Mom made $735K selling on Poshmark and Social Media with No Upfront Investment

• Mona Mejia (44), was a stay at-home mom when Poshmark allowed her to start reselling in 2015.
• Last year, she made $735,000 selling social media livestreams as well as through brand partnerships. 
• She is confident that others can achieve similar success, but it takes time. 

Mona Mejia worked full-time before 2015 taking care of her children. 

The mother of a 44-year-old Houston mom has a net income of $735,000 according to documents from Insider. She makes a living selling new and gently used clothing, household goods, and toys via social media. 

She claims she has never spent a dollar outside of her own pocket to start her business. She began with only the clothes in her closet. She later used her earnings for additional inventory to be sold at a markup. 

Mejia said that “when I talk about all we’ve been through, I’m still stunned about it from where it started to now.”

Mejia is among millions of Americans looking for ways to make ends met without relying on traditional 9-to-5 jobs. The highest number of business applications filed by Americans in 2021 was five million, which is more than any year since 2005. A 2021 Upwork study found that 59 million Americans — or 36% of the US workforce — had performed freelance work over the prior 12 months. Others, like Mejia, have found ways to start businesses of their own. These lifestyles have their challenges but they have given some Americans the chance to finally make it financially. 

Mona Mejia

“Everything was selling very quickly”

Mejia and her family were in dire need of an additional income to help them supplement their husband’s earnings in 2015. She described it as a “really difficult time.” “You don’t know where you’re going to eat.”

Her sister introduced her to Poshmark and she started selling items from her own closet. 

She remembers her first sale — a dress — which sold for $36 after 11 hours. She noticed that everything was selling quickly and that real money was coming in when she started listing more items.

Two years in, Mejia’s husband had open heart surgery and wasn’t able to work — the responsibility fell on her to support the family, and she took her efforts to another level. As Mejia branched out to other reselling platforms, she says the $100-200 she was earning per week turned into $1,000 — translating to nearly $50,000 in total earnings in her first year. 

It wasn’t until roughly a year ago, however — when she started selling on livestreams through Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, that her business really took off. She estimates that social media now accounts for the majority of her income, even though she made $23,000 last year through Poshmark. 

Although her husband’s health has improved, he is now able to help his wife run her business. They now have a home they own and they send their two children to college with no student loans. 

“The more you sell, the more money your business will make.”

Mejia went through her closet and took her earnings to go to yard sales and clearance areas to find bargain products that she could resell. That included clothes, shoes, home goods, kids items, accessories, jewelry — “pretty much everything.” You can find items from as low as $15-20 up to as much as $1,300-$1,400 on a Chanel bag or Louis Vuitton bag.

Although she still visits yard sales and stores, bulk orders are her preferred method of buying at a discount from different vendors. 

Mejia then lists most products at around 40% off their market rates, or what a customer would spend in a store.  According to Mejia, reselling platforms offer large discounts. Anthropologie sells a dress she bought for $30 that was once hers. 

She says that despite discounting, she is able to keep high levels of profitability through only selling items she purchased at particularly low rates.

However, in a rare case, she remembers making a profit of a pair “flamingos & frogs” pants she bought at a yard sale for $1. She thought, “These are horrible but I’m going for it.” They were sold at $100 

Mejia believes she doesn’t have a special talent in choosing the right products to sell and that listing more will make you more. 

“Everything sells,” she said, adding that the shift to e-commerce when the pandemic began has fueled sales — which have risen 50% vs. pre-pandemic levels.

Mona Mejia

It’s my favorite thing. It’s my addiction.”

Mejia claims she works eight to ten hour days on her business. But, she really is working “all day” and “24/7.”

In her first apartment of one-bedroom, she recalled stuffing boxes into the corner of the kitchen and dining area before the boxes were shipped to customers. Now, they have a home with six-bedrooms, two of which — an “inventory” and “listing” room — are used to store future shipments. 

She lists at least 100 items each day, but it’s the evenings — when customers tend to buy — that are especially busy. She says she stays up till 3:00 AM to ensure shipments get out the door — then wakes up at 7:30 to start the next day. 

She stated, “There’s no stopping. It’s okay.” It is my passion. It’s an addiction for me.”

Mejia thinks anyone can find success as a reseller but emphasizes that it takes hard work and commitment — it took her seven years to get where she is now. She says that while many people give up, perseverance is what can make a difference. 

“Many people can see where I am right now. They’re like, “Oh, I want that right now,” she said. “It will eventually happen, but it won’t happen overnight. It’s okay to not give up. Just keep listing. 

While her social media followers of thousands are helpful, she states that you don’t necessarily need a huge following to make a lot of money.

Mejia claims she signed deals with Torrid and Target because of her sales success. She is paid to promote and wear their clothing via social media. These deals are what earned her $735,000 last year.

She intends to keep going full steam ahead in her business. She has seen sales increase by 30% in the past six months and plans to open a “pop up” store next January in Houston. To assist her, she’s looking to hire three people in December.  

She said that she loves what she does and that working is the only way to keep growing.