If you already declutter your closet a few times a year– whether it be to make room for new clothes or to purge the items that haven’t seen the light of day in a while– you might be overlooking an easy opportunity to make some extra cash.
Nowadays, people use social media to do more of their shopping, a new trend known as social commerce.
In fact, 58% of consumers state they would be comfortable purchasing items through social media rather than directly from a company’s website.
Even more notably, 75% of consumers are comfortable with purchasing from another person online, meaning the market for this is huge.
One of the most common ways people are making money this way is by selling their used clothing items and accessories.
Apps like Poshmark make it easy to turn your old clothing into cash. There’s even a huge wave of people thrifting and flipping gently used clothes to make original items, which they then sell online.
If you’re interested in making money by using Poshmark and other apps to sell stuff, stay tuned to learn more about the ins and outs of Poshmark, as well as some other alternatives that could also bring you some profit.
What is Poshmark & Why is it Cool?
Poshmark has made the selling process incredibly straightforward for their users, and this app is certainly the king of selling your clothing for cash.
Poshmark even encourages you to launch your closet with 5-10 items and seek out users with the same style preferences as you, so you can begin to buy and sell within a similar fashion community.
Poshmark also does most of the grunt work for you, which is the true genius of the platform.
When you sell on Poshmark, they send you a prepaid shipping label when an item has been purchased from your closet, so you just have to print and ship!
More importantly, it’s shown to be a pretty legitimate way to make money.
About half of sellers on the app do it part time as a side hustle, while others have managed to make it a business by selling full time– this includes 22% of US users and 16% of Canadian users.
Poshmark Fees
Of course, like most selling apps, you have to pay a commission for using Poshmark, and these fees are important to consider if you’re looking for a new selling platform.
Poshmark fees are broken down based on item price:
- Items Under $15 – $2.95 per sale.
- Items Over $15 – Poshmark takes 20%.
Considering the app is geared towards higher quality and designer items, there’s still a lot of money to be made on each sale.
However, Poshmark is competitive, and the platform is crowded with sellers.
Plus, if you’re serious about selling clothing for money, it doesn’t hurt to try various Poshmark alterntives to maximize your reach.
Extra Reading – Is Poshmark Worth It?
The Top Apps Like Poshmark
If Poshmark isn’t for you, or you want to increase your selling potential, here are some alternatives that can also make you some money:
1. The RealReal
You’ve probably heard of TheRealReal one from your favourite online influencers recently, as the platform has been all over Instagram and YouTube.
The RealReal is devoted to the resale of luxury goods, like shoes, fashion, accessories and even homewares and fine art.
What makes this app special is that every item is authenticated by their team, which is why many of the good items sell in just a few days.
Sellers can keep up to 85% of sales, which is an especially high rate when dealing with high priced items.
If you have old designer fashion pieces collecting dust in a closet, this Poshmark alternative is probably your best option to start selling.
2. Mercari
Mercari was awarded “Easiest to Use Marketplace” in the 2019 Sellers Choice Awards, and it’s an incredibly easy way to start making money online.
You can easily sell any item on Mercari.
However, there is a huge market for gently used clothing items.
You have the freedom to list your items at any price you want, but you’re encouraged to browse similar listings and set the price accordingly.
Marcari charges a 10% commission on every sale and a small transaction fee, but every shipment is paid for by the buyer and insured up to $200, so you will always get your cash.
If you find Poshmark is too crowded, download Mercari and give it a try!
Extra Reading – 9 Best Apps Like Mercari.
3. Depop
Depop is quite similar to Poshmark in terms of the social features of the app, which let you follow other sellers and build a community of people with a similar fashion sense and brand preferences as you.
It’s also easy to view the items being bought and sold by your friends on the app, as well as any fashion bloggers, influencers, or celebrities that you take fashion cues from.
Depop also charges 10% on sales, but transactions are done through PayPal, which is preferable to some due to the security features.
Ultimately, the most successful Depop sellers leverage social media followings to drive sales, and the platform has less of an obvious marketplace-feel than apps like Poshmark and others.
