How to Deal with Lowball Offers and Negotiations on Poshmark

One of the top bummer experiences you’ll have as a reseller is getting that “congrats, you got an offer!” email from Poshmark, and then seeing that the offer is for a third, or even and eighth, of what you wanted to sell your item for. While it’s not labor intensive, emotionally, dealing with low ball offers can be one of the biggest challenges for sellers on Poshmark. It takes a lot out of you, and it can seem like there’s no way to win: if you counteroffer, the buyer ghosts you. But if you ignore the offer, does Poshmark penalize you in search results for other buyers?

Let’s talk about it!

What’s a Lowball Offer?

A lowball offer is when a buyer offers a price that is significantly lower than the listed price of the item.

You may have seen an… awkward “reasonable offer chart” (I’m cringing writing that) going around Poshmark, which usually places any discounts steeper than 30% in the danger zone.

Side note: can I ever write, say, or even THINK that phrase not in the Archer voice??

Anway! While buyers are certainly free to offer anything they want for an item, these types of offers can be frustrating for sellers who have done the research to price their items fairly, or have already lowered the price multiple times to attract more buyers.

While I don't recommend you put this anywhere near your Poshmark closet, this is the chart for reference:

Here’s what you can do while handling lowball offers on Poshmark:

Respond politely and assume you can save the sale

It's important to remain professional and polite when responding to a lowball offer. Even if you're frustrated, responding with anger or rudeness will only make the situation worse. A polite response can open up a dialogue and lead to a more reasonable offer. For instance, you can start start a bundle for the item for the buyer, then add a comment thanking them for their interest, and letting know that you are willing to negotiate. Just remember: bundle comments (deceptively!) are public. So keep it brief, professional, and moving!

Counteroffer

If the initial offer is too low, consider making a counteroffer that is more in line with your listed price. Poshmark's platform makes it easy to send counteroffers to potential buyers, and a newer feature ("accept buyer's last offer") makes it less risky to send them than before. Remember to remain polite in your response and use that bundle comment to explain why your counteroffer is fair. This can be a great opportunity to showcase the item's value, its condition, and the research you did to price it accordingly. Just keep things positive, not defensive; ie. “[X ITEM] is in excellent condition and the [STYLE/COLOR COMBO] is [RARE/VERY RECENT/IN HIGH DEMAND], so it generally goes for around [PRICE RANGE YOU RESEARCHED]. I just sent you a counteroffer in that range. Let me know if you have any questions!"

Know your item's worth

Before listing an item on Poshmark, do your research and price it fairly based on its condition, brand, and market value. Knowing the worth of your item will give you confidence when dealing with lowball offers and help you stand firm on your price. You can reference similar sold listings of the same item on Poshmark or other resale platforms to determine an appropriate price range. And remember: things change! The item may have lost significant value since you first priced/listed it. It’s a good idea to do a quick comp check before counter-offering or communicating with the buyer, to make sure your sense of pricing is still realistic. Note: try ClosetWitch’s free Comp Crystal Ball tool to see actual dates on comparable sold items so you can be sure the sales you’re cross referencing with are recent. Simply searching on Poshmark won't show that info, so sold listings could be months or even years old, and not reflective of current market value.

Don't take it personally

Remember that lowball offers are a common part of selling on Poshmark. It's not a reflection of your item's value or your selling skills. Don't take it personally and try not to get discouraged. It's important to keep a positive attitude and hold your focus on the bigger picture, which might be your daily or weekly number of sales goals. A single sale will not make or break you!

Be willing to negotiate

While lowball offers can be frustrating, it's important to keep an open mind and stay flexible. Is this an item worth potentially hanging onto for a long time? Realistically, can you get very much more? Is $5 difference worth battling over, or $10? As far as annoying Poshmark seller experiences go, a close second to getting lowball offers is not taking them and then holding onto the item for months or even years… and then having to take an even lower offer in the future.

Negotiating, on the other hand, can lead to a mutually beneficial agreement and a successful sale that keeps the money flowing and Poshmark activity rolling. And get creative with it! You can offer the buyer a discount on shipping or bundle the item with another item for a better price. You can also ask the buyer their side of the picture and see if there is a way to meet in the middle.

Look at the big picture

Often, simply keeping items moving out of your closet is worth losing a few dollars on any single item or transaction. Try not to get too hung up on one sale and instead focus on your sales day, week, month, or even year. And clearing out old inventory? Always a win. Boy does it feel good to clear a little more space in those inventory bins...

Do you have a strategy for dealing with lowball offers? Share below!

Love and magic,

ClosetWitch