Background
Vigilance is key in the world of online reselling, and even with years of experience, staying alert is crucial. With four years of experience selling on Poshmark and a strict policy of my communications staying on the platform, I believe I've become adept at avoiding scams.
I also find Reddit threads about Poshmark and Mercari, detailing others' experiences with potential scams and phishing, incredibly helpful. Staying vigilant by scanning online news about resale sites is also a priority.
My vigilance was recently tested when I encountered a potential scam on Poshmark, and I want to share my experience, as well as Poshmark's disappointing response to my reports.
Last week, shortly after listing a jacket on Poshmark, I received a message that the buyer added the jacket to her/his bundle. Then, an unusually lengthy and strangely worded message followed from the same person.
Messages Received From the Scammer
I was led to believe I had sold the jacket when I read: "Congratulations! Your item has been purchased..." Yet, I quickly realized this was the beginning of a scam. Here are the tell-tale signs:
The message began with an indecipherable statement: "(Name of Poshmark Closet - I'm not including the name of the closet) requested styling for 'Surprise Me.' '' I've never seen that expression, and it doesn't make any sense!
Even more telling, part of the message misspelled 'Poshmark' as 'Poshamark.' This was a particularly foolish error, given the scammer claimed to be contacting me on behalf of Poshmark. It was becoming increasingly clear that this was not a legitimate interaction."
Screen Shot of Messages Received
Furthermore, I realized the item was not
sold, as two steps that quickly occur after a legitimate Poshmark sale did not take place.
(1) A red 'Sold' banner is attached to the sold item and is immediately visible in the seller's listings. An example of the sold banner on another of my sold jackets is shown here.
(2) Poshmark sends an email notification of the sale to the seller. The email is from orders@poshmark.com and includes the pre-paid mailing label.
The absence of these standard sales indicators confirmed my suspicion that the scammer did not purchase the jacket. These details, combined with the other red flags, made the scam increasingly obvious.
But wait, there's more! Towards the end of the message, I was instructed: "Please follow the link below to complete verification." Well, that wasn't going to happen! Realizing this was a clear phishing attempt, and instead of continuing to interact with the scammer via Poshmark messaging, I chose to alert Poshmark. I assumed Poshmark would be communicative and an ally and promptly remove the scammer from their platform. This, unfortunately, did not happen.
Poshmark Support
Poshmark responded to my request for support in a timely manner. However, the response was a string of canned sentences. Here are a few sentences from the email. Given its boilerplate in nature, you can imagine the rest!
Below is a sentence in Poshmark's email that is applicable to what the scammer sent me. Yet, I felt the response did not go far enough to ensure Poshmark isolated this digital duper. I included the bold and my comments are in blue.
"It is likely these comments and/or emails were phishing attempts. Please disregard it. Do not click on any links, provide personal information, or engage with the sender or caller. We will never call to inform you of or confirm changes to your account." (Why is it "likely?" It is more than "likely" as it was clar Poshmark did not send the message to me. It came from the scammer.)
"To determine if the communication is from Poshmark, always verify that emails are from poshmark.com directly. If the sender's email does not end with @poshmark.com, it did not come from Poshmark." (In my note to Poshmark Support did not include anything about an email from a scammer. I reached out about a message on the Poshmark platform).
The combination of seeing my message was not fully addressed, along with fearing Poshmark "newbies" might have clicked on the link, as an honest seller and a Poshmark Ambassador I felt that this scammer should be promptly expelled from Poshmark.
Poshmark ended its email by stating:"Let us know if you have any other questions!" I did indeed respond, and my response concluded with:"Kindly confirm Poshmark has deleted this closet so it won't harm those that trust Poshmark to make Poshmark a safe and law abiding marketplace."
I did not receive a response from Poshmark and I sent a few follow-ups. Still waiting.
As of the date of this post the scammer is still on the Poshmark platform. I'm unsure if Poshmark is understaffed to handle such alerts from diligent sellers such as myself, or simply uninterested in making Poshmark a safe and comfortable platform.
Conclusion
In July 2024 while attending a Poshmark event in New York City I noticed Manish Chandra, Poshmark’s CEO on the terrace. (I had previously seen him interviewed on television.) I approached him, introduced myself and shared my concerns about a few aspects of selling on Poshmark. I found him to be engaged and thoughtful. He was gracious and supportive, expressing his commitment to making Poshmark a more user-friendly n effective platform. I believe he would be interested in the experience I presented in this post, and I hope this will lead to positive changes that will make Poshmark a safer and more trustworthy platform for all users.
My answer to the question:"Is Poshmark taking enough steps to combat scammer and sellers? is no, I do not believe they are doing enough. And since this is a potentially risky selling environment it is crucial for all resellers to remain vigilant, as even experienced sellers are not immune to sophisticated scams. Sharing our experiences can help create a safer environment for everyone. I'm interested in learning what you have been experiencing on resale platforms.
Full Disclosure: The content in my blog is based on my personal opinions and experiences. It is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. All opinions are my own, and I have not received any compensation for writing this post.
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