Stuff I Like...For Taking Care of My Stuff.

Hello! For this post about Stuff I Like I'm going to tell you about stuff I like to use to take care of my stuff. I am definitely going to be bossy and I might yell a little but it's only because I care about you and I suspect you might be washing your jeans. Here we go:

Sweaters. 
First, don’t hang your sweaters. You'll stretch them out. Just fold them and put them in a drawer or on a shelf. Also, did you know you can handwash cashmere and wool? You CAN. It sounds like a pain in the ass but get some no-rinse handwash detergent (I really like Eucalan) and it's super easy. Add a little bit of soap to tepid water and let your sweater soak. Then swish it around a bit. Don't wring it out like a maniac! To get the water out without ruining the shape of the sweater, roll it up in a big towel. Then lay flat to dry and you're good to go. I promise you won't ruin your sweaters - I do this all the time with cashmere and merino wool.

Denim.
Now, let’s please talk about your jeans. Stop washing them. Seriously, stop it right this second, especially your darker jeans. Stop. Stooooopppp.

Okay, fine. You can wash your jeans but only after maybe 6-8 wears. More if you can stand it. Washing your jeans will fade them out quickly and OH MY GOD DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DRYER. When you wash your good denim, use way less soap than normal, wash on cold and hang to dry. Really, you should be hanging anything you care about to dry. The only clothing I put in the dryer are pajamas, around-the-house loungewear, basic tees and socks.

Also, while I don't hang my sweaters, I do hang my jeans. (I am very Parker Posey in Party Girl about my denim, apparently.) In general I am partial to wooden hangers (IKEA also has good ones) because I think they look nice and they don't leave dents in the shoulders of my shirts. I also like flocked hangers for slippery things.

Athletic Wear
Athletic wear should always be hung to dry because heat breaks down spandex and you paid too much for those cute Athleta leggings to wreck them. I also recommend an occasional soak in something like Rockin Green, which has saved some of my athletic wear that had stink I couldn’t get out. (My link will get you 10% off.)

Shoes
First, find a good shoe repair place and take your favorite shoes and boots to get reheeled every season. It sucks upfront but your shoes will last much longer. Also, I now have a deep and abiding love for Dr Martens wonder balsam. It's a clear shoe conditioner and protectant and I put it on all my leather boots. I also usually have a small shoe polish kit because scuffed up shoes ruin a look. Take care of your shoes and they will last longer.

General Clothing Care
My basic rules are this:

• Hang most of your clothing to dry
• Hand wash your nice sweaters
• If you machine wash your bras, put them in a lingerie bag
• Don't wash your clothes every time you wear them (unless they really need it.) 
• Shout wipes are magic but unscented baby wipes will also take care of a lot of stains
• Add some white vinegar in with your laundry now and then. It's cheap and effective. 
• Take your shoes to the shoe repair place once a season

One More Thing
Get a handheld steamer! I just bought this one (mostly for Poshmark purposes) because steam will not only get out your wrinkles, it also freshen clothing and kills bacteria. Apparently you can also spritz your clothing with cheap vodka to deodorize but I haven’t tried that yet. I’m sensitive to scents so I don’t generally use products like Dryel or Febreeze, which just seems like it's covering one smell with another. Vodka on the other hand...

Bonus: This episode of Every Little Thing about the "thrift store smell" was fascinating! Highly recommend.

Tutorial: Let's Go Thrifting For Fun and Profit! (Part Three)

Hi all! This is the third in my three-part series about buying/selling on Poshmark. (Here are part one and two.) This third installment is specifically about sourcing to resell but also includes general tips about thrifting for fun (because I certainly don't sell everything I find. Nope.)

First, a general note on thrifting: Never go in looking for something specific, just go with a clear mind and get into that zen state as you work through the racks. It definitely helps if you like to dig and enjoy the "thrill of the hunt" aspect of shopping. If you don't, this might not be for you because it really takes time and patience.

