With so many eCommerce sites on the internet, it can be hard to distinguish which platform is the best for your buying and selling needs.
Currently, two of the most popular sites are eBay and Poshmark. In this post, we will take a deep dive and present you with a comprehensive comparison of each platform’s key features, strengths, and weaknesses.
There are many factors to consider, including the listing process, fee structures, shipping, user base, and which platform your reselling inventory will perform best on.
Maybe you’re a beginner on Poshmark and eBay and have been working on your online reselling business as a side hustle. Or, maybe you’re an old pro reseller looking to start listing on a new platform.
Whatever your situation, this article offers an in-depth analysis of the fierce rivalry between Poshmark vs eBay. See what the results are when we put them head to head.
Which platform will reign supreme?
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Number Of Users
Both eCommerce sites have a large number of active users. eBay touts a larger user base, likely because the platform has also been around for longer.
eBay was created back in 1995 and has more than 150 million active users. Poshmark, on the other hand, was founded in 2011. Poshmark has about half of the audience that eBay does at around 80 million members.
What Items Should I Sell?
Sellers can find strengths in selling different categories on each platform. In general, Poshmark has established itself as a primary platform for clothing, shoes, and accessories. Poshmark attracts fashion enthusiasts of all ages.
On the other hand, eBay is known as a jack of all trades. There is a wide spectrum of diversity in selling categories and types of items that are offered. That is why eBay casts a wide net for its target audience.
eBay, unlike any other platform, caters to the needs of those looking for any item imaginable. Items range from beauty products to textbooks, collectibles to electronics, household items to home decor, and even cars and boats.
However, even fashion-centric sellers on eBay can also find much success in making a profit off of selling their clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Listing Process
When comparing Poshmark vs eBay, there are clear differences in the listing process. Poshmark, on the one hand, prides itself on taking a simplistic approach to selling online.
The marketplace form is straightforward and simple with just a few details to fill out. eBay, on the other hand, has many more required fields for sellers to complete.
eBay also has even more fields that are optional to fill in, but it is generally wise for sellers to fill out as many fields as they can. This is why the entire listing process on eBay can take much longer than Poshmark.
Pictures and Videos
On Poshmark, the listing form has 16 open slots for pictures. Additionally, there is one 30-second video slot.
eBay allows sellers to add more pictures. Sellers can upload a whopping 24 pictures of their item. eBay also allows sellers to upload a video of the item to give potential buyers an idea of the true look and feel of an item.
Title
Both Poshmark and eBay allow up to 80 characters in the title. It is wise for sellers to use this character limit to the fullest of their ability.
That is because both Poshmark and eBay listings are searchable on Google. That means potential customers can be led to your Poshmark and/or eBay listings even if they start their search for an item on Google.
Item Specifics
As mentioned earlier, eBay has more item-specific fields in general when compared to Poshmark.
For example, if you are selling a coat, Poshmark only requires you to fill out 6 items: the title, description, category, size, original price, and listing price. It is optional, although encouraged, for sellers to fill out the quantity, brand, color, and condition.
eBay, on the other hand, requires its sellers to fill out the title, description, category, brand, type, outer shell material, style, size type, size, color, department, condition, price, quantity, and shipping policy.
As you can see, there is more than double the number of required fields on eBay when compared to Poshmark.
In addition to the required fields, there is no shortage of optional fields on eBay. These include fabric type, theme, accents, features, lining material, pattern, length, closure, season, occasion, and several more.
It goes without saying that eBay sellers spend a lot more time on the listing form. However, the upside is that eBay offers buyers the ability to search with specific filters to find your item.
Selling Fees
Listing Fees
Poshmark does not charge a listing fee. Sellers can upload an unlimited amount of items for free, and will only have a percentage taken from the selling price once the sale is complete.
eBay allows its users to list 250 items per month for free. After that, an insertion fee of $0.30 per item will be charged.
This is where eBay sellers need to be wary. On eBay, if you list an item and it does not sell, it will automatically be updated after 30 days. This update counts as a new listing.
So, if you list 250 items in January and none of them sell by February, technically you cannot list any new items without being charged the $0.30 insertion fee. If you sell 5 items in January, then you will be able to list 5 items for free.
Sellers can check on their eBay dashboard to see how many free items they have left for the month. However, sellers should still be careful and check when their current listings are going to renew.
