Quick & easy way to make money in college

I’ll never forget the abundance of clothes I had packed for my freshman year of college and how little I would actually end up wearing once I got there. Four suitcases full! Of clothes that I would probably wear once and never even touch again and for some reason I needed to bring all of them to college with me even if I never had an interest in them before? Maybe I was trying to hold on to as much as I could after leaving my home and going far away. Whatever the reason, I had too much clothing and not enough money.

After only just starting to work the summer before my first year of college, I didn’t have nearly enough saved up to support my college lifestyle of partying, spontaneous 2 a.m. Walgreens runs and ordering Dominos at least twice a week, along with many other poor financial decisions. At least there was a compromise to my abundance of clothing and lack of income problem that I had never before thought of; sell clothes. That is when I discovered the world of Poshmark. An online social marketplace where people can sell and buy new or used clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.,.

In high school I had some friends that were casual Poshers (term used for sellers on Poshmark) but I never really understood how to use it and its interface wasn’t up to par back then. But now, a couple years later, I became desperate for money (like any college freshmen) and was not going to ask my parents for money because that is not Mr. Independent’s M.O. Instead I found a way to have just a little bit of extra income to hold me over throughout the semester until I could work again over break.

Poshmark is relatively easy to understand and use as a successful market for your used clothes. All you have to do is upload a picture of the item you're looking to sell and provide a little description of the product. Then set a price and list it on the app. Once someone either buys or offers a price for your listing you can confirm and begin the shipping process.

Poshmark does take a portion for shipping but it’s never more than 10% of the sale. They even send you free shipping labels to be printed out and pasted on any box that fits the product. Then take the package to a local USPS location and have it shipped. Once the shipment reaches the buyer, the money is available in your Poshmark app and can be easily transferred to your bank account.

In my experience on Poshmark so far, I’ve probably made close to $500 selling mostly shoes, shirts, and pants. There is definitely potential for you to earn more if you sell on a frequent basis and are a very dedicated individual. Poshmark is mainly for clothes and shoes but also has other items to sell and purchase such as jewelry and other common accessories. Once a buyer purchases your item, you can either accept or deny the offer. Then, if accepted, you print out the free shipping labels and find any sealable box to ship in by bringing the package to your local USPS or UPS store. Easy as pie!

So, if you want to avoid texts from your parents such as, “You need to get a job or else you’re coming home and going to community college”, or petty remarks over Thanksgiving break, “I see your bank account is getting pretty low”, then look into Poshmark or other services that are easy and safe for you to sell unwanted, used clothing!

Photo By: WikiHow https://www.wikihow.com/Sell-Used-Clothing