How the Poshmark algorithm works

A lot has changed over the years on Poshmark. The algorithm used to be more simple. Share more items. make more sales. Rinse and repeat.

Now, things are a bit different. Sharing is still important to making sales, but it’s not the whole picture. In this post, we’ll dive in to expose exactly how the Poshmark algorithm works.

If you don’t have time to read all of the details, the main takeaway from this post is that it’s important to be a Poshmark Ambassador II if you want to show up in feeds and search.

Here are the different topics we’ll discuss:

• Getting your items seen on Poshmark
• How Poshmark search works
• Best time to share on Poshmark
• Poshmark ambassador II benefits
• How to beat the Poshmark algorithm

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Getting your items seen on Poshmark

There are several different ways your items can be found on Poshmark. They can show up in their main feed, they can show up in brand feeds, they can show up in category feeds, and they can show up in searches.

Each type of feed behaves a bit differently. In this section we’ll talk about feeds (we’ll talk about search in a little bit).

In feeds, the default sorting is “recently shared”. This means, by default, the instant your item is shared, it jumps to the top of a number of different feeds.

It will jump to the top of recently shared items in the main feeds of your followers, it will jump to the top of the brand feed of the brand of your item, and it will jump to the top of any category feeds that match your item’s attributes.

In the main feeds of your followers there’s a bit of a catch. Poshmark works hard to only share relevant items to shoppers, so your item will only show up in their main feed if it matches the brands they follow, or matches the attributes they have selected (size, style preferences, etc.).

Also, new listings get priority in the main feed. Regularly listing new items will allow you to continually show up in your follower’s feeds (or, regularly relisting old items). If you’re relisting old items, they’ll need to be more than 60 days old before Poshmark will consider them as a “new item”. You’re limited to roughly 150 to 200 new listings or relistings per day.

In brand and category feeds, the item will instantly jump to the top. Now, the thing to consider is that the more generic the feed, the more quickly items will be showing up. So if someone is looking at the “Nike” feed, then the top item will change just about every second.

But, if someone is looking at “Red Nike Shoes Size 9”, then the items will update much more slowly, since there are less items being shared that match that description.

Something interesting about brand and category feeds, is 3 out of every 4 items are from Poshmark Ambassadors. Poshmark specifically slows down items that are shared recently from closets that are not Poshmark Ambassadors (at least, not nearly as often).

Go ahead. Go to Poshmark’s website and look at the closets that are sharing the items to the “Women” feed. It’s almost exactly 75% Poshmark ambassadors.

So, it is important that you maintain your Poshmark ambassador status on Poshmark. It’s the only reliable way to show up consistently in brand and category feeds while sharing your items.

How Poshmark Search Works

The search algorithm on Poshmark isn’t exactly the same as category and brand feeds. It has some specific characteristics to it that make it more than just “recently shared” items.

Similar to the category and brand feeds, the search feed is heavily weighted for Poshmark Ambassadors. So much so, that the first 4 items (the top row, if you’re on a computer) is always items recently shared from Poshmark Ambassadors.

Once again we see that being a Poshmark Ambassador is a competitive advantage to selling on Poshmark. If you want to show up at the top of search results, not only will you want to be a Poshmark Ambassador, but you’ll also want to be sharing your items regularly.

The next for items (the second row) are a mixed bag. They could be from Poshmark Ambassadors, or from regular accounts. But no doubt, regular accounts do not show up as much in search results.

The next most important facet of search on Poshmark is the title matching the text that the shopper types in.

Fortunately for us, Poshmark tells you exactly what people are searching for. If you search for something generic, like “Nike”, Poshmark will add these little addon text bubbles above the results.

These aren’t just good suggestions for shoppers, they’re a representative of what most people are searching for when they use Poshmark.

You can use those text bubbles to optimize your title so that it matches what people are searching for (brand, color, category, etc.) so you can show up better in search results.

To recap, the top items in Poshmark search are always from Poshmark Ambassadors, and the results that show up closely match what the shopper types into the search box. Then, it’s a matter of sharing your items often so they show up at the top of search results.

