eCommerce Selling Tips for Tradesy vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari
As an ecommerce seller, did you know you can list inventory on consignment marketplaces like Tradesy, Poshmark and Mercari? While the platforms are a bit different than what you might be used to on Amazon, for example, there is ample opportunity to make money. Not only that, they can be used to offload any inventory that has either been returned or not sold at all.
To benefit from platforms like these, you have to understand how they work and what you can actually sell. Below we breakdown the specifics of Tradesy versus Poshmark versus Mercari.
TRADESY: Best for Women’s Designer Goods
Tradesy is a resale platform for women’s designer clothing, accessories, shoes and more. They only allow sale of 100% authentic designer fashion that is in great or gently-used condition (no discoloration, damage, odor, etc.). Here’s a breakdown of what to sell, how to list, and more:
- What to Sell: Top selling items include designer bags (from brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Coach), followed by accessories, shoes and clothes. Brands that sell well include Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Gucci, Tory Burch, Prada and Christian Louboutin.
- Restricted Categories: Electronics (such as Fitbits or Apple Watches), cosmetics, intimates, men’s shoes and clothing, children’s items, free gifts-with-purchase or sample items, and packaging such as dust bags, boxes or shopping bags.
- Shipping: Once you make a sale, Tradesy provides a free shipping kit and mailing label. You must ship within 10 days of sale confirmation
- Fees: For sales less than $50, Tradesy deducts a flat $7.50 fee. For sales over $50, Tradesy deducts commission of 19.8%.
- Payment: You can withdraw your earnings using Paypal, a debit card, ACH transfer, or even use Payability, which now offers daily payouts for Tradesy sellers. After an item is sold is takes around 20 days to receive payment.
- Returns: Tradesy has a team of authentication experts to review returns and identify if something is counterfeit or has been misrepresented in your listing. If something is returned and is different than described, you are required to give back your earnings. If an item is returned but there are no concerns over its authenticity, you keep your earnings.
- More Selling Guidelines: Tradesy has a zero-tolerance fraud policy and strict seller guidelines. Check out the full policy here.
POSHMARK: Best for Women’s, Men’s & Kids’ Apparel & Accessories
Poshmark is a resale platform for women’s, men’s and kids’ fashion, accessories, and new makeup products. Poshmark lets sellers list for free and participate in virtual shopping events called “Posh Parties” to build an audience. If you have an item to sell that hasn’t been sold to the public for the first time yet (i.e. has been purchased wholesale or directly from a distributor), you can list it with a “Boutique” tag so long as you have Boutique Certification — more on this and other important Poshmark how-tos below.
- What to Sell: Pre-owned items can be listed if they are clean and in good condition. All makeup must be brand new, unswatched and in its original packaging. Handmade fashion and accessories are also welcome.
- Restricted Categories: Electronics, books, DVDs, home goods, used makeup, used underwear, perfume, any health and wellness products (like lotion, serum, skin care products, supplements, etc.) and non-fashion kids/baby items (like breast pumps, strollers, toys, disposable diapers, etc.).
- How to Get “Boutique” Certification: You need to be Boutique Certified in order to list Boutique items and reap other benefits like better searchability. The three step certification process is simple and requires you to agree to a variety of terms, including where you purchased your items, their condition, whether you have original photos or at least the right photo permissions, and more. If you don’t go through the certification process, your item will just be listed as NWT (aka “New With Tags”).
- Shipping: Once you make a sale, Poshmark provides a pre-paid and pre-addressed mailing label for packages weighing 5 pounds or less. You must ship your item within seven days of the sale (and if you sell a luxury item over $500, you may have to ship it to Poshmark first who will authenticate the item before is goes to the buyer).
- Fees: For sales under $15, Poshmark deducts a flat fee of $2.95 from the listing price. For sales over $15, Poshmarks takes a fee of 20% of the listing price.
- Payment: Payment is not released to you as the seller until the buyer confirms they’ve received the order as described. Once that happens, you can get funds from your Poshmark account via bank direct deposit or check.
- Returns: All sales are final on Poshmark, however buyers can open a case with Poshmark if they don’t receive their item or if it’s not as described.
- More Selling Guidelines: When it comes to finding buyers, off-platform conversations or transactions are prohibited. Click here for their full guidelines.
MERCARI: Best for… Anything
Mercari describes itself as the selling app for almost anything. Their product categories include women, men, toys, kids, home, vintage, beauty, electronics, sports, handmade, and more. More than 100,000 items are listed each day, so there is a lot of competition. As you start selling, you can earn Seller Badges like “quick shipper” and “reliable” to stand out. Here’s more on selling on Mercari:
- What to Sell: You can look on their homepage to see recently-sold items and to get a sense for what’s currently in demand.
- Restricted Categories: Things you don’t own, drugs, weapons, counterfeit items, anything unsafe to ship (like flammable goods), etc. Learn more about prohibited items here.
- Shipping: Mercari will send you a printable shipping label once your item sells. You are asked to ship within 3 business days.
- Fees: 10% of the listing price is deducted from each sale price. If you opt to provide free shipping to your buyers, that will be deducted as well.
- Payment: When the buyer confirms they’ve received the item and you’ve both rated the transaction, funds will be available in your Mercari account and can be transferred to your bank account via direct deposit whenever you want.
- Returns: Mercari allows returns only if the item is defective, not as described, or turns out to be counterfeit.
- More Selling Guidelines: Click here for the full list of selling guidelines.
There you have it. These three different marketplaces are different and each offers its own opportunity to online sellers.
Get Fast Funding to Grow Your Store
If you’re selling on Amazon, you can get fast funding from Payability to grow your business. You could be eligible to get between $5,000 and $250,000 based solely on your eCommerce sales history.
Payability has three fast funding programs for ecommerce businesses, brands, and online sellers:
- Instant Advance provides up to $250k in funding for eCommerce sellers ready to scale.
- Instant Access offers accelerated daily payouts for online marketplace sellers who are tired of waiting for the funds from their sales.
- Advance Line provides a flexible line of credit for business owners who want to fund business growth without compromising control over their company.