
Do you love the thrill of shopping, browsing through shelves, and finding hidden treasures?
Who doesn’t?
By running a simple clothes reselling business, you can combine your intrigue for shopping with work and do what you love while making a boatload of $$$.
Now, if you’re scratching your head and saying to yourself: “AHHH that sounds complicated”
Don’t worry, we know it sounds like that but it’s actually quite simple.
An apparel reselling business is an ideal opportunity for people who love fashion, thrift stores, or vintage clothing. You can gather these clothes which can then be sold on different online marketplaces such as Poshmark, Mercari or Depop.
Because of the increase in demand for second hand clothing, vintage shops, and similar outlets, the prospects for running a reselling gig have never been more favorable!
Now that we’ve set the scene, let’s have a look at two of the most popular marketplaces out there: Poshmark and Mercari!
Both are peer-to-peer fashion marketplaces where users can sell new and used clothing, shoes, accessories, and other similar products. Together with eBay, they dominate the market for selling second hand clothing.
However, both platforms come with distinct differences in terms of audience, usability and fees. Read on to find out which platform is right for you!
Some background information…
Poshmark
Poshmark, doesn’t tread far from its name and focuses on “posh” fashion and jewelry items. The marketplace was founded in 2011 to replace eBay in the high-end clothing (think GUCCI, Louis Vuitton) department at reasonable prices.
Feeling buyers remorse after getting an expensive handbag or not liking the design of the dress your friend gifted you and now you’re too embarrassed to ask for the receipt to return it?
List the items quietly on Poshmark and get the best prices possible for them!
Emitting that air of exclusivity and elegance, this fine platform kinda reminds us of the finer things club from the office.
While high-end items do dominate the marketplace, mid-range brands also do well on Poshmark.
Poshmark also has a unique social media aspect to it. Unlike Mercari, which is a simple marketplace like eBay, Poshmark incorporates social dynamics for business.
Confused?
Imagine Instagram and eBay fell in love and had a child; yep, that’s Poshmark in a nutshell for you. You can comment, like, and even share different listings and support each other.
Wait, that’s not all. Poshmark even allows sellers to host live virtual parties to increase product exposure and sales. They regularly bring new features to the marketplace to help their sellers sell more.
You can read up more awesome tips to make a killer income on Poshmark here.
So basically, Poshmark found its place at the top due to its ease of use, social features, and convenient services.
The platform caters to savvy fashionistas to find great pricing and customers.
In addition to that, they also IPO’ed in 2021, making it the first social marketplace to go public.
Mercari
Mercari, on the other hand, can be compared more to a flea market that has anything and everything available for sale. Founded in 2013 in Japan, they quickly expanded to the United States just a year later.
Now, they are one of the most succesful Japanese startups to enter the global market. Pretty much any item can be sold on Mercari as long as it can be shipped and is not on their prohibited item list.
Mercari boasts a vast user base of 20 million+ monthly users on the platform and also caters to an international audience in over a whopping 100 countries, so you can be certain your business will never suffer from a lack of reach.

How does Poshmark differ from Mercari?
Both these marketplaces are phenomenal for your reselling business. Still, there are a few differences between the two you should know before jumping in. Let’s have a look at how both marketplaces fare against each other.
1. Community
Poshmark has really built a strong community around its marketplace, using Poshmark Ambassadors to spread their message. The focus is really about a journey of selling together rather than just merely flipping stuff.
Mercari on the other hand is more of a bland marketplace like eBay where people get together and sell, but do not really interact with each other. You’ll find it easier to sell an iPhone on Mercari than some niche dress you found in a thrift store, as the community isn’t that fashion inspired like on Poshmark.
Our verdict
Poshmark is the clear winner here with its thriving community of resellers that are very well connected to each other. Their virtual parties and the ability to add in Instagram reels are phenomenal for all fashionistas out there regardless of whether they’re selling or buying on the platform.
2. Prohibited items
Buyers love online marketplaces because they offer various products and low prices. As incredible as these marketplaces are for your side biz, you can’t just sell anything.
