This summer, while some students my age worked tireless hours at children’s camps, and others made minimum wage sweeping litter at pet stores, I sat behind my iPhone 5s and sold clothes that I didn’t need anymore to people from the ranges of Texas to California to Virginia.
The new and upcoming concept of reselling old clothes on apps such as Poshmark (which I used), Depop, and Vinted can be quite controversial. Some say the morally right option is to donate old clothes and items to charity. They might say it’s selfish to profit from getting rid of articles that you no longer want or need. I see where these people are coming from, but to many broke college students or kids like me in high school, apps like Poshmark are an easy and fast way to make money while cleaning out your closet.
One June afternoon, I opened my newly downloaded Poshmark app and set up a profile. With a few taps, I had uploaded my first handful of items to my “closet,” as they call it on the app. Within minutes I was getting “Welcome to Poshmark!” messages and follow notifications. I had promised myself that I would just sell, and not buy, but somehow I found myself searching up my favorite brands and scrolling through items. I began following these strangers back and quickly became engrossed in the fun of the app.
Less than a week after I had opened my account, I made my first sale! It was very exciting: a denim overall dress that was way too small on me sold to someone in Florida for 10 dollars.
Something to note about these apps is that they take some percentage of the buyer’s earnings. While poshmark takes 20 percent, they email you a totally free shipping label that you simply tape or glue onto your package, and just like that you can drop it off at the post office or leave it on your porch for the mailman to take.
I have now had my Poshmark account for a little over two months, and have listed a total of 41 items including clothes, shoes, cosmetic cases, sunglasses, and room decor. I have sold 11 of those listings and have made a total of 83 dollars. Woohoo! And it was as easy as taking a few pictures in good lighting, tapping upload, and mailing out some packages.
If you are interested in selling your clothes online, you should definitely try it out. It takes very little time for those lazy folks like myself, and is even a fun way to interact with a diverse group of people from all around the world. Be warned however, these apps can become addicting! I found myself scavenging through my closet on many occasions, looking for something else to sell and get rid of, even though I had searched it times and times before.
Overall, do I wish I had gotten a real job this summer and made more money? Yes. But did it hurt to sell some stuff online and get at least a bit of money? Of course not! Selling clothes online is a great tool for youth to become independent and start making cash for themselves.
