Poshmark Has Finally Added a Feature That’s Been on EBay for Years, and I’m Thrilled
In reselling, you have to be willing to negotiate with buyers and even agree to a price lower than you think your item is worth. Here’s how it works: You can stand firm in your belief that the sweater you’re selling is worth $100, or you can settle for $80 and move on. Most sellers, myself included, end up taking the $80 because you’re getting cash and getting rid of an item that’s taking up too much space in your home. Settling for a lower price is just part of the process, even if it’s unpleasant.
But a low offer? It’s not worth your time — many platforms like eBay and Mercari offer automated tools that save you from even having to look at an offer from someone who’s willing to pay you pennies on the dollar. These smart pricing tools are incredibly useful for managing sales, and finally, Poshmark, my favorite resale platform, is adding its own smart selling tools .
How Poshmark’s Smart Sell Feature Works
“Smart Sell” is a new feature that’s slowly rolling out to Poshmark sellers . The news is spreading in waves on resale forums as new users join the beta, so you may not have it yet. When you’re able to use the feature, you’ll privately set a minimum price you’re willing to accept for a listing, regardless of what price you’ve set publicly. Then Poshmark’s automation takes over: If someone offers you a price below your minimum, Poshmark offers you a more reasonable price. If someone offers above your minimum, Poshmark accepts the offer and you make the sale.
You can also turn Smart Sell on or off for a specific listing to prevent Poshmark from accepting an offer you don’t want. This is a big deal for me, as I’m much more strict about the price of, say, a Gucci bag than I am about the price of a Nike t-shirt. I’ll negotiate on the t-shirt because the difference in selling price isn’t likely to be that big, but when it comes to more expensive items, I’d rather wait for the right buyer (i.e. someone who’s willing to pay roughly the same price as me).
Once your listing is public, you’ll see it on the page that appears after you create your listing, above the options to publish a new listing to your followers and any other Posh Party members. Turn it on, enter the minimum acceptable price, and click Publish as you would to publish your listing. You’re also not required to set this price – you can change it later, just like the public price. You can also turn it off even after you publish your listing.
Why Smart Sell Inspires Me
Even though I’ve automated many of the more tedious tasks involved in running my Poshmark shop using a third-party app, I still spend a lot of time on the marketplace every day. I’m creating bundles for interested buyers, sending out special offers, answering questions about measurements and wear, and trying to build relationships with the people who buy my stuff. When someone is constantly sending me lowball offers, it takes time and effort to respond to each one. Every now and then, I’ll respect the rush and — if I have other purchases to take to the post office — even accept one, but it’s rare. I’ll even go so far as to block repeat offenders; with all the notifications clogging up my feed, I can miss out on real deals, likes, or sales. No thanks!
In short, Smart Sell will save me a ton of time and will most likely even bring me a few sales with minimal effort.