Poshmark and Mercari need to maintain a certain standard of quality to attract and retain customers. They do this by setting guidelines for sellers on their platforms. While it might seem arbitrary, there are logical reasons why certain products are not permitted.
After all, you wouldn’t want just anyone selling anything without any restrictions.
Let’s take a look at the guidelines each marketplace has in place!
Poshmark
It’s safe to assume that whatever Mercari has banned isn’t allowed on Poshmark either. Still, they have some additional product rules since they’re more niche and exclusive than Mercari. Let’s jump through the rules quickly. The following items and activities are strictly prohibited on Poshmark:
- Pre-owned items can be listed, but they must be in good condition if you want to sell them.
- All liquid products must be in sealed packaging and clearly and accurately represented.
- All illegal items, including replicas and fakes of originals including products derived from threatened animal species. Listing such things can lead to you getting permanently suspended on the platform.
- Violating trademark laws or implying a product is made after or inspired by a brand.
- Taking parts of branded items and using them to make a new product, e.g., taking a button from a brand clothing and turning it into jewelry, is prohibited.
- All items that can’t be shipped according to USPS regulations. You can check out USPS regulations here.
- Dealing with the following specific items is not allowed either:
- Furniture.
- Appliances.
- Used makeup/personal care products.
- Used underwear.
- Used health and wellness products like breast pumps, protein powder, diet supplements and, body wrap.
- Current airline and airport uniforms.
Mercari
As a good rule of thumb, avoid trying to place anything shady or illegal on the internet, let alone on a marketplace with your contact and location on it.
With that out of the way, the following activities and items are banned on Mercari:
- Selling drugs or associated components, including prescription or homemade medicines.
- Selling an item that has been reported as “Stolen,” which can result in confiscation of the item.
- Any firearm regardless of its legality in your local area.
- The platform has a firm policy against selling counterfeit goods and requires serial numbers or receipts when selling brand-name products.
- Any military-grade products, including explosives.
- Alcoholic products.
- All tobacco products are banned from the platform. This includes vapes, cigarettes, e-hookahs, and any product associated with nicotine usage.
- Any sort of account credentials or login information that can contribute to identity theft.
- Intangible products, i.e., products that can’t be shipped, are not allowed on the platform. These include ebooks, software, games, etc.
- Items you don’t own when you list them. This includes dropshipping products or selling coupons.
- All items prohibited by mailing companies are not allowed on the platform. However, you can send flammable products using the “ship on your own” option.
- Any products that infringe copyrights or are designed to circumvent them including chips that allow unlicensed software to be used in computers.
- Regulated financial products like crypto, bonds, currency exchange, etc., cannot be traded.
- Live animals, including taxidermy, are prohibited; however, animal parts from non-protected species are allowed.
- Pornographic or sexually explicit products.
- Offensive listings that promote hatred or violence.

Our verdict
Mercari beats out Poshmark in this area as it has fewer restrictions on the type of products you can sell there marketplace. Admittedly, this does lower the feel of exclusivity and branding around Mercari. In particular, Mercari is really good if you’re not selling fashion items in the first place.
3. Fees
While there is serious money to be made selling online, as the old saying goes, nothing good in life comes easy…or free! The same can be said for selling on Poshmark or Mercari.
In order to keep their platforms running and employ a team of customer service experts, these marketplaces must charge fees.
Before you start selling, it is important to have a thorough understanding of each marketplace’s fee structure so you’re not taken by surprise when fees are deducted from your account.
While we believe the fees and commissions charged are fair considering the service and platform being made available to you, they can add up quickly, particularly for new sellers.
Poshmark seller fees
Poshmark’s fees for sellers are pretty straightforward. To list your item is completely free, the commission comes into play when your item sells. On items under $15, a small fee of $2.95 is deducted.
For the sale of items over $15, there is a 20% commission fee automatically deducted by Poshmark. If you look at it logically, it doesn’t really make sense to sell an item that costs less than $5 because you’ll be left with very little profit after all is said and done.