Also, I am pretty new at this! I used to thrift a lot in college but only got back into it a year ago,  so I don't consider myself an expert by any means. Mostly I am just giving you a starter's guide based on what I've learned:

A decent haul.

Find Your Honey Hole
First, you gotta find your best sourcing spot. In my area we have Goodwill (too expensive), Salvation Army (cluttered but much less expensive) and a few locally-owned thrift stores that are popular with students and therefore get picked over. There is also a "Bins" (aka Goodwill outlet) near me but I've been too scared to try it. (Apparently things get...aggressive at the bins.) For reselling purposes,  I don't like spending more than $4 on any item unless it's higher-end and immaculate.

At my favorite thrift store they have one day a week where all clothes are 50% off. Check around and find out what kind of deals/discounts your local shops run and take advantage of it! On half price day I usually hit the tank top racks and really go through them - I've found Lululemon, Lucy, Athleta, etc. They're regularly priced at $1.99, so at half price my cost per item is super low. Even if that tank sells for $12-$15, I am making a fair profit!

I can't resist leopard print. 

Go Consistently
If you go often enough and really dig into the racks, you'll train yourself to spot the good quality items. My fingers usually know before my eyes have registered a good brand. Good quality feels like good quality, especially when it comes to knits, denim and athletic wear. I generally stick with the women's racks but have found some great men's stuff on the women's racks! Also, my best athletic finds are usually mixed in with regular clothes. Lululemon can be especially stealthy because the logo isn't always obvious. Once you know your store, you'll know it's strengths - spend the majority of your time on areas where you find the best stuff.

Men's jeans I found on the women's rack.

Find Your Best Sellers 
I love to sell casual current styles - jeans, athletic wear and cute tops do best for me. Skirts and dresses don't move and I rarely find shoes or bags worth selling. My best rule - buy what you like and sell what you like. I try to keep my closet "on brand" by only selling items or brands I'd wear (with a few exceptions.) Brands I will always pick up: Patagonia, The North Face, Madewell, Rothys, Tieks, Frye, Dankso, Birkenstock, RRL, J.Crew (mainly black label - if it's got two diamonds on the tag, it's Factory), Lululemon, and Athleta. To date I have not found Rothys, Tieks, Frye or Birkenstocks (edit: I have since found Rothys and Frye!), but I am always hopeful.

I love this cool blouse but the brand is a mystery.

Live Thrift!
Don't be afraid to stop what you're doing right in the aisle to look up a brand on Posh or eBay. Check the "sold" comps. I overlooked an RRL (Ralph Lauren black label) men's western shirt on three different trips before finally looking up the label and being like, Oh. I sold that puppy on eBay for $60! Anything that looks interesting or high quality? definitely look up sold comps and see if it's worth your time. I still make dumb mistakes (looking at you, mesh BR top) but I've definitely gotten better at buying things that sell. Also, there are some higher end brands that just don't do very well on Poshmark, so before you buy that $15 Joie top, check to see what similars are selling for. It might do better on eBay or it might just not be worth the effort.

This blouse was riddled with moth holes...I discovered after purchase.

Check and Check and Check Again.
I can't state this enough: before you get in line to purchase your great finds go find a well-lit corner of the thrift store and really look your stuff over, inside and out. For jeans - check the crotch, the back pockets, the hems, the waistband, and, very important, check the front for the dreaded elastic puckering:

This is bad.

If you're sourcing high end jeans, look for any signs that they're fake (sloppy stitching, spelling mistakes on the tags, etc.) For knits: look for holes and stretching. For tops: check the pits. For buttoned tops: check for missing buttons! I can't tell you how many times I've overlooked a missing button. For everything: check for stains and damage. Occasionally I've bought something with a stain that I was able to get out, but mostly I throw it back because it's not worth my time. I really can't stress how important this step is because I STILL miss stuff and it's incredibly frustrating.

