5 Things You Should Know Before Buying on POSHMARK

In this Posh Experiences article, I'll be discussing reviews from the review site "sitejabber" in hopes of giving new Poshers the tools they need to have the best experiences possible.

After reading several reviews about shipping time, sizing, fakes and lacking Posher customer service, I started to see a pattern forming...

I started noticing that a lot, and I mean a whole lot of the issues in these reviews could have been avoided with some due diligence.

Just as with any other platform, you'll need to get a feel of the surroundings before jumping in to make a purchase. There's no application or any type of testing done for anyone to join. You simply fill out the information required and now you have an account. This platform is designed to give anyone the opportunity to be as successful as they want and just as with anything else, there are some that take this very seriously and others...not so much.

On that note, here are 5 Things You Should Know Before Buying on Poshmark

Number One

Do some research on the Posher you want to buy from

You can learn a lot from viewing the Poshers' "About" page. You'll see a picture of the Posher (if available), the closet name, the month and year that the Posher joined, the last time of activity, average ship time and love notes both given and received.

I've been on Poshmark for almost 3 years and still, before making any purchase on Poshmark, I check out the Poshers' about page and I take a look at their closet to see their other listings. I look at their activity to see how engaged they are with the community and

I look at all the photos for the listing. It's very difficult to get a good understanding of the condition with 2 or 3 photos - if I come across one with a small amount of photos like this, I pass on the buy.

Serious Poshers upload as many pictures as possible. The Posher may not always post 8 photos, but they'll at least take enough pictures at enough angles with close ups on the fabric to give you as much information as possible.

I also look to see if they're an ambassador, though - this status does not necessarily sway my decision of whether to buy or not, it does give me a gauge of how successful they've already been and how satisfied their customers are.

Many issues involving shipping, unresponsive Poshers, integrity and quality can be avoided by just taking a few seconds to look at the Poshers' history. If you're in the market for luxury items, it's imperative that you look at the Posher's love notes - a Posher selling luxury items with many love notes is not selling fake items, their notes and Posher status (like if their an ambassador, for example) will reflect this.

Number Two

Learn the Return Policy

Everyone's body is different and Posh's refund policy doesn't allow returns for ill-fitting items. For this reason, you may either want to stick to brands you know very well, or be willing to contact the seller for more information if things like measurements and fabrics are not listed. You'll have to be hyper-vigilant here and understand that regardless of whether you like the fit or not, the item cannot be returned if it's just as described in the listing.

Number Three

Know the Platform

I think that when a lot of people join the platform, they have an idea that this platform is similar to Ebay. Poshmark is more of an open market platform, with a strong leaning towards social networking. The Posher has more responsibility in regards to handling their issues (outside of a customer requesting a return) and things like sharing, acts as self advertising. Poshmark is set up so that your closet is almost like your own website. You have your own page, with your own listings and style as well as your own customer service practices, as long as everything falls within the community guidelines. I think of it almost like Facebook with shipping, It's a mixture of retail and online social interaction.

I urge that if for some reason, you pay attention to this list, but still have a bad experience, don't look at the platform, look at the Posher - This is my opinion, but I think that as Poshmark's algorithm improves, bad apple Poshers will start to be sifted out. In the meantime, for almost guaranteed best practices, shop with Posh Ambassador's. Not to put down my non-ambassador PFFs, but ambassadors are people that have agreed or applied to be an ambassador and have done very well in following community guidelines and being a positive force in the Posh community. Speaking for myself, as an ambassador, I really do care about my customers' experiences and I do as much as I can within reason to accommodate. My goal is to run my closet like a store and I take my customer interaction very seriously.

Number Four

No Off-Line Transactions

Not to get this confused with trades that are permitted but discouraged, off-line transactions are prohibited and if you get a message from anyone asking you about buying something via email or anything else - avoid them. Posh protect cannot provide any type of support for transactions that are not completed on the platform. As stated in number three, this platform is more of an open market, you have to stay vigilant and aware.

Number Five

Contact is a Weapon or a Shield

As everyone should know, we live in a digital age where everything is saved somewhere and Poshmark is no different. When you contact a seller about an item or even a complaint, be mindful of this and try to stay professional. I've seen many reviews where the person added all the verbiage they used during a dispute - and all I could say to myself was - "what else was going to happen?" If you make yourself appear unreasonable or illogical because of your choice of words, this can lean the decision in favor of the seller - especially if the seller has only been cordial and cooperative throughout all of their Posh career. I understand that frustration can birth anger, but this is your money. Don't allow a few characters to possibly get in the way of that.

Final Thoughts

Poshmark is designed to be a community oriented platform, where adults can discuss and resolve their issues within guidelines and policy parameters. This platform was created to provide more intimate interaction in order to bring buyer and seller together for a more positive and caring experience. It's unfortunate that customers have had these negative experiences. Hopefully this article will help to provide answers and a better understanding of the platform, giving a better opportunity to have more positive experiences in the future.

Happy Poshing!

-Nykole