Take a look at the below table for a visual representation of how the supposedly nominal $2.95 can really hurt smaller sellers.

Shipping is pretty simple too with a flat rate of $7.67 being charge to buyers for all orders under 5lbs.
However, we think it’s pretty worthwhile the fees because you get:
- A free pre-paid shipping label.
- Credit card transactions are processed for free.
- Automatic calculation and collection of sales tax.
- A huge, active marketplace of motivated buyers to sell to.
Mercari seller fees
Mercari charges a 10% selling fee on all sales regardless of the product price, along with a 2.9%+ $0.50 for transaction costs and payment processing.

Mercari has fixed shipping rates with different shipping agencies. They also have a weight limit of shippable products at 150lbs, products above the weight limit won’t be shipped by Mercari, and you’ll have to dispatch them on your own.
Here’s a chart from theMercari websitegiving a reasonable estimate of shipping rates:

Our verdict
Mercari once again comes out on top as their commission rates are VERY competitive and favorable for small businesses.
However, this doesn’t mean that Poshmark is ripping anyone off as they also offer good rates but Mercari edges them out here.
If you want to compare your profit and margin between Poshmark and Mercari, then you can use the free seller fee calculators below:
- Poshmark fee calculator
- Mercari fee calculator
4. Payment methods
Let’s be honest, everyone hates payment delays and processing issues. Your buyers’ products get delayed and you end up spending precious time dealing with these problems
So Poshmark and Mercari have included top-notch integrations on their sites with popular payment processors for accessible business and smooth transactions.
Paying on Poshmark
Poshmark also allows all major credit cards. These cards include MasterCard, Visa, Discover, JCB, and American Express. You can also use Venmo, Paypal, Affirm, Google Pay, or Apple Pay to pay for products on Poshmark.
Paying on Mercari
Mercari accepts major credit cards like VISA, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
You can also use PayPal, zip, or apple pay to pay for products on Mercari.
Our verdict
This is a really close one as both the platforms have awesome integrations and payment processes available. Both platforms are excellent here and we’re at a stalemate, so we’ll have to call in this one as a draw.
The final verdict
Overall we have to call this bout a draw.
Both platforms are absolutely phenomenal at what they do and are toe to toe in market competition.
Mercari nails it in the variety and quantity department while Poshmark makes a killing in the branded-clothing branch.
Both platforms are amazing resources and can be extremely beneficial for your business and the best strategy is to simultaneously work on both platforms side by side so you can get the best of both worlds!
Now that we’re clear about how each platform runs, there are a few brilliant strategies and methods that you can use to maximize your hustle and make some good dough for your bank accounts.
Why not.. list on both?
So now that you’ve read the pros and cons of Poshmark and Mercari, you’re probably wondering which one to go for. What if we told you that you could easily list on both with the same amount of effort?
Enter Crosslist, the best cross listing app of 2023. Instead of listing your inventory on one marketplace, use a tool like Crosslist to easily list on multiple platforms while still only completing one listing form!
Cross listing is a strategy employed by tons of resellers online looking to gain more exposure to their products and attract more buyers by differentiating across platforms.
It’s an effective way to increase brand awareness and drive sales by reaching new audiences with different preferences.
Cross listing is a must for any serious eCommerce business. By cross listing, you can skip filling endless listing forms, managing different inventories, and uploading data repeatedly. Instead, you can use your time to focus on the things that matter more.
Cross listing consistently gives businesses thousands of potential new customers and tons in revenue.
Why Crosslist?
At Crosslist, we provide highly optimized software that you can use to maximize profits and take your business to the next level.
So whether you’re confused and taking off fresh for the first time or you already have inventory on one or both of these platforms and don’t want to go through the trouble of spending endless hours managing individual platforms and inventory, this software is for you.
1. Design
Gone are the days of ugly design and cluttery UI. Our software allows you to use unique listing features customized for your requirements.
