Over the last couple of years, the popularity of thrifting clothes has skyrocketed. Among our generation, thrifting has evolved from just a task to find clothing to its own form of a social activity. What sounds like a better Saturday than getting brunch with your friends before heading to some of St. Louis’ best thrift stores?Along with the social aspect there’s something so special about buying a vintage item that only you own. But in the midst of the digital age and the pandemic, some people were looking for a way to participate in thrifting without needing to go to a store.
There’s an app for almost everything, and once Poshmark and Depop were created, there were apps for thrifting too. Apps such as these allow for any user to buy or sell clothing. The process is really simple and it’s a great way to look for unique items, or to sell your own. Senior Olivia Rogers has been using Poshmark to sell items for the last two years.
“I’ve had a lot of luck selling on Poshmark ever since [I started] and it’s a good source of income for me,” Rogers said.
It can be really difficult to sell items on apps like these because they need to reach a wider audience. Rogers has discovered ways to do that in order to maximize the amount of items she sells.
“I won’t lie, many people who use Poshmark gain big success by using bot apps that gain you a bigger following and profile so that it reaches more buyers. Sounds cheesy but it really does work, and I’ve sold significantly more items ever since I started using one of those apps,” Rogers said.
These bot apps allow for smaller sellers to gain more traction on the apps, which as a result allows them to sell more items. But sometimes, even these apps fail to make selling on Poshmark a completely stable income.
“Some disadvantages are that business can be very slow or can be very good but you’ll never know when this happens,” Rogers said.
While the business may seem fickle, Rogers claims that it is still an easy and fun way to make some money. However, monetary gain isn’t the only benefit.
“Passing down and buying used clothes lets the clothes live on for longer, rather than just throwing them away when they are still in great condition,” Rogers said. These apps allow for greater access to buying sustainable clothing, which results in environmental benefits.
Reusing and sharing clothing is a great way to help reduce waste, and now we are able to do that from a simple click of a button on our phones. Rogers is an experienced seller in the world of resale apps, and the process is simple enough that anyone can become a successful seller.
“My advice is to never lose hope or give up on selling […] if you are smart about pricing, then you can make a decent amount of money,” Rogers said.