That's it for now! Next week I'm going to do a post about your reseller toolkit - the items you should have on hand always. Whee. So fun.

Now, any questions?

Tutorial: How To Sell On Poshmark (Part 2)

Part two is about ramping things up. (Part one is here if you missed it!) Let's assume you've opened your closet and listed a handful of items and made a few sales. It's addictive, right? Suddenly you're scouring your closet for more things to sell and trying to figure out how to improve your listings. (You're also sharing, following, and doing all the other things I recommended, of course.)

For listings, I think it comes down to four categories: Photographs, Description, Visibility, Inventory. I'm going to break it down:

Photography

Your photos are your #1 selling tool. There's nothing worse than blurry, dark photos that don't show the entire item. This kind of thing is turrible, y'all:

rando photo I stole from posh. sorry.

And for god's sake, DO NOT USE THE FILTERS. I don't even understand why Posh offers photo filters. They're awful! Why would you want to change the color of your item? I work so hard to get the color accurate, so filters are a bad idea.

I started with my blog lighting kit and a flat lay setup that included a large piece of foam board covered in contact paper. (This works surprisingly well and is portable!)

If you're using an iPhone to take pictures, use the square setting. That way you don't have to worry about trying to make a rectangular photo fit in a square:

Daylight is key for good pictures but I also use a lighting kit which makes a huge difference. Often, I'll use the built in photo editing tools (or Photoshop) to brighten up the images:

before 

after

Black items are notoriously hard to photograph and for those I always use Photoshop to remove shadows and color correct. If you don't have Photoshop there are a bunch of inexpensive photo apps that can help with that. Honestly, I think my photos could be a lot better but I'm not trying to do this for a living, it's just a side hustle. As long as they're in focus and bright, I'm happy.

My best recent upgrade has been a display bust. So instead of this:

I now have this:

It make my closet look more cohesive and professional. (Though to date, this top still hasn't sold so maybe it's just the top and not the photo? Who the hell knows.)

Finally, use all your photo slots if possible. You get eight which allows for: front view, back view, brand tag, care tag, a close-up that captures the true color/texture of the item, a detail shot or two and a stock pic if you can find one.

Description

I'm going to keep this short because I talked about it a lot last week, but you will be a really good seller if you:

- describe any flaws, stains, etc

- include basic measurements

- include stock info that describes the item's features

- Notes on fit. Fit is subjective but if you know for sure that it runs big or small, you can mention that too.

Visibility

-If you do nothing else, share your entire closet twice a day. If you have a big inventory and you're short on time, share your top twenty items.

- Keep your newest, best and most expensive items at the top because when people share items they mostly go for whatever is on the top row.

- If someone shares from your closet, try to share back. Sharing feels pointless but it really does get your items noticed and bumped to the top of the search. Most people who buy on Posh aren't browsing - they're searching for something specific, so you want to be at the top.

Inventory

I'm going to go into sourcing in detail next week but here are some thoughts on inventory.

- Sell what people are buying. It took me a long time to figure out what sells and I've made a lot of mistakes. There are some items and brands that always do well but some of them are a mystery. I have a few items listed that have been around for a LONG time that I really thought would go fast and...nope. They just sit. I mostly just try to sell things I personally like because I want my closet to look cohesive.

- Right now you're like, DUDE. TELL ME WHAT SELLS. Here are brands that do well for me (and for a lot of people): Lululemon, The North Face, All Saints, Patagonia, Athleta, Dankso, Everlane, Madewell, Eileen Fisher.

- Jeans sell well for me and obviously athletic wear. Larger sizes tend to sell faster, so I avoid XXS-XS. I have a harder time moving dresses and skirts. I don't sell a lot of shoes, but they do okay.

- Brands that sell really well: Rothy's, Everlane, Johnny Was, 7 For All Mankind Dojos. But, if you read the threads about what brands sell or not, there's always someone who's like, "I have a pair of Dojos that have been sitting for months!" It really depends on size/condition/inseam, etc.