However, if you can grow a devout following, Depop is one of the most lucrative ways to sell clothing online.
4. ThredUp
ThredUp is the best choice if you have a lot of clothing you want to sell but don’t want to go through the work of posting and shipping every item yourself.
Additionally, you shouldn’t be too fussy about how much money you make since ThredUp is very low-effort.
ThredUp sends you a bag to fill with all your new and gently used clothes which you send back to them in exchange for payment (the total of which they will determine).
ThreadUp pays you upfront for on-trend items, but things that may take longer to sell will only make you money once the sale is made.
ThredUp will probably make you the least amount of money on individual items, as the cut you will take from the item sold can be as little as 5% depending on the price it was bought for.
For example, $15 items will make you 5% while $300 items will make you 80%, with the total commission range varying based on that scale.
One bonus of the app is that they will donate all of the clothes that don’t sell if you don’t want them returned to you, and you can also choose to have them donate clothing immediately if you don’t want to donate it yourself.
Ultimately, you have less control on ThreadUp than Poshmark and most selling apps, but this app is way more passive than other platforms.
5. Vinted
Vinted is one of the only apps that doesn’t take a percentage of sales, so the money you make from selling clothing is yours to keep!
There’s also an option to directly swap items with another user, which is a handy way to refresh your wardrobe without having to spend any money at all.
If you make a Smart Swap, Vinted charges a small fee to insure the swap just in case anything goes wrong in the process.
Granted, Vinted is far less popular than most of the apps in this list, so you should only use Vinted as a last resort if you can’t generate sales elsewhere.
6. Tradesy
Tradesy is another app designed for sellig high ticket items, especially if you’re struggling to make sales on other clothing resale apps.
For starters, Tradesy improves your odds of making a sale because they retouch photos you upload and suggest a price based off of similar items on their market.
Plus, Tradesy also makes it incredibly easy to post an item and provides you with a prepaid shipping label and beautiful packaging free of charge– making both you and your buyer happy.
Granted, the commissin structure is a bit steep.
There’s a flat commission of $7.50 for selling clothing under $50.
Items over $50 are subject to a 19.8% commission fee.
This is much worse than Poshmark for cheap products, so keep this alternative in mind if you’re not selling designer brands.
7. Heroine
Heroine is a great option to buy and sell high-quality pieces from popular brands, and it’s also designed around a community of fashion lovers.
While the platform still lets you browse by brands or item type, they also have collections that you can shop through, curated by fashion experts based on current trends and styles.
Heroine also has a blog where you can build on your fashion knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest fashion.
In many ways, Heroine feels like a more tailored shopping experience than your basic marketplace.
In terms of fees, Heroine charges sellers a 6% commission plus your basic PayPal fee of 2.9% and $0.30.
Depending on your pricing, this might be a better cut of the profits than selling on Poshmark or much of the competition.
8. Etsy
Etsy isn’t ideal for selling every category of clothing, so I would avoid this platform unless you’ve got a wardrobe full of handmade, one-of-kind, or vintage (20 years or older) pieces.
A lot of successful Etsy clothing sellers either make their own clothing or thrift vintage items for resale, selling “as is” or ‘flipping’ the items to make them unique.
There is also a huge market for specialty items like wedding or special event dresses.
Thankfully, Etsy fees are manageble as it’s intended to be small creator/business friendly.
An example of some Etsy pieces currently for sale.
For fees, Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee per item and a 5% transaction fee.
Unlike other platforms, Etsy sellers run their own storefront, so you’re in control of prices, shipping, and every part of customer service.
Ultimately, selling on Etsy is harder out of the gate because no one knows about your store, which is why many sellers use Etsy alternatives.
However, if you can grow your sales overtime and get positve reviews, an Etsy store can be insanely profitable.
Extra Reading – How to Start an Etsy Print on Demand Store.
9. Rebag
Unlike other Poshmark alternatives, Rebag is specifically for selling handbags.
However, getting started with seling is still easy.
To have your handbags sold on Rebag, you just have to send in a few pictures of your handbag for Rebag to send you a quote.
