I Tried The Viral Poshmark Consignment Bag Trick: Here's My Honest Review

I’ve always loved the idea of a circular closet. The concept is simple: you make one initial investment into your wardrobe, and instead of endlessly buying and hoarding, you create a system where you sell what you’re no longer wearing and use that money to purchase new pieces. Ideally, your closet pays for itself, and you’re left with a rotation of clothes that always feel fresh, intentional, and guilt-free.

But if you’ve ever tried to pull this off in real life, you know it’s not that easy. A truly circular closet requires a lot of planning. You need high-quality pieces that will actually resell. You need to know the resale market. You need the patience to photograph, list, negotiate, ship, and sometimes even haggle with strangers online. In theory, it’s brilliant. In practice, it can feel like a part-time job.

That’s why when Poshmark announced their new consignment bags, I perked up immediately. This might finally be the time-friendly, “lazy girl” way to make circular fashion work without giving up your weekends to photograph old jeans on your bedroom floor.

How the Poshmark Consignment Bag Works

The idea is refreshingly straightforward. Instead of listing items one by one, you request a consignment bag directly from Poshmark. They send you a giant, prepaid shipping bag. You fill it with your gently used clothes, shoes, or accessories, and drop it off. That’s it.

From there, Poshmark’s team takes care of the hard part. They sort your items, photograph them, create the listings, and sell them through their platform. Once the sales roll in, you get paid out a percentage of the earnings.

In other words: it’s decluttering, reselling, and sustainable fashion, all without ever having to learn what a “flat lay” means (iykyk).

My Secret to Guaranteeing a Flip

Here’s the part that made this experiment actually work: I didn’t just use my closet cast-offs. I went to Goodwill bins and spent a few hours digging for treasures. If you’ve never been, Goodwill bins are exactly what they sound like: huge containers of clothing sold by weight. It’s a treasure hunt, and you never know what you’ll find.

And I struck gold. I found gently used items from brands like J.Crew, Lulus, and Levi’s, most for just a dollar or two each. By focusing on recognizable, desirable brands, I knew my bag would have a much higher chance of selling. After a few trips, I had 30 items ready to go, more than enough to fill a Poshmark consignment bag.

This step was crucial. While you can send in your old clothes, sending high-quality, on-trend items significantly increases the likelihood of a quick flip. It’s the difference between a bag that sits unsold for months and a bag that actually earns you money.

Why It Works for Women Like Me

Here’s the honest truth: I love the idea of participating in the resale market, but I don’t love the logistics. I’m not a natural saleswoman, I don’t have the eye for product photography, and I don’t particularly enjoy bartering with strangers over whether my vintage Zara coat is worth $25 or $35.

And yet, I do love the idea of extending the life cycle of my wardrobe. I love the thrill of knowing I can buy something beautiful without guilt because it’s not wasteful. I love that selling an old dress might pay for a new one. And I love knowing that I’m reducing waste and contributing to a healthier, more sustainable fashion economy for myself and everyone else.

The consignment bag feels like the perfect bridge. It removes the biggest friction point for women who want to be part of circular fashion but simply don’t have the time or patience to resell piece by piece.

The Experiment: Sending Out My Bag

Once I had my 30 items from Goodwill bins and a few closet cast-offs, I filled the Poshmark consignment bag and shipped it off. I didn’t even have to worry about the label; I simply placed the bag in the lobby of the building where I live and it was picked up. The process was shockingly fast. Within days, the Poshmark reseller I was paired with had photographed, listed, and priced everything.

Within a month or so, sales started rolling in. I wasn’t making a fortune, but the cash was steady, and Poshmark gives you the option of using it as store credit or depositing it into your bank account. The mix of affordable thrifted finds and slightly higher-end closet items guaranteed a flip. This is key if you want your bag to earn money.

The Circular Closet, Simplified

Fashion writers often romanticize the concept of a capsule wardrobe: 30 pieces, perfectly curated, versatile enough to mix and match into endless outfits. But the capsule concept can feel rigid. A circular closet, however, is much more forgiving.

