my son and when you have to get up at your son's by 6:15 am, living only seven miles away is so much better!

Now, I go stay there a few times a month.  It gives me a break from being "stuck at home" and my husband will finally watch what he wants on TV and get a break from tennis.  He is not the fan I am.

I'll visit with my older sister, a retired elementary teacher, and give her something to do.  I've sold some of the items she gave me for my closet.  She earned $11 recently!  Woot! Woot!

Other people, friends or family, are a great way to source for items to sell in my closet.  Our arrangement is that I receive 60% of the amount earned on each item and they get 40%.  All totalled, my sister has earned about $40. Friend A- about $75  Friend B- about $40  Friend C- about $50.  Not bad for passive income.  

Also accomplished today:  Listed 4 items; shared; followed; shared; followed........... and it is just 10am.  I guess the early bird really does get the worm, or, at least  get something done.

In good spirits today and not going to stress the small stuff!

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

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. 

Why I engage in my Poshmark app several times a day!

It is simple, really.  Algorithms.  

Poshmark’s algorithm is designed to match buyers with the items they may like.  It uses keywords to find listings that shoppers are looking for. (I do not like ending with a preposition)  It is important to be clear in your listing and use keywords which help the algorithm understand what you’re selling.

Just calling an item a cute dress does not cut it.  Make sure to include the brand, color, size and as many words as you can to describe the item. You have 80 characters available, so use them!

Which one of these descriptions will get matched to buyers better?

LC Lauren Conrad faux suede pink jacket size Medium. Long sleeve Button front 

Or,

Nice pink jacket

Fairly obvious, yes?

The algorithm also promotes active sellers.. So, share often and answer questions quickly. If you want your stuff to be seen more, try to be on the app every day. (https://selleraider.com/poshmark-algorithm/ )

This morning, I woke up in time to see American Madison Keys win the Aussie Open Semi final.  What a match!  It was over two hours. She won in the third set tie-break!

I shared all 600+ items in my closet several times while I watched the match and held my dog Nipper in my lap.  An aside- Nipper thinks she is a lap dog but she is medium sized but likes to stay closr to me especially in the morning.

I also went through all bundles and made new offers on those I could.  After a month or so, expired bundles are available again to make new offers  Don't ask why or how, I simply accept that they are. Plus, some bundles may have items that have sold since they were created.  If you remove the sld items, then you can make a new offer on the bundle.

I find it easiest to go to my closet and click the bundle icon.  Then, go through all those for sale.  It will either say "Unable to make an offer" or it allows a new offer. I do this about once a month and whatever is available, I make an offer.

Bottom line- I do not spend precious time tryng to figure out the algorithm and how to hack it, I just engage as much as possible every day by doing some or all of the following:

1. Share

2. Follow

3. List

4. Update offers

5. Run a silent show

6. Message buyers

7. Welcome new Poshers

8. Check out other Poshers' shows

9. Add to stories (I use Canva to create these)

10.  Check progress

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

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. 

Today is Wednesday, I think.  When you are on Melbourne, Australia time because you are trying to watch as much of the Aussie Open  in real time, you lose track of what day it is.

I love tennis.  I'm very excited that there is one American woman and one American man in the semis! My one and only favorite tennis player retired recently.  Rafa Nadal!  Rafa never broke a racquet! He will always be the GOAT in my eyes.

Now an update on what's happened for my closet recently.

I went to Goodwill this past Sunday.  It's 50% off on a certain color.  I found no dresses because I found out that around noon they start taking the 50% off color off the racks!  Why, I asked.  They take the oldest items to the back to discard them.

I suggested they have bins of .99 items so what they toss will instead go to good use.  Besides, it would be a good deal for me.

Anyway, I found several tops at 50% off.  Most had original tags!  I also found two joggers that were in excellent shape.  One is Under Armour and one is Calvin Klein.

I did find one top that I paid the full price of 5.99!  I could not resist.  It turned out to be a good thing. It is a J. Crew halter style lined lace top with a bow tie in back.  There's a subtle shine to the lace.  Very feminine, very beautiful.  It has the original tags but no price and has never been worn.   I had to do some research but the original price had to be at least $89!  I listed it for $39.  I may have been able to ask for more but I feel this price is fair.

This is what picks up my spirits- shopping for the real thing that turns out to be a great deal! Every aspect of Poshmark is fun for me. 

I love the "hunt" for great items.  I love doing the research on those items.  When I find out how much it is worth, I jump for joy, figuratively speaking.

I enjoy listing the item because I am full of hope that it will sell and bring joy to someone else.  

I share and follow and share and follow and then one day, it happens.  It sells and I get the e-mail that it sold.

I love packaging the item and writing a thank you card with a personal touch.

Then, I take it to the post office and I can pass by the line and leave it on the counter because it has a prepaid label!

Yes siree! I love doing this.  It's fun, it keeps me active.  It makes me feel good that people buy my items and are happy too.

It may not be a million dollar business but it is worth so much more to have something worthwhile to do when you are my age!  I taught for 45 years.  I am not one to sit around and do nothing! Posh gives me purpose!

It is gray and cold!  It makes me feel very lazy!

I have taken a few steps toward doing a Live show.  Yesterday, I numbered every item in my closet and have number cards to put on the items when I use them in a live show.

I rearranged the racks and made more room so I can set up better when I do go live. Of course, all the lifting and moving had an impact on my ankle which hurt the rest of the night.

Watching other peoples' Live shows has helped some.  Not everyone has a big room with perfect lighting, three devices, complete organization, and an assistant though.

Now, it's raining.  Normally, I would go to  Salvation Army and see if they have reinstated the 99 cent colors!  But, I do not have the gumption to get up and go.

Instead, I did a silent show that resulted in no sales but I did get a nice offer from another Posher to share host so I could dip my toe in the Live show realm without having to dive in on my own. I might do that.

I'll list a few items today.  Listing on Wednesdays and Saturdays may result in winning a bit of cash or Posh credit!  What the heck, right?

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

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.