If you accept the price, you get a shipping label so you can send it off and receive your payment.
There are also physical store locations in select cities, like Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Miami, and Manhattan, if you prefer.
Rebag is nice in this regard since you don’t have to worry about selling fees or managing your listing.
However, note that Rebag is just a middleman, so you’re definitely missing out on some profit margin.
10. Crossroads Trading
Crossroads Trading is another resale option that is available online and at physical stores.
However, Crossroads is a bit more exclusive when it comes to what pieces they accept.
They’re specifically looking for items that are designer, name-brand, and current trends, but they make it easy to send off a whole bunch of items to have examined.
If your items are accepted, you receieve compensation based on the sale price.
You can choose to get 50% as a store credit or 30% as a direct credit. The items they don’t want will either be sent back or you can have them donated.
Once again, you can see that options like this provide less of a payout but are better when you don’t want to invest a whole lot of time individually listing and selling yourself.
Other Websites Like Poshmark
While apps like Poshmark are especially devoted to selling clothes or fashion items, there are many tried and tested platforms for buying and selling more than just clothing.
Plus, if you don’t like the world of selling apps, traditional marketplaces might feel more familiar.
Let’s run through a few below:
11. eBay
If you’ve ever considered selling something online, you’ve definitely thought about eBay.
This site runs off listing fees which vary according to your country, so check around and make sure you’re getting the best deal for your sales– especially if you’re hoping to make a business out of this.
According to eBay: “The amount we charge depends on the item’s price, the format and category you choose for your listing, any optional listing upgrades you add, and your seller conduct and performance”
However, you generally pay pretty low fees for clothing, and eBay has an insane amount of demand.
In reality, there are so many reasons why you may want to use eBay to sell your clothes: guaranteed fast sales, a worldwide market, and less pressure than clothing and fashion specific brands.
Plus, on eBay, you don’t need to spend time curating a brand or building a store in order to sell a lot of items in a short amount of time.
Note that it does help sales if you already have some feedback available on your profile since this makes you appear like a more trustworthy seller.
Extra Reading: How to Start an eBay Flipping Business.
12. Craigslist
Craigslist works similarly to eBay except that it’s free to make a listing.
Most sales are made in person, so you have to be comfortable doing that.
Otherwise, it’s an easy way to make several item postings without worrying too much about perfecting your online store.
The only caution here is to meet in a public place or with friends if you’re making a sale in person!
13. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is undeniably the place to go to sell things quickly while avoiding the hassle of shipping.
The Facebook Marketplace show your items to people within your area.
Plus, there is the added benefit of having the marketplace built into a social media platform that people regularly use.
An example of some pieces currently selling on the Facebook Marketplace.
Clothing is always selling on Facebook, so don’t be afraid to ditch Poshmark (and their fees) to give Facebook a whirl.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re getting rid of last season’s fashion, the clothes your kid has outgrown, or you’re trying to become a minimalist, why not make money in the process?
There are so many platforms designed to help turn your old clothing into cash, so if you’re willing to put in a little bit of extra work, this can be a very legitimate way to make some money on the side.
Plus, if thrifting and fashion are passions of yours, you may even have an opportunity to make a business out of this.
There is a massive market for second hand and flipped clothing, so if you can find your niche and curate your store, you can definitely make some money doing something you love.
Either way, social commerce for fashion is definitely a real way to make money off clothes you would likely throw away anyways, and who knows, maybe you’ll sell someone their new favourite pair of jeans or a bag they keep for the rest of their life.
Hopefully, this list of apps and websites like Poshmark also gives you some selling ideas beyond the clothing resale giant.
If you’ve ever sold on Poshmark or another platform, let us know what your experience was like!
If you want even more ideas for making money, consider checking out our posts on:
Selena Fulham knows how valuable having a side hustle can be. She’s a freelance content writer with a focus on SaaS, B2B technology, social media, and the art of making money online. Currently based in Montreal, Quebec, Selena can usually be found either drinking coffee, hiking up a mountain, or snowboarding down it.