Is Poshmark legit? What you need to know before you buy or sell

Is Poshmark legit?

Poshmark is a legitimate company originally founded in California in 2011 and sold to South Korean-based Naver Corporation for $1.2 billion in 2023. Despite the sale, Poshmark’s official headquarters remain in Redwood City, California.  

Initially, the platform was created to help people resell their items and encourage sustainable fashion. It also had a unique twist—the “social commerce” model that blends shopping with social networking. Instead of sellers simply listing products for buyers to purchase, Poshmark lets buyers and sellers follow each other and like, share, and comment on listings. That social aspect helps foster trust and is a major reason why Poshmark has soared in popularity among Millennials and Gen Z shoppers. 

The company also builds trust by acting as an escrow service: it doesn’t release payments to sellers until after buyers confirm they have received their items. In addition, Poshmark only accepts returns if products are misrepresented or damaged, not if a buyer changes their mind. 

Is Poshmark safe for buyers? 

Yes, Poshmark is considered as safe for buyers as other major ecommerce platforms. The following measures are designed to create a secure shopping experience and minimize risk: 

Delayed payment release 

Part of its Posh Protect policies, Poshmark doesn’t release payment to sellers until after buyers confirm receipt (or three days after items are delivered, if buyers do not confirm). That gives buyers three days to report products that are damaged, misrepresented, or not received. 

Posh Authenticate

Poshmark offers free authentication services for luxury items valued at over $500—a team of experts examines the items to make sure they’re authentic before they are shipped to buyers.  

Social proof

Though Poshmark doesn’t publicly display seller ratings, buyers can see sellers’ number of listings, shares, followers, how long they’ve been a “Posher,” average ship time, and “love notes” – essentially thank-you’s and reviews received from buyers. 

Secure payments

Poshmark accepts major forms of payment, including credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. Each payment is processed through Poshmark’s platform, which ensures transactions are secure and eliminates the risks associated with peer-to-peer transfers.

Red flags to watch out for

Like on any online marketplace, scammers find a way to bypass Poshmark’s protections and trick buyers into buying low-quality, counterfeit, or overpriced goods. Sometimes, the item is never shipped at all. While Posh Protect guarantees you get a refund in most of these cases, the accident can still cost you time and frustration during the resolution process.

To make sure you avoid potential scammers and your Poshmark experience remains positive, keep an eye out for the following red flags:

• Too-good-to-be-true pricing: Ultra-low pricing and “urgent” discounts should never be taken as a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but a warning to scrutinize the listing.
• Lack of details: Legit sellers fill out product details to let you know everything about it. If it’s missing important information – such as size and condition – it may be a sign the seller is careless or potentially trying to hide something. 
• Poor or stock images: Blurry photos, product images with watermarks, or photos clearly taken from other websites signal that the seller doesn’t really have the item or it’s not in good condition.
• Request to go off Poshmark: Sellers who ask you to complete your transaction or communicate with them outside of Poshmark are likely scammers who try to bypass the platform’s protections and should be reported.
• Unsolicited communications from Poshmark: Watch out for scammers claiming to represent Poshmark, typically via “support” emails. Never reveal your personal, payment, or account information unless you’ve contacted Poshmark’s team directly.
• Unresponsive sellers: If you ask a question in the comments and they don’t respond, that could indicate a lack of reliability. 
• New accounts: While not necessarily a red flag – everyone is new at some point – if a seller has no history, love notes, or followers, exercise caution as there is not yet social proof they are legitimate.

Is Poshmark safe for sellers?

Yes, Poshmark is generally considered safe for sellers as long as you follow protocol and learn how to spot fake buyers. The following protections are built into the platform to help sellers avoid fraud and safeguard their earnings: 

Covered shipments

All shipments are protected against loss if you use the prepaid USPS Priority Mail shipping label that Poshmark issues. Additionally, orders over $400 require a signature upon receipt for additional confirmation. 

Fair refunds

Once your item is delivered, buyers have three days to report a problem. However, Poshmark doesn’t blindly grant refunds —  all cases are reviewed by the Poshmark team to determine whether the complaint meets policy requirements. If your item was accurately described, the buyer’s refund request will be denied.

Posh Authenticate 

The authentication of luxury items priced over $500 by the Poshmark team protects not only buyers but sellers as well: buyers won’t be able to refute goods’ authenticity to try to get a refund.

How to avoid fake buyers

Though most Poshmark buyers are legit, there are occasional scammers looking to exploit sellers. Fortunately, fake buyers show warning signs early on, helping you avoid them entirely as long as you know what to watch for:  

• Off-Poshmark requests: If a buyer asks you to accept payment or communicate outside of Poshmark’s platform, they are trying to wriggle out of its protections — never accept such requests, no matter how convincing the reason is.
• Unusual requests: If a buyer asks for an urgent shipment, sending the item to an odd address, sending the item before payment, using a different shipping service, or anything other than a typical request, it’s best to exercise caution and stick to Poshmark’s standard process.
• Empty accounts: If a buyer’s account doesn’t have a profile photo, followers, following, love notes, or listings, be wary — especially if their messages are vague or pushy.   
• Fake confirmations: Scammers may try to convince you to ship an item before it’s paid for. Don’t trust any screenshots or emails they provide as confirmations, and send products only once they are in your “My Sales” tab and you’ve received a Poshmark-supplied shipping label.   
• Swap scam: If a buyer says an item is not as described, and Poshmark approves the return, make sure the item you get back is the same one you shipped.