Best time to share on Poshmark

The best time to share on Poshmark depends on your region. If you’re in the USA or Canada, then your best window will be from 6AM to 3AM (21 hours) EST. This will capture early risers in the east, and will also catch people going to bed around midnight on the west coast.

If you really want to dial in the hours that you’re sharing, you could run it from 10AM to 1AM EST. That will maximize your shares during the times that most people are awake in the USA and Canada. But it will clip off early risers and late bed goers.

Poshmark ambassador II benefits

As we mentioned above, the main benefit of being a Poshmark ambassador is showing up in all feeds above other accounts.

A secondary benefit is being recommended for following. When you become a Poshmark Ambassador, you are not only recommended in the “Find People” feature, but you’re also automatically followed by new closets that have interests that match your items.

Lastly, as a Poshmark Ambassador II, you get a gold badge on your account which indicates that you’re a reputable seller on the platform.

Here are the requirements to becoming a Poshmark Ambassador, and the requirements to maintain your Poshmark Ambassador status (pulled from Poshmark’s website):

Posh Ambassador II members are expected to:

• Maintain an active closet
• Participate in the Poshmark community
• Provide great customer service
• Be in good standing with our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service

To qualify to be a Posh Ambassador II, you must meet all of the criteria below:

• Posh Ambassador: Be a Posh Ambassador I for at least 6 months. 
• Community Shares: Share at least 20,000 items from other Poshers’ closets.
• Available Listings: Have at least 100 available listings in your closet.
• Listings Sold: Make at least 50 sales.
• Average Rating: Have an average rating of at least 4.7 stars.
• Average Ship Time: Have an average ship time of fewer than 3 days.
• Recruit: Recruit at least 1 new Posher.

In addition to the one-time requirements, the following criteria must be met quarterly to maintain your Posh Ambassador II status:

• ​​250 Listings Created
• 4,000 Community Shares
• 50 Sold Listings
• 4.7+ Seller Rating

Luckily, with tools like Closet Tools, it requires zero effort on your part to do 20,000 shares from other closets, do 4000 community shares every quarter, and share new Poshers. You’ll be a Poshmark Ambassador II in no time.

How to beat the Poshmark algorithm

You’ve made it to the end of the Post. This is where the rubber meets the road. How do we use all of this knowledge to beat the Poshmark algorithm?

A few things are obvious:

1. Become a Poshmark Ambassador
2. Share your items often
3. List or relist items daily

As mentioned above, following those three suggestions will get you very far on Poshmark. But, to generate lots of sales, it requires more:

1. Optimized titles for search queries
2. Excellent cover images
3. Accurate and descriptive descriptions
4. Reasonable pricing (try to stick to Poshmark’s recommendations)

Optimizing your titles to match search queries is going to get you to show up in search results way more than having titles that are not what people are searching for.

Excellent cover images will increase the chance that someone will click on your item and visit your closet. It will also increase the chance of someone liking your item (and then you can send them an offer).

Accurate and descriptive descriptions will help buyers make decisions about whether or not they will consider purchasing an item. You’ll want to be honest, but try to sell the item with your words. If it’s clothing, suggest how they can wear it, what they can pair it with, etc.

Reasonable prices are the most important factor in generating sales on Poshmark. If your price is too high, then people will have to send you offers (and most people would rather just buy something at a good price).

I have found that when you use Poshmark’s suggested pricing when listing an item, it usually sells faster. Unfortunately, the price is usually a little low (less profit for you). But, a sale is better than sitting on an item forever and never selling because you drive too hard of a bargain.

That’s it for this post. If you got something out of it or learned something new, feel free to share it to your Posh friends or share it on social media.

If you’re interested in Closet Tools, it’s a Poshmark Bot that allows you to:

• Share thousands of items to your followers
• Share to parties
• Share fresh closets
• Follow new closets
• Return shares
• Return follows
• Send offers to likers
• Share party feeds
• Follow followers of another account

and a whole bunch more automatically without you needing to touch anything. It runs 24/7 once you set it up.

Sign up for a free 7 day trial and see how it impacts your sales and growth on Poshmark.

Jordan 🤌

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