Reflections on Shopping on Poshmark, Ebay, and Depop

Below are some thoughts I’ve compiled on what I wish I knew at the beginning of my online shopping journey. There are two sections: the first is a list of practical tips and and the second is some quick thoughts on my philosophical approach to online shopping. While I’m still in the early beginning of my journey into vintage or secondhand fashion, I hope these tips can help you approach online secondhand shopping with less anxiety and more excitement. The resources section of this post also has articles and other bloggers/accounts that I found very helpful as I learned to navigate this space.

Tips for Using the Apps

⭐️ Know your measurements before looking for clothes.

This can feel tempting to skip but it is an essential tool for shopping for clothes online! There can be a lot of variation in garment sizes both in new clothes and in secondhand clothes. Here is a helpful article on which measurements to take and how to take them on your body.

I like to have both the measurements of my body and also measurements of my favorite clothes from my closet. This helps me compare the measurements of clothes online to the clothes I already have, which gives me a better idea of how the clothes will fit.

⭐️ You can always ask for the measurements if they are not in the post already.

This is something I would definitely go back and tell myself. If the measurements are not already in the post, you should ask for them. It is really hard to tell how something will fit on your body just from a picture and you can’t return an item on a site like Poshmark if it doesn’t fit.

⭐️ The search functionality is the key to secondhand online shopping. Keep a running list of your common search terms.

When I started using Poshmark, I didn’t know any terminology to describe clothes. Knowing basic terms to describe styles and shapes of clothes helped me understand my personal style better and made it easier to navigate shopping online. You can google common styles for pants, skirts, dresses, etc., to get an idea of what you’ll want to look for before you shop. For example, I googled “types of necklines” and “skirt silhouette descriptions”.

One trick I use is I browse through the brands that I like, and pull search terms out of the descriptions for their items. I have a “Shopping Wishlist” on Pinterest where I save all the clothing pieces that catch my eye. I use the terms from the descriptions on those clothes to find secondhand shopping pieces. Some terms I searched for frequently this fall are cable knit sweaters, barrel leg trousers, and collared polo sweaters.

The functionality of the search feature can vary depending which secondhand site you’re on (for ex. Depop, Poshmark, Ebay). The resources section below has some articles and posts I found helpful on specific strategies for each site.

⭐️ The material composition of clothes is a useful data point when assessing clothes.

Material composition of clothes and the process of making a garment is a big topic that I am still in the process of learning. I basically only know the core traits of different materials and fabrics but the little bit I know has been helpful when shopping online. One reason I became interested in fabric is that scratchy or non-breathable fabrics have become a little unbearable for me to wear over the past few years. Another reason is what I have learned about the negative impact of microplastics from clothes on our environment. I have started looking more for clothes with natural fibers like cotton, wool, and linen both to try to reduce my environmental impact and also to find clothes that I can be comfortable in. Checking the material composition of clothes online has been helpful for me to assess which items are worth buying.

My Online Shopping Philosophy

⭐️ Secondhand shopping online doesn’t always replace the experience of shopping in person.

I’ve learned to think of online shopping as an additional resource for me instead of my only way of getting secondhand clothes. In-person shopping is still a valuable experience that often helps me to figure out what my personal style actually is. There are so many times I thought I liked a particular style and believed I desperately needed it in my closet but once I tried something on, the piece didn’t have the effect I was expecting or I realized it just wasn’t me.

There are also a lot of vintage store owners that are deeply passionate about curating interesting collections of clothes. Going to these stores has helped me understand how others curate their own aesthetic sensibilities and how I can develop my own. It’s also just fun to talk with people who know and love fashion! For me, cultivating community is something that is not only important to me as a personal value, but something I want reflected in my wardrobe. Going to secondhand stores is something that helps me feel connected to my local fashion community.

⭐️ You usually have time to think about purchasing an item before you buy it.

This is one thing I had to learn over and over again. There were a lot of items I saved that I thought I couldn’t live without, but when I looked at them again later I realized I didn’t like them as much as I thought I did. With online shopping, secondhand or not, it can feel like there is a sense of urgency to buy clothes right away. However, if you’re on the fence and the item isn’t rare or in high demand, you typically have some time to mull it over. While it was hard suppressing the need for instant gratification, it often saved me frustration with my wardrobe down the road.

⭐️ Online secondhand shopping is about patience and persistence.

All the clothes I bought that I truly love from secondhand online websites were the ones that took weeks or months for me to find. The perfect piece rarely comes to you right away and most clothes I regretted buying are things I bought quickly without putting much thought into. 

On the other hand, don’t get discouraged or feel too guilty if the first few things you buy don’t end up being what you expected! This is completely normal and developing a sense of style takes a lot of time, energy and re-work.

I hope these tips and thoughts above have helped you! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts on secondhand fashion shopping online.

Resources

• This article from M Gets Dressed has a lot of tips and strategies for using Poshmark
• @lil.puj on TikTok has some great videos on finding clothes on Ebay. She also has great style and has been one of my style inspos this year.
• Viv Chen has a great substack, The Molehill, that has tips on using sites like The RealReal and even the Japanese version of Ebay. This is a paid subscription but has been well worth the price for me.
• I enjoyed this post from Blue Collar Red Lipstick on finding your personal style at the thrift store for additional reading.