Search Tips

Deadstock is one of the best specific keywords to use because it helps you find unworn, brand-new vintage items that still have their original tags. Who knew? 

What is the primary category you are focusing on? These are some keywords to consider...e.g., 90s streetwear, mid-century furniture, estate jewelry. 

Who is your target audience? Using keywords such as these could create an even narrower decoding...absolute beginners or experienced collectors. 

Buyer Shipping Tips

Poshmark has the best shipping rates I have found for packages under 5 lbs.  Poshmark uses the postal service's Ground Advantage shipping rates which includes $100 worth of insurance plus free tracking. Their shipping charge for items less than 5 lbs. is $6.49 in 2026 opposed to the 2025 shipping rate of $8.27. That is a real deal!  Even small packages with USPS can be around $8.00 or $9.00 or more depending on weight and zoning differences in the USA. 

 You can put quite a bit in a box under 5 lbs.  By the way, that rate is for the continental USA.  All zones are the same for that rate. 

For example, California is on the other side of the country from the State of Georgia where orders from me would ship.  Using regular shipping rates with other online shippers such as Ebay, Etsy, etc., shipping rates can get expensive especially when considering a long distance from the shipper to delivery.

Delivery times for Ground - Advantage shipping with USPS:

Delivery Window: 2–5 business days for most domestic packages. Longer distances or remote locations (like Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories) may take extra time. Hazardous materials or live animals may take 2–8 business days. 

Delivery Days: Deliveries happen Monday through Saturday. Saturdays count as a regular delivery day at no extra cost. Sundays and federal holidays are not business days. 

CHRISTMAS SEASON

Shipping costs especially during the Christmas season (a few weeks before and after Christmas) can greatly increase for that long of a distance.  Caution should be exercised when determining shipping rates during the Christmas season. If you can order before the timeframe of two weeks before and two weeks after Christmas, you can save real money.

SHIPPING ON ETSY

Etsy promotes greater search results for shops that offer "free shipping" which can mean more sales.  If a seller doesn't want to offer free shipping, Etsy strongly promotes not charging more than $5.99 for shipping.  Although that price is attractive to many online buyers and promoting sales, the seller still could be left with the extra shipping costs beyond $5.99.  And, many times in my experience that is the case.  A shipping flat rate of$5.99 is still a very practicable amount to pay in 2026. 

Etsy offers discounted shipping due to the volume of shipping labels purchased on Etsy from Sellers.  These shipping rates are explained in greater detail below:

• Commercial vs. Retail Rates: When you purchase Etsy Shipping Labels, you pay discounted commercial rates negotiated with carriers like USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Canada Post rather than what you would pay walking up to a retail counter. 

• Varying Percentages: The exact discount depends heavily on the mail class, package weight, dimensions, and distance (zones), often saving anywhere from a small amount to significant percentages compared to un-discounted retail prices. 

• Automatic Features: Etsy automatically applies special money-saving tiers (such as USPS Cubic pricing for small, heavy boxes) when your package dimensions qualify. 

PIRATE SHIP

Another website to check for better shipping rates is Pirate Ship. Pirate Ship is a free, web-based shipping software that lets you buy and print discounted shipping labels for the United States Postal Service (USPS) and United Parcel Service (UPS).  Pirate Ship boasts saving up to 87% off  on their website: "Save up to 87% off USPS & UPS rates with their free shipping software." It would be worth it to use the software to try and discover cheaper shipping rates.