For example, suppose you want to sell on Depop and Mercari. Our system will generate custom forms for you that combine elements only from those two marketplaces and keep out all information that could be exclusively needed by other platforms like Poshmark or eBay.
Quit worrying about carrying your heavy baggage and laptop everywhere. Crosslist also provides a simple, mobile-friendly app that you can conveniently use to create listings on the go. Do note that you will need a computer to import and post listings.

2. Multiple ways of cross listing
At Crosslist, we allow our users to cross list the way they want. Want to quickly move inventory directly from one marketplace to another? Just go straight to your listing inventory on your source website, select your listings, and cross list them with one click to other marketplaces.
But what I want to make some changes beforehand, such as adding some images or changing the description? In that case, use our bulk import tool to import the products into Crosslist, after which you can make your modifications in Crosslist’s listing form. When you’re done, simply post your listing on your desired marketplaces!
Pro tip: Have a look at this in-depth article that goes over the act of cross listing from Poshmark to Mercair and vice versa!
3. Built-in image editor
Crosslist’s in-app image editor is the market leader for top-notch in-app image editing. Using our editor, you can:
- Rotate
- Crop
- Zoom
- Use filters
- Add annotations and stickers, e.g. hide your face when you’re posing in your dress!
- Fine-tune by playing with the brightness, contrast, saturation, exposure, temperature, gamma, clarity, and vignette.

Our new-gen tech, lets you sit back and relax because your business is in expert hands.
4. Pricing
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Crosslist is its fantastic price plans for small businesses.
For starters, you will never have to worry about running out of marketplaces to list because even our cheapest package allows users to list all 9 available marketplaces.
In addition to that, with the Gold plan, which comes at just $34.99, you can already create and cross list an unlimited amount of products between marketplaces; which is a lot cheaper than the closest competitors.
Providing unparalleled services at low prices, Crosslist doesn’t disappoint its name and delivers for its users.
Questions or just say hello!
Well, congratulations to you for making it this far! Here’s a reward in the form of a 10% discount code on your first month ofCrosslist (add during check-out). Sign up now with a 3-day money-back guarantee!
If you have further questions, feedback, bug reports, or want to know a bit more about us, why not swing by for a chat and say G’day! You can view ourwebsiteor have a chat with us throughMessenger.
FAQs
Do people use Poshmark anymore? ›
Yes, Poshmark is a legitimate and safe site to buy and shop for goods. Poshmark has been around since 2011 and has systems in place such as Posh Protect and Posh Authenticate to protect buyers and sellers.
What is better then Poshmark? ›Poshmark's top competitors include Vestiaire Collective, GoTrendier, and Flyp. Vestiaire Collective owns and operates an online platform that allows users to buy and sell pre-owned luxury fashion products.
What's the best site to sell clothes on? ›- Depop. Best for – Pretty much everything, but vintage and quirky items sell best. ...
- Vinted. Best for – Everything, but upmarket high street brands (think Zara, Mango and even H&M) tend to do best. ...
- eBay. ...
- ASOS Marketplace. ...
- Preloved. ...
- Facebook Marketplace. ...
- Etsy. ...
- Rebelle.
2. Apparel. Men's, Women's, and children's clothing and accessories are top-sellers on Mercari, although you can expect to yield a slightly lower profit for them in comparison with other fashion-specific marketplaces. With low selling fees, you might not mind that at all!
Is Poshmark better than Mercari? ›Our verdict. Mercari once again comes out on top as their commission rates are VERY competitive and favorable for small businesses. However, this doesn't mean that Poshmark is ripping anyone off as they also offer good rates but Mercari edges them out here.
Is Poshmark on the decline? ›Unfortunately, shareholders of Poshmark, Inc. (NASDAQ:POSH) have suffered share price declines over the last year. To wit the share price is down 60% in that time. Because Poshmark hasn't been listed for many years, the market is still learning about how the business performs.
What online clothing store makes the most money? ›- Michael Kors. Michael Kors took the number one positon in this report for the second year in a row. ...