User reviews and community feedback

At the time of this writing, Poshmark had a 1.2-star rating out of over 4,300 reviews on Trustpilot, and 85% of those reviews were just one star. The app, however, had strikingly better ratings, with 4.6 stars on Google Play and 4.8 stars on Apple’s App Store. On other platforms, like Reddit, opinions are mixed and come both from those happy with the service and those who believe it’s a scam.

Most common negative feedback mentions poor customer service and lowball offers. Both buyers and sellers bring up issues with returns. High fees is another Poshmark disadvantage some users mention. Admittedly, some negative feedback comes from people who didn’t research Poshmark and got disappointed with some rules after a transaction (e.g. they couldn’t return clothes that didn’t fit them in size).

On the other hand, many people say that the platform has fair pricing and timely delivery. Sellers describe their great experience, even going as far as telling how much they’ve earned, while buyers mention excellent savings as well.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to try Poshmark and see if it’s a good choice in your case. Just be aware of scams and take lessons from reviews to make sure your experience is smooth.

Can you get scammed on Poshmark?

Like on all online platforms – especially peer-to-peer buying and selling ones – it is possible to get scammed on Poshmark. However, you can avoid getting scammed if you stay educated on common scam methods and emerging techniques. For that, check out our article that dives into common Poshmark scams and explains how to tell if buyers and sellers are legit. 

To stay safe and avoid losing your money, follow these tips:

• Watch for red flags: Lack of details, blurry or stock images, and unresponsive buyers and sellers can all spell trouble. Don’t ignore such signs and do due research or simply move to the next offer.
• Walk away from deals that are too good: If something seems too good to be true – whether it’s low pricing or an offer to overpay – it’s better to ignore it.
• Don’t go off the platform: Never accept payments or agree to pay or communicate outside of Poshmark.
• Evaluate accounts: See how many followers, shares, and love notes they have. Be wary of new accounts with low activity.
• Document everything: Take screenshots of communications and product listings, take photos of products to prove condition and packaging, and always keep tracking information — it may come handy in case of disputes.
• Avoid urgent, high-pressure requests: If a Poshmark buyer or seller asks you to complete the transaction swiftly, threatens to cancel, or tries to skip standard steps, take it as a clear warning to skip the offer. 

How Onerep helps prevent scams

Scammers use Poshmark to find details about you, whether from your profile or through conversations with you. Then, they can search people-search sites to find even more sensitive information and use it to impersonate you, conduct personalized phishing scams, or attempt to log into your accounts to make purchases in your name or simply steal your money. 

Onerep helps safeguard your identity by opting you out of 214 people-search websites. The service scans the sites for your information to find the exact pages that expose it, then requests their removal. Onerep continuously monitors people-search sites to catch new exposures and repeat the process as needed. This automated approach saves you hours of manual work and greatly reduces your risk of scams, financial fraud, phishing, social engineering attacks, and other threats.

FAQs

Is it safe to link my bank account to Poshmark?

Yes, it is generally considered safe to link your bank account to Poshmark to receive direct deposit payments. The platform uses secure, encrypted systems to protect your financial information. To stay extra safe, make sure your account is safeguarded with a strong password and two-factor authentication.  

How does Poshmark’s return policy work?

Poshmark allows returns and refunds if an item isn’t delivered or doesn’t match the description. Returns are not accepted for misfitting items, buyer’s remorse, or delivery delays. After the item is delivered, buyers have three days to file a return request. Sellers can offer a partial refund or simply accept the request. If the return is approved, Poshmark will issue the buyer a prepaid return label. Once the seller receives the return, Poshmark will send the buyer an email with refund details. If the seller doesn’t accept the return, Poshmark intervenes and decides whether to approve it or not.

What’s the safest way to buy expensive items on Poshmark?

The safest way to buy expensive items on Poshmark is to use the free Posh Authenticate service, where items valued at over $500 are sent to Poshmark’s headquarters for inspection and verification. Note that some sellers with trusted status are pre-authorized. In both cases, buyers are covered by Posh Protect – if an item isn’t as described, buyers get a full refund.

Does Poshmark verify designer items? 

Yes, Poshmark verifies designer items valued at over $500 through its Posh Authenticate service. 

Are seller ratings on Poshmark trustworthy?

Poshmark doesn’t make seller ratings public, which makes it more difficult to evaluate whether sellers are trustworthy. However, you can see how many listings, shares, and followers a seller has; and if you click on their “about” link, you can see if buyers have left them “love notes.” Use these as clues to a seller’s trustworthiness.

Is Poshmark real?

Yes, Poshmark is a real social commerce platform where users can buy and sell used fashion, home décor, electronics, handbags, and other items. 

Is it safe to buy from Poshmark?

In general, yes, it is safe to buy from Poshmark. That’s because Poshmark has built-in buyer protections, such as delayed payment release and acceptance of major payment methods. Buyers can request a refund if a product doesn’t match its description, is faulty, or never arrives. However, it’s still possible to encounter scams, so you should keep an eye out for common red flags.  

Is Poshmark reliable?

Poshmark is considered reliable in that it can be depended on to handle buyer and seller transactions, provide protections to buyers and sellers, and intervene if there is a dispute. While occasional scams can occur (like on any online marketplace), sticking to Poshmark’s terms and knowing how to spot suspicious behavior greatly reduces risk.