We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carly Oishi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carly below.
Carly, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
I have always understood the importance of reviews when it comes to running a business. The problem is, when you are new, if you receive one bad rating, it drags down your overall score, which in turn, affects your sales going forward. Honest mistakes can be made and some customers will never be satisfied. This was especially true for me as a reseller since almost all of my items were used. You can take photos and write accurate descriptions and someone will still find a flaw. This is what happened to me when I was selling books through Amazon FBA. Another thing that happens is the race to the bottom with pricing. Bigger sellers with a lot of inventory and more money can afford to drop their prices to win a bid. I liken it to being an independent owned shop trying to go up against Walmart. Having the same inventory means you will most likely lose every time. Trying to find those diamond in the rough thrift items is not something you can rely on.
Carly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Like many people during the pandemic, I started looking into side hustles. I had recently joined TikTok and my For You Page started showing me videos of people reselling books on eBay and Amazon. While it didn’t look easy, it did seem within reach. This type of reselling had been going on for awhile, so finding free tutorials and advice was not a problem. There was even equipment you could purchase specifically for this type of buying. I decided to take the plunge. While building this small business, I had a full-time job in a nonprofit. I had been there almost four years, but they handled the pandemic really poorly. I needed to quit, but as the breadwinner couldn’t do that without a back up plan. I found a contract position that didn’t pay much, but would at least allow me find a more permanent solution knowing I only had to commit for for six months. I also knew I had book reselling to fall back on. Basically, it was up to me to work harder if I wanted to earn more. There was definitely a learning curve. I have no book keeping skills and did not do a good job of tracking expenses or inventory. Amazon takes a hefty portion of sales, plus you are competing with other resellers on the site. After several months, I got a bad rating, which dragged my overall number down. I had a really eye opening realization at how fragile this system was. It would not take much for me to “go out of business” from the push of a button. I pivoted to selling clothes on Poshmark. I loved to thrift shop and buying clothing and shoes was a lot more fun than books. Again, I looked to TikTok and YouTube for pointers, learning the importance of photography, lighting, pricing, keywords, etc. I had to learn about different brands and styles, sizes and ROI. I was still doing a really bad job from an administrative perspective, but I was making money and for the most part, I was having fun. Things really started to change when Poshmark was acquired by a Korean tech company called Naver. Live auctions are very popular in places like Asia, so they went all in on this concept. In my spare time, I have produced live literature shows in Chicago and played in a band, so being in front of an audience was not a problem. I first dipped a toe in live auctions when I got accepted on to Whatnot, which had been around awhile, but started getting more attention from resellers of clothing and accessories. The problem is, it’s basically impossible to bring over customers from Poshmark to another selling platform due to their rules. I had a really good following on Posh, but could not get enough people to view my Whatnot shows. Sitting in front of your phone for hours with no sales was really defeating and I didn’t want to put myself through it. So I was thrilled with Posh finally launched their live auction feature. I also figured out that trying to sell clothing and shoes had too many variables attached to it. Who knows if the viewers that stopped in would like the brands, colors, or styles of your inventory and even more importantly, if they were the right size. I decided to resell designer purses as they are not seasonal and are not restricted by size. Also, people are brand loyal and there aren’t a ton of them, so I could really focus my efforts on certain ones. I had decent success and it felt good to have regular customers, all of whom were supportive (in the chat function). But because it’s an auction, figuring out starting prices, how long to run your auctions, what days and times were best, etc. was a lot. It was also ever changing because more and more people were selling this way. I tried to branch out by making my own bag charms. It was a really fun, creative outlet, but again, I was not moving enough products to justify the time and cost. I think a big mistake a lot of resellers make is not taking into account how much time they spend to do this kind of work. We don’t “pay ourselves”. While I still sell on Poshmark, I don’t do live shows as much anymore. I want to go back to it when I have a more well thought out plan. Oh and maybe I should learn better book keeping skills.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
When I was doing live auctions on Poshmark once or twice a week, my goal was to try to get as many potential buyers in as possible. While I wasn’t the most popular live seller, I did garner a loyal group of customers. While I know my reasonable (sometimes ridiculously low) prices were the main draw, I think having a sense of humor and being generous and kind goes a long way. Not everyone is “made for t.v.” and while I’m not trying to compare myself to professional actor, having stage presence goes a long way. So does being relatable and a little self deprecating. I liked to joke about being Gen X and having a kid, but also sharing that my life wasn’t cookie cutter either. I did my best to support other sellers, giving shoutouts and encouraging buyers who also sold on the platform to promote their closets and shows in my chat. I had a lot of freebies and giveaways, which I loved doing. The latter is probably why I wasn’t as successful as I could have been in terms of profit, but I was comfortable with the loss. It’s hard to be in an industry dominated by women because there is a tendency to become really competitive which then turns into cattiness. But if you can avoid that and stand out as someone who is not there to dominate or defeat others, your reputation can take you far.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
There are now quite a few choices when it comes to reselling platforms. Places like eBay have been around for decades and then there are newer ones like Grailed. Each of them has their pros and cons,but when it comes down to it, I think it’s more a matter of preference than anything else. Some will argue that you should pick the platform that results in the most profit, but it’s not that simple. For me, Poshmark has been the easiest. Shipping is straightforward. I find their phone app easy to use and navigate. While I hate listing items, Poshmark makes it less labor intensive. Being able to use USPS’ free shipping supplies has been great, especially when they can be delivered to your house. Plus, they basically have a no return policy and tend to side with sellers, which is uncommon. People complain about how the searches work and many are very upset out live auctions, but neither of those things bother me. I should say that as a part-time seller, my views on this may differ because my livelihood does not depend on sales.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poshmark.com/closet/ohisshe
- Instagram: @carlyocomedy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carly.oishi/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyoishi/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carlyocomedy