The idea isn’t that you need to live with only 30 items forever. It’s that your closet is in constant rotation; it changes and constantly adapts. You buy pieces you love. You let go of pieces you don’t. You reinvest the money back into your wardrobe and ideally, nothing sits idle for long.

The Poshmark consignment bag makes this feel realistic, even for women who aren’t minimalists or spreadsheet queens. You don’t have to be ruthlessly disciplined. You just need to be willing to fill a bag once in a while and curate smartly.

The Pros

• It saves time. Listing clothes online can take hours. With the consignment bag, you’re done in ten minutes.

• It’s clutter-friendly. Instead of staring at a pile of “I’ll sell it someday” clothes, you actually get them out of your house.

• It extends the life of your wardrobe. Instead of ending up in a landfill, your clothes get a second home.

• It’s financially rewarding. You won’t retire off the earnings, but it feels great to see forgotten clothes and even thrifted bargains turn into cash.

The Cons

• You earn less than selling it yourself. Because the assigned Poshmark seller does the work, they take a 50% cut of the sales.

• Not everything sells. Some items might be donated if they don’t sell after a while.

• The waiting game. Your payout isn’t immediate; it depends on when your items sell.

• But for me, the convenience and peace of mind far outweigh the drawbacks. I’d rather earn slightly less and actually follow through than sit on a pile of clothes I’ll never get around to listing.

Why This Matters for Women

The resale market is booming. ThredUp estimates that the secondhand apparel market will grow to $350 billion globally by 2027. Yet many women are left out simply because they don’t have the bandwidth to be full-time resellers.

Poshmark’s consignment bags open the door for women who want to be part of this reseller boom, but on simpler terms. We get to participate in circular fashion without sacrificing our evenings and weekends. We get to contribute to sustainability without burning out. And we get to benefit financially in a way that is still worthwhile.

And the Program Is Getting Better

This is a new program and, like most new initiatives, it’s had its fair share of growing pains. Poshmark resellers (a.k.a. the people responsible for listing the items) have voiced concerns that storing all the inventory can be difficult. Some even felt the bags weren’t worth their time or space, especially when they were filled with low-value pieces.

In response, Poshmark now requires users to include five photos and a brief description of the items they’re sending in. This allows resellers to decide whether they want to accept a bag or not. In the long run, this adjustment should make the entire Poshmark experience smoother and more rewarding. By setting a higher bar for submissions, the platform naturally attracts higher-quality items, which means buyers, sellers, and consignment resellers all stand to benefit.

Practical Tips for a Successful Poshmark Consignment Bag

1. Shop strategically at thrift stores. Goodwill bins and thrift stores are treasure troves. Look for brands that you know will sell for more than what they are being sold for, and other on-trend or classic labels. Items that are desirable and inexpensive guarantee a better flip.

2. Curate intentionally. For your closet cast-offs, be sure you are getting rid of things that have some value. If it's just a Gap black T-shirt, you may be better off either keeping it or donating it to Goodwill. And for thrifted finds, most thrift store items will be too expensive to make this worthwhile, so try to find the Goodwill Outlet or something similar to find good items for a dollar or two.

3. Check the condition carefully. Ensure clothes are clean, unstained, and wearable. Small defects can affect resale potential.

4. Consider sizing and trends. Popular sizes and seasonal pieces sell faster.

5. Be patient. Some items may sell immediately; others may take weeks. The circular closet is about flow, not speed.

6. Reinvest earnings. Use your cash to buy items you’ll actually wear. That keeps the cycle alive and your wardrobe fresh.

For years, I’ve dreamed of a wardrobe that pays for itself. I wanted a system where I could shop without guilt, sell without stress, and always keep my closet feeling fresh. I’ve also been into thrifting for a long time, and with Poshmark’s consignment bags and a little strategic treasure hunting at Goodwill bins, I finally made the circular closet system work. It’s practical, achievable, and even a little addictive.

A circular closet isn’t just about what you own; it’s about how your clothes, and your money, flow in the least wasteful way possible. And thanks to a simple Poshmark consignment bag, a few thrifted treasures, and intentional curation, mine finally does.