- Once more with pricing.  If you're selling out of your closet you probably won't get your money back. Don't worry too much about it because it's better to have the cash than an item that's just taking up space. I price an item about 20% above what I'd like to get for it but definitely looks to see what similar items have sold for and be realistic.

I am tired now but happy to answer questions!

Part three is here! 

Tutorial: How To Sell On Poshmark (Part 1)

Apparently I have a lot to say about selling on Poshmark so I'm going to break this up into three blog posts. This one will deal mostly with how to start selling, the second will be about how to ramp things up and the third will be about sourcing.

Okay! So you have a bunch of clothes, shoes and accessories that you want to get rid of. They're current styles in good condition and you'd rather make a little money than just give them away. This is how it started for me. Simplified, this is how to do it:

- take good, clear photos of your items
- write a detailed description that includes measurements and flaws
- price and list them

Then be prepared for crickets unless you're selling something really desirable. Boo.

Poshmark isn't eBay - you can't just list something and walk away. The app wants you to be involved with the "community" which basically means you have to follow people and get followed and share stuff and get your stuff shared. And self-share. SO MUCH SELF-SHARING.

Listen, I know that right now you are like, NEWP TOO MUCH WORK. And it is work, but once you're over the initial hump it gets a lot easier. It might be that you sell a few things and decide you're good. That's fine! Really, all I ask is that you don't list a few things and then never log in again. That's one of the biggest issues I have with Poshmark - absentee sellers. But I digress.

The best things you can do to  get things off the ground:

• Follow everyone. Don't be picky, this isn't IG or Facebook. Just follow people so they follow you back. Once you hit a certain number and become an "ambassador" you can stop. Heh. But seriously. I stopped at around 10k and now only follow someone if I like their closet. 

• Sharing is what gets your items bumped to the top of the search as well as posting them to the main feed. Self-share your entire closet twice a day, three times if you're feeling fancy. This is the most important thing you can do to get sales.

• Share other folks listings, especially brands you like and are also selling. If someone shares your listings, share back!

• List a LOT of things. The more listings you have, the more sales you'll get. List something everyday instead of all at once - the mysterious Posh algorithm seems to like this. 

• If you have something that's been sitting for weeks, delete it and repost it. Postings get stale and some folks only search the "just in" listings.

• Don't worry too much about the parties. I have never noticed an uptick in sales by participating and the two items of mine that were featured in parties? Neither have sold. Womp.

Let's Break It Down:

PHOTOS. This is probably the most challenging thing for most people. I use an iPhone for all my photos and also have a cheap set of giant lights that I also use for my blog photos. If you can take photos outside, natural light is best but otherwise get some dumb lights that fall over a lot. For "flat lays" I covered a piece of white foam core poster board with some marble contact paper:

It's not perfect but it gets the job done. And really, any plain, clean surface will do. I also always show the item on a hanger: 

And I take a close-up pic of the tag:

My pictures aren't amazing or professional but they're in focus, not too dark and they show the entire item. If I can find a stock photo I'll usually include it as well. I mostly prefer to have my own photo as the main one but if the item looks crummy, I'll use a stock photo first. This is a great example:

That sad mess? Is actually this:

It's really hard to show the sleeve detail in a flat or hanging photo and the hoodie isn't my size, so I don't want to model it and make things worse. 

DESCRIPTION.  I probably do more than anyone needs to but I am trying to prevent endless questions. Almost all my listings have measurements that include waist, rise, inseam for pants and armpit-to-armpit, sleeve length and total length for tops. Also, I always list the material or post a pic of the material tag.  This sounds like a lot but it goes quickly once you get into the routine of it.  I'll also include info from the stock item if I can track it down. For example:

Women's plaid heathered flannel shirt from LL Bean in excellent pre-owned condition, with no stains or damage. Approx flat measurements: 20" armpit-to-armpit, 24" long in front, 25.5" in back, 23" sleeve. 

