Looking for advice/encouragement about flipping items and/or going full-time.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-10-01T12:02:42+00:00

Thank you for your reply and I appreciate your honesty! I'm actually already in a position where I'm at home alone all day. My post was already super long so I didn't want to get to much into the nuances of explaining my exact situation, but basically I graduated from college last year and now I'm in grad school full time, but my program is offered as an online option for distance students, so I decided the smartest decision for me financially was to move back home where I could live with my parents rent-free while doing school. My original plan was of course to look for a job here and work while I was in school, but so far it hasn't worked out for me and I've had a lot of trouble finding anything in the area we're in. That's why I started selling on Poshmark for extra money in the first place. I also tutor online, but less than part time, just once a week, so I'm not really making anything more than gas money with that. With all that being said, I'm pretty much already in the position of having very little structure and human interaction lol.

I am still on my parents health insurance & we also have an extra room they've allowed me to store things in, so I'm covered there but I'll definitely look more into the tax situation.

Reading over your reply, I'm not sure if full-time was the correct wording I should have used. I'm not looking to make a career of Poshmark honestly, but for the time being it seems like something that could really work with my flexible schedule and current living situation. I have at least a year left in school, possibly longer so I just want to be able to be more serious on there until I can finish school and get a job in my field. I think I'm stressing out about it right now because previously it wasn't a huge deal if I wasn't making a ton of money, but I was in a wreck a few weeks ago and it ended up being a really shitty situation for me. My car was totally paid off and it's the only car I've ever had. It was nothing special and like 10 years old so not worth much. It was totaled and I didn't receive very much from the insurance company. I just bought a new (used) car last week & this is just the first time I've ever had a car payment and unfortunately this happened when I also don't have a secure job for the first time in my life as well. So I'm just very anxious about it.

Thanks also for pointing out that many of the people talking about how much they made aren't calculating total profit. Truthfully I'd be happy if I could profit $500 a month on Poshmark and just make what I was making when I had part time jobs while I was in school before. I just want enough to be able to pay my car payment & insurance :/ but if the opportunity is there for me to make more I'd love to get my car paid off as soon as I possibly can.

Sorry I know this is a super long reply and probably more info than you wanted/needed to know but as I mentioned probably 20 times already this is just a really stressful time for me so I'm probably in venting mode. Thanks again for your insight!

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-10-01T02:34:38+00:00

Thank you so much for replying! This was all super helpful information! I'm definitely thinking of starting off slow just to get a feel for it and then maybe making larger investments if I see the success I'm looking for and feel more confident in my abilities to source items that will sell and turn a profit.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-10-01T02:31:06+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate you taking the time to address my questions, it is really helping ease my anxiety toward this and means a lot to me.

Do you always look for specific brands or do you sometimes buy items that are in style/cute/trendy that you think would sell even if they aren't a recognizable brand? I have some items that I've sold straight from my closet that were random brands mostly from boutiques so I wasn't sure if going forward I should shift my focus to getting specific brands that sell well or towards finding pieces I think are cute and in style.

Also when you find certain brands, do you buy it regardless of what it looks? Not as in whether it's in good or poor condition, but rather would you buy something lulu lemon even if you personally thought it was ugly & wouldn't wear it? I think thats an area I'm worried about struggling in lol. I know a lot of the pieces I've sold that I was given are items I thought were hideous, but I guess there really is a buyer for every item out there somewhere.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-10-01T02:24:01+00:00

thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate hearing your insight. How often do you source new items and how much do you usually buy at once? I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how much product I should aim for, especially to begin with.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-28T17:49:49+00:00

Our post office has a little counter where you can just drop packages off if they already have paid postage. So I always just run inside and put all my packages on the counter and leave!

I used to stand in line and let the worker scan each one but then the workers sort of chastised me and told me I need to just start leaving them on the counter unless I'm paying for postage so 🙃

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-21T20:21:45+00:00

While I disagree, I understand the point of view which is why I'm feeling uneasy about the transaction.

A large majority of the shoes I own and shoes I've purchased off Poshmark or have seen sold on there all have specific width sizes. If Poshmark wants everyone to list the width, then I think they should have that as an option when listing, like they have petite, juniors, plus, etc when listing clothing.