Subscription Fees
Along with no insertion or listing fees, there are also no subscription or store fees for your Poshmark closet.
eBay is one of the only platforms that offers sellers a store subscription plan. There are multiple tiers, including starter, basic, premium, anchor, and enterprise.
eBay stores come with a monthly cost, but also a few advantages. Some store types offer an increased amount of items sellers can list before paying an insertion fee, a branded store homepage, a promotions manager, and subscriber discounts.
Personally, I pay for the yearly subscription to the Basic store plan. However, I did not start paying for an eBay store until I felt like I was getting a hang of things and making sales on the platform.
Transaction Fees
Just like the listing form, Poshmark’s seller fees are much more straightforward when compared to eBay. On Poshmark, sellers can expect a 20% deduction from the sale price in the form of a seller fee.
For example, this item that sold on Poshmark for $85.00 had $17.00 deducted due to the 20% Poshmark seller fee. There is only one exception to the Poshmark 20% rule. If an item sells for $10.00 or less, a flat $2.95 will be deducted from the seller's earnings.
On eBay, seller fees are known as a final value fee. If you’re wondering about the rate of seller fees on eBay, the answer is… it depends.
The percentage that eBay takes from each sale depends on the category of the item and the final sale price.
Sellers can expect a wide percentage range, from 3-15%. Plus, each sale has a flat fee of $0.30 fee per order. Some of the highest fees occur when selling handbags, jewelry, and watches.
For example, if you sell a women’s handbag, eBay will take 15% of the total sale amount if the purse sold for less than $2,000. If the purse sells for over $2,000, eBay only takes 9% of the total amount. As you can see, eBay may be a better platform for more expensive, luxury items.
In general, eBay fees vary but are typically less than the chunk that Poshmark takes.
Receiving Payment
When considering the payout method in this debate of Poshmark vs eBay, eBay may actually have a leg up in the simplicity factor for the first time.
When you set up your eBay payouts, just tell eBay where you want your money sent and how often. You can choose from a monthly, weekly, or biweekly schedule.
Once your preferences are set, eBay will automatically send the money (as long as you have earnings in your available balance) to your bank account or PayPal account.
Poshmark, on the other hand, requires sellers to manually cash out their earnings. Poshmark will never send your earnings automatically. Your balance will sit in your available funds until you take action.
Although the process takes more effort than eBay, it is still generally easy and straightforward to get paid on Poshmark. Just like eBay, you will initially set up your preferred bank or other account.
When it’s time to redeem, you can choose from a direct deposit, check, PayPal, Venmo, and more. You can choose a different option each time you go to cash out on Poshmark if you prefer.
Shipping Practices and Policies
Poshmark Shipping
Yet again, shipping on Poshmark upholds the trend of its ease and straightforwardness. Once your item sells on Poshmark, an email with the order details and the shipping label will be sent to you within a couple of minutes.
Poshmark utilizes USPS Priority mail flat rate for all shipments. Due to this, sellers can use free USPS Priority Mail boxes. If you weren’t already aware of this, you can navigate to the USPS website and place an order for USPS Priority Mail boxes to be delivered right to your door- all for free.
So once you have been sent the shipping label, all you have to do is print the label, pack up the item, and schedule a free USPS package pickup or take the item to the post office. Plus, Poshmark also makes it easy for sellers even without a printer.
Within the same email that has the order details and shipping label, there are also instructions for using a QR code to ship your item. With this method, sellers can pack up their item, take it to the post office, show the postal worker the QR code, and they will take it from there.
eBay Shipping
With that being said, we’re also sticking with the trend of eBay having some more complexity when compared to Poshmark. eBay does not automatically send you a label.
The seller has to take extra steps to purchase and print the label. Once the item sells, eBay will prompt you to purchase a shipping label. It can be purchased from eBay, a third-party integration site like Pirate Ship, or postage can be purchased directly at the post office.
Personally, I purchase the label directly from eBay as I find this is generally the easiest and cheapest way. If you purchase a label on another site or at another place, it is best practice to input the tracking number, although it is not required.
Even though the eBay shipping process comes with a few extra steps, sellers can often save on shipping prices. On Poshmark, the shipping rate is a flat $7.97. This can be a hefty price for smaller, lighter items.
eBay allows sellers the flexibility to input a specific weight for an item, and many times, sellers can save money this way. This especially applies to items weighing 1 pound or less that can be sent via a cheaper option, like USPS First Class mail.
On both platforms, you can offer free shipping as an effort to entice users and increase sales.
Returns
Poshmark Returns
As a platform, Poshmark has made the executive decision to not accept returns. The only exception for a return is if the item arrives damaged or not as described.
