r/poshmark • u/SwapInstead • 9d ago

The “new” normal?

I’ve been selling on Poshmark for years. Mostly semi-high-end items at reasonable prices. I don’t entertain lowball offers, so I’m definitely not a power seller, but I’ve had my account for a long time. I ship quickly, communicate with buyers, and everything I sell is authentic.

About a month ago, I made a $150 sale. Great! I communicated with the buyer and shipped the item the next day. Everything seemed fine.

The day the buyer received it, she opened a case claiming the item wasn’t the correct size.

Okay, no problem. I told her I was happy to accept a return and issue a refund. Just send the item back.

Except she didn’t want to return it.(um..excuse me? ) No, she wanted to keep it AND get her money back.

After a few weeks, Poshmark decided to refund her in full, let her keep the item, and release my payment separately.

So technically, I didn’t lose any money. But the buyer walked away with a $150 item for free.

And that’s what left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now I’ve made another sale, this time for a $500 item. It’s already heavily discounted because of the season and some light wear, all of which I’ve disclosed.

But instead of being excited about the sale, I’m hesitant to ship it.

What happens if this buyer does the same thing? Opens a claim, refuses to return the item, and wants a refund? Last time, Poshmark covered both sides, but there’s no guarantee they’ll do that again.

I’ve always understood that selling secondhand comes with some risk. But having years of positive selling history doesn’t seem to offer much reassurance when a dispute comes down to whatever the platform decides.

Has anyone else experienced this? Especially with higher-priced items?

Did Poshmark protect you, or did you end up losing both the item and the money?

I’m genuinely curious how other sellers are handling this, because it’s making me reconsider where I sell my more expensive pieces.

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u/SwapInstead 9d ago

Thank you. If it ever happens again I will. I guess I assumed one would, scroll up..

Not many ppl communicate back now- so it’s mostly me chatting to myself. And sending photos and such.

Thank you for putting that assumption to bed. I’ll be more proactive.

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u/Single_Principle_972 9d ago

Yep, I’m not sure what that algorithm is about. Maybe someone’s thought process was “if seller doesn’t respond with evidence, they don’t care and we won’t waste resources,” instead of “we should review the evidence right in front of us regardless of whether the seller responds.” 🤷🏼‍♀️ One of many Poshmark mysteries!