Details: Made of 100% cotton that’s brushed for a soft drape and a wonderful feel. Band collar with V-neckline. Droptail hem. Machine wash and dry. Shell buttons at placket and single front pocket.

That whole last chunk was lifted right from the LL Bean website. If you're wondering how I even tracked down the info about some rando shirt I found at the thrift store, this is the key:

If your item has a style number of some sort, that is gold. It doesn't always work but if the item is still online, I can usually find it with the style/item number. (An RN or CA number isn't going to tell you anything but manufacturer, so don't waste time with those.)

One last thing: use your title to it's best keyword advantage. Instead of "cute plaid shirt" write, "LL Bean Heathered Flannel Purple Plaid Shirt." You can include more keywords in the description but get the most important details in the title. I'm always surprised how many sellers fuck this part up.

PRICING. How to figure out how much to price your items? Assuming we're talking about something like an LL Bean flannel, I'll search "sold" listings for similar LL Bean shirts and see what range they're selling in. If the range is $15-$30 and I know my shirt is in really good condition, I'll list it for $32 to give myself some bargaining room. Most Poshmark buyers will make offers so I'll list at $32 with the idea that it'll probably sell for $22-$28.

I will also search for identical items that are currently for sale to see how folks have priced theirs. If there's only one other purple plaid LL Bean shirt in the same size and color and it's listed for $38, I will list mine for $34. That way I'm not vastly undercutting that seller or bringing the overall price down too much, but I am the less expensive option.

If your item is expensive, NWT or very sought-after and there aren't any similars that have sold, just figure out how much you want in profit, tack on 20% (Poshmarks cut) and tack on another 20% to use for bargaining. It's frowned upon to price a NWT item above it's original retail, but you do you.

SHIPPING. I talked about what makes for a good buyer and now I'm going to tell you what makes for a good seller: Ship quickly (like 1-2 days after the purchase) and package your items appropriately. Plain tissue is fine - don't feel like you have to go crazy but I also have "thank you" stickers and some other stickers I decorate with. Make it fun. And, even though Posh claims you can use flat rate USPS envelopes, I wouldn't bother trying. Just get the plain (non-flat rate) Priority mail Tyvek envelopes and some boxes - I like the shoe boxes and the big rectangular boxes for heavier items. You can order them FOR FREE and it makes you look more professional.

SUPPORT. I follow the Poshmark subreddit and have joined a couple of private FB Poshmark groups. I have learned a TON just by reading those threads. You don't need to be active but it does help to get the temperature of the community. Also, sometimes there's good drama. Just saying.

I am out of words for now, you guys! If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them and/or address them in the next chapter of this saga. Whee.

(Part Two is here!) 

Tutorial: How To Buy on Poshmark

I think a lot of us has this first experience on Poshmark: Find item you’ve been searching for. Get excited and create an account. Crab scramble back out of there when 8,000 screeching ponytails welcome you to Poshmark like this:

 🌸🌸🌸😘🌸🌸🌸 Welcome to Poshmark!!! I am here to answer any questions you may have. Let me know! 🌸😘🌸😀🌸😘🌸

TERRIFYING. I actually joined the first time to ask someone to stop stealing my blog images so I already had a bad attitude. Then I was like, maybe I can find something good to buy. The above happened and I was like:

OR, your first experience is something like this:  Find item you’ve been searching for on Poshmark. Get excited and create an account. Buy the thing. Wait for thing to arrive. Realize gradually that thing is never going to arrive. Cancel order two weeks later and get your money back. Boo, you’ve fallen victim to an inactive seller!  Swear off Poshmark forever.

I eventually dove back in to sell and didn’t start buying until much later.  It’s daunting to start but once you get past the initial culture shock, it can be really great.