If that is the case, the buyer will open a case on Poshmark and the customer support team will review it. The team at Poshmark will make the ultimate and final decision if the return is accepted.
If the Poshmark return is approved, the return shipping fee is free for both the buyer and the seller.
In this example, I purchased a dress from Poshmark and it arrived with more stains and snags than described. My return was approved, so the order shows as canceled now.
eBay Returns
eBay also allows its sellers more flexibility when it comes to returns. eBay sellers can elect to not accept returns for any reason. Alternatively, eBay sellers can allow returns and set their return policy within their own parameters.
For example, in my eBay store, I accept returns within 30 days of the item purchase. As a part of my policy, I require buyers to pay for return shipping.
The reason I accept returns is because I want to avoid buyers opening an “item not as described” (also known as INAD) case against me on eBay. Many times, when returns are not accepted, buyers will open a case against the seller to return the item.
If eBay sides with the seller, you will get a defect on your eBay account and you will have to pay for return shipping. That way, by offering returns, you can generally avoid the INAD situation.
Additionally, buyers will likely be more interested when purchasing from your eBay store if you allow free returns. Generally, I have found that buyers do not want to return an item due to the hassle. However, having the option gives peace of mind.
If you primarily sell clothes or shoes, and if you are worried about buyers purchasing, wearing, and then returning your item, you can also put safeguards into place.
Sellers can place a sticker on the bottom of a pair of shoes, or a tag looped around a strap or shoelace hole with a message that states “Item is not returnable if this tag is removed”. Sellers can do the same for clothing items.
Although, if the tag is removed and returned, you likely will not win the court case because technically there is no rule stating the item cannot be returned without the tag if free returns are offered.
However, this may make the buyer think twice or avoid returning at all.
Vacation Mode
From time to time, all resellers need to take a break from selling. Maybe you are going on a trip, taking maternity or paternity leave, or just need some time off.
Both Poshmark and eBay offer a vacation mode feature, however, they operate in different ways. With Poshmark's vacation mode, all listings will appear as "not for sale" and a banner will be placed on your closet to notify buyers of this.
Potential customers are able to comment on and like listings, however, are not able to purchase any items.
eBay vacation mode, on the other hand, allows sellers more flexibility. Sellers can choose whether they want to keep their items available for sale or not.
If sellers choose to keep their items available, customers will still be able to purchase their items. However, the buyer will be notified in advance that the seller is away.
eBay will let the buyer know when the seller is returning to give them an idea of when the item will ship.
This is a great perk that eBay offers because it allows the potential for sales to still come through even while the seller is away.
Why Not Both?
If you are still trying to choose and pitting Poshmark vs eBay against one another, my next question to you is, why not both?
As a reseller myself, I crosslist onto multiple platforms. I started out by listing each item individually on multiple platforms including Poshmark, eBay, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace.
I spent a lot of time and energy doing those tasks manually until I found Vendoo. Vendoo is a platform that houses all of my inventory. There is a master listing form for each item along with individual marketplace forms.
Once I fill out the master marketplace form, all of the information, including the pictures, filter onto the specific marketplace form. There are just a few fields to fill out specific to each platform. After that, you can list your items with ease.
This is how I list all of my items both on Poshmark and eBay. Once an item sells on Poshmark, I mark it as sold on Vendoo.
After this, the item will automatically be delisted from all other online platforms. Crosslisting is a great way to get more eyes on your items in order to increase sales.
Vendoo makes my life as a reseller so easy. And though I do get a commission for users that sign up through my link, I truly just want to spread the word because I credit Vendoo for revolutionizing my reselling business.
So what are you waiting for?! You can start with a no-risk free trial of Vendoo to see how you like it.
Recap
Even if you want to stick to one selling platform, you now have all of the facts you need to make an informed decision about which platform is most suitable for you in the hot debate of Poshmark vs eBay.
Here’s a recap of what we went over:
- Poshmark strengths:
- General ease of use
- A more straightforward process to list items
- A more straightforward shipping process
- Unlimited free listings
- eBay strengths
- Payouts are automatic
- Less of a percentage taken out of your earnings
- Larger customer base
- Can have cheaper shipping costs in certain scenarios
At the end of the day, both platforms are great resale sites for anyone and everyone's online shopping needs.
And if you liked this in-depth comparison, there's plenty more where that came from! Read our guide on 25 apps like Poshmark, or a post that puts two other platforms head to head in Depop vs Poshmark.
Which online marketplace do you prefer: eBay or Poshmark? Comment below!
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