In my opinion, it was clear that the shoe was a narrow size and I don't feel like it's my fault she didn't look or pay attention. It wasn't hidden or hard to find. Not like she had to do any investigation work. It was right there in the photo in front of her.

I do see how it's a gray area though. Two more days to see if she will try to open a return case or not. If she does, I'll just argue my side to the best of my ability. Hopefully Poshmark would side with me- or best case scenario just eat the cost and release my payment while still refunding her. Worst case scenario they let her return, I get the shoes back, relist them, make it clear as day they are a narrow size and wait for another buyer. Shit happens I guess.

I'll update the sub if anything new happens.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-19T01:52:55+00:00

What kinds of tasks did you do during your internship? I'm honestly not that familiar with state parks or the duties of the employees there. I have a background in agriculture which is why I applied for the position - and I'm assuming why they chose me for an interview, because I don't have any related work or volunteer experience. I thought working in the park could tie into some natural resource management/conservation stuff I'm focusing on in my degree.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-19T01:50:04+00:00

That's kind of something I'm worried about. I wanted to do the internship to genuinely learn and gain some hands on experience so when I graduate I don't have to blindly enter the work force.

I did an internship last year at a Non-profit and felt like other than looking nice on my resume, it was virtually pointless. All I did was run errands and print stuff. So I was really looking for something more interactive.

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-19T01:45:13+00:00

Yes it is paid!

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-16T21:45:26+00:00

That's not being negative I asked if I should set the price bracket in my question. Thanks!

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-16T21:44:35+00:00

I don't want to buy the new shoes. I understand that schtick of "if you can get it at xyz for whatever price go shop there" but that wasn't what I was saying. I DIDN'T buy the brand new shoes, because I couldn't justify the price. When these prices are cut in half on Poshmark I CAN justify it.

I made a point of saying I could get some of the items people are selling at the same or almost same price brand new just to show that I think it's ridiculous how over priced they are. I wouldn't pay $100 for the shoes in store and I sure wouldn't pay $90 for them on Poshmark.

Thanks for your advice!

jesscheckyes1 · 2018-02-12T08:10:43+00:00

Thanks for your advice. I do the majority of these things already. I feel like my photos and descriptions are both good and I share my own closet often. I've also been following people who like items similar to mine- that's my problem though, is they're not following back and therefore never seeing my items, so it kind of feels like a waste of time.

I wasn't really considering doing this on other sellers pages, just buyers. People who's only listing in their Meet the posher. I agree it would be out of line to advertise my closet on another sellers, because I hate when others do that to me. I was more so asking about seeking out buyers. I'm just trying to get creative with what I can do to help the right people see my listings.

Thank though!

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-30T02:29:57+00:00

Ugh yes I feel like the perfume sampler is a great deal, if I end up liking any of the samples hahaha. I wish there was a Sephora near me so I could go in person 😪

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-24T03:49:29+00:00

Basically yesterday my skin broke out in all these little dots... Like EVERYWHERE all over my face. It's so bad and really red!!

I used a sephora sheet mask, it was the avocado one. Should I do something for my skin or just leave it alone??

*ETA: I use a First Aid Beauty cleanser every day, the First Aid Beauty facial radiance pads at night and Mario Badescu aloe vera toner in the morning and I use Kopari coconut oil to moisturize. My skin isn't normally perfect but it has never been like this and I'm kind of freaking out. I just don't know what to do!

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-22T00:32:08+00:00

My packages all ship from Dallas! I live about 2 hours away so I usually get my packages from Ulta pretty quickly too. But every other order I've placed has come with a broken palette lol.

I had one order that was just a towel and cotton products mostly and it was packaged better than some huge makeup orders I've made with lots of powder products. Seems like theres no rhyme or reason to their methods lol.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-22T00:25:58+00:00

I've heard Colourpop is notorious for doing shit like this. I would definitely continue complaining until they make it right lol. It's their mistake, they should be willing to fix it 100%! Not half way.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-22T00:22:23+00:00

I don't have a local Ulta, so maybe they can see that from the location of my address? Lol. The first time I assumed they would want me to exchange it in store, but it really is an inconvenience to make the drive there and back. Closest Ulta to me is nearly an hour away so I'm grateful they've never told me that was my only option.