The culture:

Poshmark isn’t eBay. It’s built on a social media type platform that encourages communication and friendliness. Sellers are encouraged to “follow” new people and to welcome them, which is why when you initially create an account you get overwhelmed with weird comments. Let it ride. Don’t worry about it. Nobody really expects a reply. Follow some people if you like their closet. Move on to the shopping!

Your profile: 

If nothing else, put in your size and brand preferences. This will help your searches and it will set the algorithm to show you brands you’re interested in.

How to shop:

If you’re looking for something specific, say a pair of Madewell coated jeans, search for them using the most specific search options you can because the search engine kinda sucks. Definitely select the brand and color because just typing them in doesn't narrow it down enough.

Yay, you found ten pairs of Madewell coated jeans! The first listings that come up at the top of the page are probably active seller accounts. Consider those first. The further down the page you go, the older the listings. Sellers keep listings active by self-sharing them a few times a day (which is tedious but it bumps up the listing to the top.) So, you can probably count on the top level seller being active.

If you find something that looks like an older listing there are a few ways to see if the seller is still active. First, go to their About page:

And see when they were last active:

If it was October 2017, do not buy this thing. Another way to check is to make an offer or ask a question on the listing. If you get an answer or a response to your offer, you’ve got an active seller. Yay!

Also, read the love notes to get a sense of the seller’s style. Obviously love notes are positive reviews (you don’t get to see the negative ones) but you can find out a lot about the seller that way. If there aren’t any love notes, it may just mean the seller is new.

Look for listings with good, clear pictures of the actual item and some information about the condition. If there isn’t any, ASK. Always ask. If you’re uncertain about a seller, don’t forget to check out their “meet your posher” entry if they have one:

Go to this page and read the comments below - people sometimes like to air their grievances here, so its the best way to see if the person you’re buying from is a straight shooter or a wackadoodle. I also like to check out their stats:

Anyone with a really high average shipping time is generally not taking their closet seriously. You might get your item but it'll probably take a while.

Making an offer: 

Now! Unless the seller says the price is firm, they’re probably open to offers. Always make an offer but don’t lowball - it’s considered rude and you might get yourself blocked. You want to make an offer that gives room for a reasonable counter-offer. You can also just like the item and hope for a private discount offer with a shipping discount but if you really want the item, go ahead and make an offer.

When making an offer please remember that Poshmark takes 20% (or a flat $2.95 from items under $15) and most shipping discounts come out of the seller’s pocket. As a seller, I’m always happy to be flexible on price but I am also trying to make a profit!

Leaving a rating:

First, please look your item over as soon as possible and if you’re happy, go to the site and click accept. Otherwise the seller has to wait a full three days to get funds released. Also, leave a rating! If the item came promptly, was well-packed and is as described, please leave five stars. Reasons to not leave five stars:

- the seller didn’t ship out within a reasonable time (Posh suggests three days)
- the item was thrown in a box or envelope with no protection
- the item is dirty, damaged or otherwise not as described

These are not good reasons to leave a low rating:

- the item doesn’t fit you
- USPS took a long time to deliver
- you got a package without ribbons, a thank you note or a free gift

Poshmark doesn’t allow returns for fit so PLEASE ask for measurements if you’re not sure. If the seller won’t give you any, just buy from someone else or take your chances. If the item is damaged, stained, dirty or otherwise not as described and you want to return it, you can open a case with Poshmark.

Opening a case:

You’ll get an opportunity to state your case, the seller can respond and Poshmark will decide if a return is allowed. Posh generally seems to side with the buyer, but not always. Just be calm and polite and keep to the facts. Address your issues to Poshmark, not to the seller. Also, if you email Poshmark about an issue, do not email repeatedly because it’ll send you to the bottom of the queue. One and done and be patient - Posh is staffed by four distracted tween otters so don’t expect too much.

Poshmark can be a weird, frustrating world but it can also be a lot of fun. I have found some really wonderful things and also gotten some ridiculous bargains. Give it a try with some caution and find your holy grail items!


Coming up next week: How to sell on Poshmark!