- lululemon. ...
- Nike. ...
- Kate Spade. ...
- Coach. ...
- The Buckle. ...
- L Brands. ...
- VF.
- Poshmark.
- ThredUp.
- Tradesy.
- The RealReal.
- LePrix.
- Depop.
- Swap.com.
- Flyp.
- Tradesy. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- Mercari. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- thredUP. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- Poshmark. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- The RealReal. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- eBay. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- Vinted. Available on: Android & iOS. ...
- Depop.
Copy Listing is a brand new feature we added to SELLER | INSIGHT. It allows you to quickly copy parts of the listing's detail, so you can paste it elsewhere. This is a great way to quickly re-list items on Poshmark or manually cross-list them to other platforms, such as eBay or Mercari.
What I Cannot sell on Mercari? ›
Listings of non-brand, non-genuine, imitation, fake, or replica. Items in violation of a copyright, including handmade, or other items with copyrighted characters, brand logos, etc. Note: For brand-name products, serial numbers or receipts must be available when listing the item.
Is it hard to sell things on Mercari? ›The app caters to both buyers and sellers and has made the process very simple for both parties. All of the payments are protected by Mercari, so you don't have to worry about losing any money. Mercari also vouches that any seller will get paid.
Who is Poshmark's biggest competitor? ›Poshmark's competitors and similar companies include Etsy, thredUP, Mercari and Wish. Poshmark (formerly known as GoshPosh) is a company that provides a social online marketplace for new and secondhand fashion, home goods, and electronics for women, men, kids, and pets.
Who sells the most on Poshmark? ›Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and GUCCI were all in the top five top-selling brands of 2022. Vintage is also a top-selling brand on Poshmark (and all across reselling marketplaces).
Which is easier Poshmark or Mercari? ›Shipping through Poshmark is easier than using Mercari. Since you're only shipping clothing and fashion accessories through Poshmark, I've found it's also easier to pack those listings. Some of the things you can sell on Mercari are bulky and have more expensive shipping fees.
What percentage does Mercari take vs Poshmark? ›Cheaper selling fees: On Mercari takes 10% for the seller fee, as well as 2.9%+. 30 processing fee versus Poshmark's 20% fee. You can set selling goals: This isn't a huge one, but I like that you can set personal selling goals for yourself and it will track your progress for you!
Is Poshmark worth the trouble? ›The only instances where I would say Poshmark is not worth the time investment is if your clothes have a lot of major flaws or you're only selling fast-fashion brands like Shein, Forever 21, Boohoo, etc. (because they're cheap and don't retail for very much brand new).
Why is nothing selling on Poshmark? ›One of the biggest reason for slow sales is that items are priced too high. How do you know if your prices are too high? Check other listings of the same item, particularly sold listings. You'll see that sold listings are often sold for much less than available listings because prices are inflated at the start.
What is happening to Poshmark? ›Naver Corp., Korea's largest internet company, announced on Thursday the completion of its previously-announced acquisition of Poshmark, Inc., whose common stock ceased trading and has been delisted from the Nasdaq.
Why is Poshmark dropping? ›Why Poshmark Stock Dropped. Although the company is continuing to grow revenues from its 80 million user base, it's still operating at a loss. Poshmark had to spend heavily on marketing and R&D to offset losses stemming from the change in Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS data mining rules.
What is the number one online clothing store? ›
# | Name | Main category / share |
---|---|---|
1 (2) | jd.com Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. | Electronics & Media 29.0% |
2 (13) | shein.com Roadget Business Pte., Ltd. | Fashion 78.0% |
3 (10) | vip.com Guangzhou VIP Information Technology Co., Ltd. | Fashion 46.0% |
4 (11) | coupang.com Coupang Co., Ltd. | Fashion 43.0% |
- ThredUp.
- Depop.
- Poshmark.
- eBay.
- Tradesy.
- Refashioner.
- The RealReal.
- Facebook Marketplace.
...