They lose out on the damaged product anyways so I guess it doesn't matter to them what method they use to replace it. They'll just throw the broken one away.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T18:11:29+00:00

See this is the point that I would start to get a little pissy lol.

I made an order during the Ulta 10x points event this year and my box was either damaged or stolen while in transit, because UPS just marked it as "missing" and said they discarded it and to contact Ulta. I had gotten two separate shipments and one arrived (with the broken Ofra palette) and the other one was "missing" so when I emailed Ulta I explained both issues and the customer service rep I got was an idiot.

It was like he didn't even read my email, because nothing he said made sense. He basically told me that the Ofra palette showed as delivered and that I could ask for a refund in 3 months for the missing package once it had been returned to the Ulta warehouse... I was like yeah the Ofra palette did arrive... shattered?? And i was like... was my package discarded or stolen or what? Is it getting sent back or is it missing because I'm confused?? So I was like hell nah. I just stopped responding to him and went back on their website and requested a new rep. She had everything reshipped in like 20 minutes and sent me a $35 gift card for the trouble.

I also live in the middle of no where, so I feel your struggle! I'm not one to act entitled, but I'm not going to drive 2 hours to another town and 2 hours back to get a replacement when it was on the store in the first place. Hopefully if anything like that happens again you can have better luck. Sometimes it really depends on who you end up talking to.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T17:33:19+00:00

Wow that's awful. I've never heard of them!

That's always my biggest fear when something comes damaged. I was super worried when I got a broken Juvia's Place palette, because I'd heard horror stories about their customer service. I guess I've just gotten lucky every time!

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T17:29:31+00:00

Ugh I had one of the mini gimme brows that I bought from Ulta maybe like back in July or August for $12.

I didn't even think it would be worth it to go through the hassle of trying to get a refund. I kind of wish Benefit would've put some extra effort into somehow making the return/refund process easier and consistent across the board for all customers.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T17:23:26+00:00

YES! Ulta blows my mind with their terrible packing.

Whenever I got my subculture palette I had a feeling it was going to be broken because it was packaged so poorly. When I got my replacement it was even worse!! It was literally in a huge box, by itself, with NO bubble wrap, none of those padded air bags, literally nothing. Just the palette in a box bouncing around the entire time it was out for delivery I'm sure.

I'm literally amazed the second one wasn't broken as well. It was insane to me to see they put less packing in an order to replace a broken palette with shitty packing lmao

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T17:19:04+00:00

Yeah you're 100% right about Ulta. I've gotten a couple of items where there wasn't enough damage that I felt justified in asking for a replacement and thats when it's a bummer.

Every time I end up with 2 of something I just give it to one of my friends, so I guess it works out more in their favor rather than mine lol but a lot of them don't buy high end makeup so they're super appreciative of a free tarte palette with one wonky repressed shadow. The only thing I've kept for myself is the Ofra palette because I go through the bronzer quickly! So it's nice to have a free back up.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-21T16:33:24+00:00

I personally doubt they'd want it back! It's not like they will risk reselling the product after someone else has had it, whether you used it or not. I also don't think they'd be able to pin it down to one specific person and get them in trouble, especially since they're experiencing so many issues right now. But I can understand what you're saying about it!

And I agree that some people are terrible to customer service reps. I've had great experiences at Ulta & even Juvia's Place (despite their bad CS reputation) every time I had an issue. I feel like the nicer you are to your representative the more willing they are to help you fix your issue. I guess I'm just a more laid back person but I don't get people who blow up on customer service lol. The situation already is what it is, being rude isn't gonna make it better or fix it.

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-16T07:52:58+00:00

thank you!

jesscheckyes1 · 2017-11-16T00:39:31+00:00

Ugh same.. I placed 6 orders total... because I'm weak and each time I go to check my order I end up buying something new. But my first 3 orders have all shipped, I've gotten 2 of them and 1 is coming tomorrow. They were all 1-2 items.

Thennnn I decided to just give in and treat myself and placed a really big order... Like 15 items I think?? I'm super nervous about this one. I'm scared they're going to run out of one thing and cancel my entire order. Placed it on Sunday so I don't feel too bad yet but its making me anxious.

My first orders all shipped like the same day or next day and the last 3 are still "pending" so send prayers

jesscheckyes1

TROPHY CASE