Why is Poshmark Shipping So Expensive? (& How to Save)
You find something you like on Poshmark and go to check out only to see your total ring up for $10 more due to sales tax and shipping. Yikes! You do a double-take and ask yourself if you really want it and how you can get cheaper shipping. In this post, I’ll cover why Poshmark shipping is so expensive and how you can save on shipping costs.
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** If you don’t have a Poshmark account, you can receive a free $10 bonus when you sign up with my code SFGIRL2015.
Why is Poshmark shipping so expensive?
Poshmark shipping is expensive because Poshmark uses only USPS Priority Mail service, which provides US nationwide delivery in 1-3 business days for a set rate currently at $7.45 up to 5 lb. Many other marketplaces offer cheaper First Class shipping for items under 1 lb.
Poshmark is actually a good deal for items over 1 lb!
USPS First Class mail is for items 15.99 oz and under and there is no guaranteed delivery time. Items that are 1 lb and over must ship via Priority Mail. When you calculate the cost of shipping items over 1 lb, Poshmark’s shipping cost can save you money.
For example, let’s say I have a 3 lb box to ship from California to New York. A quick view of the cost on USPS.com shows that it would cost
$9.45 for a small flat rate box
$16.10 for a medium flat rate box
$21.20 for a Priority Mail by weight
$21.50 for a large flat rate box
The prices vary somewhat based on distance and weight, but overall, $7+ is worth it to ship up to 5 lb across the country. A lot of items such as shoes, coats, and jeans are heavy and will be over 1 lb to ship.
Still, no one wants to pay for shipping if they don’t have to. After all, you’re paying the cost of the item and possibly state sales tax.
How do you save money shipping on Poshmark?
Save money on shipping by using Poshmark’s features to have Poshmark pay, the seller pay, and/or the buyer pay part of the shipping. Poshmark covers part of the shipping on Closet Clear Out days and free shipping on items over $500. Sellers can offer to cover part or all of the shipping cost to encourage a sale.
Buyers can negotiate with sellers to pay part instead of all of the shipping as well.
*Note that shipping on Poshmark increases periodically. The numbers used here are accurate at the time of writing. Check Poshmark’s website for the latest shipping cost.
Poshmark pays
One option to have Poshmark pay part of shipping is to lower the price of your items on Closet Clear Out days. When you lower the public price by at least 10% from its historical lowest price and the price is at least $10, the item gets discounted shipping for 6 hr. The difference in shipping cost is covered by Poshmark.
Discounted shipping is usually a few dollars off. Currently, instead of paying $7.45 for shipping, a buyer will be offered $3.99 or $4.99 shipping. Higher-priced items may receive more of a shipping discount and even possibly free shipping.
The discount may be enough for someone to buy the item. It feels good to get a deal, even if it’s only a few dollars.
Poshmark provides free shipping on items over $500. This may seem like a high or unachievable price, but it’s common for people who sell luxury items such as handbags and jewelry.
The seller pays
Sellers have the option to list items with discounted or free shipping or offer that later in the selling process.
While listing, sellers can offer
No discount - The buyer pays $7.45.
$5.95 shipping - The buyer pays $5.95 and the seller pays $1.50.
$4.99 shipping - The buyer pays $4.99 and the seller pays $2.46.
Free shipping - The seller pays $7.45.
Sellers can offer discounted shipping when making private offers to individuals or offers to all of their likers (people who have liked their item).
Look for the icons that indicate free or discounted shipping in the top left corner of listings
The buyer pays
It used to be the standard that buyers on Poshmark paid for shipping. When sellers list items, this is still the default setting unless they select to cover part of shipping themselves.
As a buyer, you can filter search results to see items with discounted or free shipping.
If you’re a buyer interested in having some or all of your shipping costs covered, a better option would be to view all search results and negotiate with the seller or make a slightly lower offer that takes into account that you’re paying for shipping.
Be aware that many sellers will not give discounted shipping on low-cost items, or they may only offer $5.95 shipping.
This is because paying for part of shipping eats into their profits and needs to be calculated on top of paying Poshmark’s commission for the sale.
Several sellers I know only offer free shipping on items priced over $100. For an item sold at $100:
Sale price: $100
Poshmark fees: $20
Shipping cost: $7.45
Profit: $72.55
This doesn’t include subtracting the cost of acquiring the item, which may eat further into the profit. So paying $7.45 for shipping can be a hard pill for sellers to swallow.
