Poshmark vs. ThredUp: What’s The Difference?
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Getting rid of old clothes is difficult.
You have to throw away something that you paid money for.
Whenever you do the spring cleaning, you probably think, “I’ll wear that,” never to wear it again.
This hoarding mentality isn’t doing you or your home any favors.
With that said, throwing the clothes away is ecologically irresponsible for obvious reasons.
You can always go with Goodwill, but all the clothing that they can’t use gets thrown away in any case.
Fortunately, online services that make cleaning out your closet worth your while are here to help.
Here’s a Poshmark vs ThredUP comparison to help you choose.
How Do They Work?
Poshmark
Poshmark is an app that allows you to upload your old clothes’ photos, quote the original price, set the selling price, and add the necessary details.
Poshmark works based on social media – it recommends the users that you should follow based on your Facebook friends list.
When your item is sold, Poshmark emails you with a prepared shipping label to print.
Then, you send the package through the post office.
ThredUP
ThredUP is a completely different beast.
First and foremost, it isn’t app-based.
ThredUP’s central hub is its website that works like any other eCommerce website.
However, you don’t have to do anything but send them the items.
Apply for one of the two clean-out options, and the ThredUP will send you all the necessary instructions.
ThredUP will take care of everything from the product details to adding photos.
When you’ve sent out the items, ThredUP will notify you when they’re sold.
You get a percentage of the price.
ThredUP may choose not to accept certain items, in which case it can either recycle them responsibly or have them ship it back to you for around $10.
ThredUP has another neat option to brag about.
It offers you a clean-out where your clothes get recycled while a charity of your choice receives $5 for each bag that you supplied.
That’s much better than sending them actual clothes, as this requires more logistics.
Commission
Poshmark
You do the majority of the legwork regarding posting all the required info about your item.
That’s why Poshmark takes only a fraction of the selling price that you quoted.
For items sold under $20, they take a fixed cut of $2.95.
For items over $15, they take 20%.
An important thing note here is that this cut does cover the shipping costs, which makes it a fairly low commission.
The moment the buyer receives your item and confirms that it is what they wanted, you’ll be able to cash out.
ThredUP
ThredUP is somewhat more complicated in this department.
You can either opt for upfront payment, in which case you receive a fairly fixed price for your items or for consignment payout, where you receive a percentage of the full price.
The payouts, in this case, go from 5% to 80%.
Here's my full guide on ThredUp...
For items sold that cost $200 or more, you get 80%, which is a decent sum.
For items with lower price tags, the commissions are less forgiving.
However, when you consider the fact that ThredUP deals with everything from housing the product to providing the pictures for it, it’s not such a bad deal.
Especially not for something that you wanted to get rid of anyway.
When it comes to payout timing in the Poshmark vs. ThredUP match, ThredUP is a bit more complicated.
It depends on whether you want your payment upfront or as a consignment.
If you go with an upfront payment, you’ll be able to cash out in 2 weeks.
With consignment, it all depends on when the item sells.
Selling Items
Poshmark
The selling process is where Poshmark doesn’t shine.
First of all, you are the one who needs to add your items to the app and deal with pricing, descriptions, and photos.
Although listing the item doesn’t take more than 10 minutes, this adds up when selling in bulk.
Additionally, even if you do post an item, you never how long it may take for it to sell.
To make sure that you sell an item quickly, you need to round up a following, and this is a whole different story.
ThredUP
With ThredUP, the process of selling a listed item is fairly simple.
You don’t even play too much of a role in it.
All that you have to do is send the items, and ThredUP will post the sent items on the website.
The obvious benefit here is that the photos will look professional, the descriptions more informative, and the entire ad more authoritative.
The commissions vary, though, especially when you take the upfront and consignment options into account.
Eco-Friendliness
Poshmark
The ecological consciousness of the Poshmark app is visible in the fact that it provides you with an additional way to sell your things.
Some of the items that you sell via Poshmark may have ended up in your garbage can and, consequently, in a landfill.
In this way, you get to give your old clothing items a new life and a new home.
ThredUP
While ThredUP does everything that Poshmark does, regarding ecological consciousness, it raises the stakes by offering responsible recycling.
That means that, instead of having to visit a recycling facility, you can send your clothes to ThredUP, have some of them recycled, and earn money on others.
Additionally, ThredUP gives you the option to recycle your clothes while sending the proceeds to a charity of your choice.
Even if you sent the clothes to a charity yourself, a lot would have ended up in a landfill.
Which One to Use and When
In truth, both Poshmark and ThredUP are convenient services in their separate respects.
Poshmark
Poshmark is the better option when you don’t have more than five items to sell.
Listing these items may take you up to an hour (probably less), so you probably won’t have time to list too many items.
It is a great service if you don’t mind having the items sit with you until they are sold.
Poshmark is ideal for accessories, shoes, women’s clothing, and mid-tier fashion retailers.
Shoes do extremely well on this app.
Keep in mind, however, that you need to make sure that the photos are of high quality, offering decent backgrounds and boasting a solid quality.
Make sure to take at least one photo while you or someone is wearing the item.
Also, make sure that you use descriptive terms in the comment section.
ThredUP
ThredUP works its magic in bulk.
It is fairly obvious, considering the two clean-out options.
If you don’t care how much money you’ll make and just want to get rid of your stuff, ThredUP is the way to go.
It is also great for donations, as it will make sure that your clothes end up recycled while donating actual money to a charity of your choice.
If you don’t want to bother with selling your old clothes, you can request a clean-out kit from ThredUP, send off the items, and that’s it.
As mentioned, ThredUP comes up with everything from the price to the description and photos.
It is also great that they accept children’s clothing, in addition to women’s.
If you want to sell some items from lesser-known brands, ThredUP is likely the way to go.
It also focuses on clothing rather than accessories and shoes.
Poshmark vs. ThredUP: Which One Is Better?
The Poshmark vs. ThredUP square off is a tie.
In essence, both services are great in their respective categories.
If you’re looking to sell clothes in bulk and primarily want to get rid of the clutter, ThredUP is probably a more viable solution.
If you want to get a chance to cash in on an item that you no longer use, Poshmark might be more up your alley.
Either way, you can use the two services in combination, depending on your particular needs at the moment.
Many have found them to work together brilliantly, even though they are essentially competitors.
Now It's Your Turn
Now I’d like to hear from you:
Have you used either Poshmark or thredUP?
Do you think you will use either service in the future?
Or maybe share this comparison with a friend...
Either way, leave me a quick comment below to let me know.