Monthly active users (MAU) of Mercari, Inc. from fiscal year 2017 to 2022 (in millions)
A new app, Twig, lets you sell your old clothes and other items, and gives you the cash instantly. Apps like Depop and Vinted have shot up in usage in recent years as people try to find sustainable ways to get rid of old clothes and other items like electronics.
Is Depop better than Poshmark? ›They differ slightly in seller and buyer experience, as well as in the type of products and buyers they generally attract. Depop tends to cater to younger buyers looking for unique and vintage pieces, while Poshmark is better known as a platform for reselling higher-end goods.
Why is Poshmark not selling? ›One of the biggest reason for slow sales is that items are priced too high. How do you know if your prices are too high? Check other listings of the same item, particularly sold listings. You'll see that sold listings are often sold for much less than available listings because prices are inflated at the start.
What has happened to Poshmark? ›Naver Corp., Korea's largest internet company, announced on Thursday the completion of its previously-announced acquisition of Poshmark, Inc., whose common stock ceased trading and has been delisted from the Nasdaq.
What is the 30 minute rule on Poshmark? ›The 30 Minute Method was developed so that the average Posher could complete the entire task in 30 minutes of work. If you have hundreds or thousands of items in your closet, sharing your entire inventory multiple times daily can be incredibly daunting.
How sketchy is Poshmark? ›So, is Poshmark safe? Overall, yes. Poshmark company and e-commerce website is a legitimate business where buyers and sellers can share used clothes online. Real products are sold on the site, and sellers can be paid by direct deposit, but there can also be some risk.
What items are banned on Poshmark? ›Items must be new, alcohol-free and aerosol-free. Prohibits the sale of illegal items, including but not limited to replicas or fakes, and products derived from threatened or extinct species. Used underwear, bodysuits, etc. Cell phones, DVDs, furniture, appliances.
What should you not do on Poshmark? ›
Please don't buy or sell any goods or services through Poshmark other than fashion, accessories, new personal care products, select home goods, select pets' items, and select electronics. These listings clutter the marketplace and make shopping more difficult and less enjoyable for others.
Is Poshmark a Chinese company? ›In October 2022, South Korean internet conglomerate Naver Corporation agreed to buy Poshmark for a total enterprise value of US$1.2 billion. The acquisition finalized in January 2023.
Has Poshmark been sued? ›Ch. A Poshmark Inc. investor sued the online clothing marketplace over concerns that the company's board had conflicts when negotiating a merger with South Korean search engine Naver Corp.
What happens if you sell over $600 on Poshmark? ›As part of changes to U.S. law, beginning in January 2023, Poshmark is required to provide any seller with $600 or more in gross sales on our platform during the 2023 calendar year with a Form 1099-K.
How many followers do you need on Poshmark to make money? ›The most important thing is that you become a Poshmark ambassador so you show up higher in search results and other feeds on Poshmark. But, after reviewing many closets, it's safe to say that having over 30,000 followers on Poshmark will start to give you some traction.
How many times a day should you post on Poshmark? ›Try to share to at least one party per day. Multiple if you can. Items will only show up once in a party, so once you've shared all of your items you can move on to other things! But don't just share your items.
Does Poshmark send 1099 to IRS? ›How to access and receive my 1099k. The tax Form 1099-K for 2022 is now available to be downloaded for sellers who meet the updated IRS threshold requirements. We will also share a copy with the IRS and your state's tax authority, if applicable.
Does Poshmark sell stolen items? ›Stolen merchandise cannot be listed or sold on Poshmark as it violates both state, federal, international law, and our own prohibited items policy. If you have good reason to suspect that someone is selling stolen merchandise on Poshmark: Please contact your local law enforcement to report the suspected crime.
What sells more on Poshmark? ›...
The 5 Fastest Selling Items On Poshmark (Money Making Brands)
- Nike Athletic Shoes. ...
- Trendy Workout Gear. ...
- High Tech Outdoor Gear. ...
- 90's Clothing. ...
- Items Made Of Expensive Fabrics.