So don’t be surprised if a seller declines requests for free shipping or offers only a minimal discount on shipping.
Overweight packages
Packages over 5 lb require an upgraded shipping label. You can upgrade a shipping label for packages up to 10 lb. The seller pays the difference for the upgraded shipping label out of their earnings.
Prices for shipping 5-10 lb
The cost to upgrade a shipping label is steep. The seller has to pay an additional $9.00 for a total of $16.45 for a package that’s 6-7 lb.
One way to spread the cost of shipping between the buyer and sellers is to split the cost of shipping items over 6 lb.
If you’re buying or selling a bundle of items, instead of one party paying $16.45 for shipping, divide the bundle into two separate sales. Have the seller cover the cost of shipping one box and the buyer cover the cost of shipping the other.
Can I ship something over 10 lb on Poshmark?
Poshmark doesn’t support sales over 10 lb, so a shipment over 10 lb would need to be sold as 2 or more separate orders or canceled.
Keep this in mind as you list heavy items. Poshmark allows the sale of many categories of items, and that will continue to increase as the company grows.
It’s no problem to sell items over 10 lb on other marketplaces, but it’s not possible on Poshmark.
Other tips to save on shipping
1 | Bundle items
For buyers, shop closets where you can buy multiple things under 5lb to pay for shipping just one time. This is especially helpful when you’re looking for items that are typically low-cost and wouldn’t otherwise be worth purchasing on Poshmark.
For example, I’ve looked for socks on Poshmark. I don’t find it worth paying $7+ shipping for a pack of 5 socks. I’ve purchased from sellers where I could bundle 3 packs of socks and the seller offered an additional discount.
2 | Ask for a price drop on Closet Clear Out days
Closer Clear Out typically happens on Sundays, around holidays, and often one other day of the week.
If you know it’s a Closet Clear Out day, ask the seller to lower the price to your offered price so that you’ll get discounted shipping. They’re more likely to do this to help them keep a little more of their earnings while you save on shipping.
3 | Raise the price of your items
For sellers, raise the price of your items to allow you to give shipping discounts. Many people complain about the high price of items on Poshmark.
It’s true. Prices on Poshmark are often higher than on other marketplaces such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
It’s okay to go with that tide and increase the price of your items as well. It may be what you have to do to account for buyers’ expectations of an offer and discounted shipping.
If you’re on the fence about raising your prices, try it out for a while and see if it makes a difference to your sales and profits.
4 | Sell higher priced items
Poshmark’s fee is $2.95 for items sales under $15, so many buyers and sellers feel it’s not worth it to buy or sell low-priced items on Poshmark.
The lowest acceptable price for an item varies by individual. It may be $10, $25, or more depending on who you ask.
Some sellers have turned to selling higher-priced items to avoid this fee on low-priced items and make it more appealing to buyers to pay for shipping.
It’s hard to convince a buyer to buy something for $10 and pay $7+ for shipping. It’s much easier to convince a buyer to pay $7+ shipping on a $300 item because it’s not much by comparison.
There are many benefits to selling only high-end items. Some of those include
Fewer sales required to make the same amount of profit
Less time and storage space needed because you’re listing fewer products
Ability to offer a shipping discount without significantly cutting your profit
Posh Authenticate and free shipping for items over $500
It takes time, knowledge, and money to learn to sell high-end goods, but it’s been worth it for those that I know who do it.
Frequently asked questions
1) Does Poshmark ever have free shipping?
Poshmark offers free shipping on sales of $500 and over. Poshmark may provide discounted shipping during promotions such as Closet Clear Out or when purchasing from a new user’s closet, but it is not free. Sellers may also offer discounted or free shipping.
2) Who pays the shipping on Poshmark?
Shipping is paid by the buyer unless the seller offers free or discounted shipping. Poshmark sometimes covers part of shipping during promotions such as Closet Clear Out and all of shipping for items sold for $500 or more.
3) Do offers on Poshmark include shipping?
Offers on Poshmark may or may not include shipping. Offers made by sellers using the private Offer to Likers features must include a shipping discount. Offers made through the Bundle feature (for 1 item or more) do not require a shipping discount but may have one if the seller chooses to offer it. Review the offer you receive or ask the seller to be sure.
Wrap up
Shipping on Poshmark can be a pain, but there are several ways to save on shipping as both a buyer and seller. Get to know and use Poshmark’s features and workarounds above to offer and receive the best deals on shipping. Good luck!
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