I started hosting Poshmark live shows. My monthly sales jumped from $700 to $10,000 and the money has been life-changing.

• Alex Mahl started selling clothing on Poshmark as a side hustle in 2015.
• Last year, she started hosting live shows, which pushed her monthly sales from $700 to $10,000.

This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Alex Mahl, a 26-year-old seller on Poshmark, a resale marketplace that allows people to buy and sell new and used clothing, shoes, accessories, and home goods.

Mahl, who lives on Long Island, New York, has made more than $110,000 in sales on Poshmark since she started selling as a side hustle in 2015. Last year, she began hosting live shows on the app. Insider verified her income with documentation.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

It all started with a snowstorm

I was born to side hustle.

My passion has always been fashion. I started with Poshmark in 2015 while I was in high school. We had a bad snowstorm, and I was stuck at home, so I listed nine Free People thermals. I sold all nine shirts that day and made $400. So I started tearing apart my closet and told myself I was going to list one item a day.

Now I list 30 items a day. I've gotten the hang of Poshmark's algorithm: The more you list, the more you sell. But it can be unpredictable, and sales come in waves.

That's why I'm glad I still have my day job. I work in the accounting department at a law firm and have been there for five years.

Since I started on Poshmark, I've made $111,031 in sales. Last year, I made $35,567 in sales, and this year, I've had $50,120 in sales.

Live shows have led to life-changing money, but I'm not quitting my full-time job

Live shows on Poshmark have led to life-changing money for me. I was making $700 a month in sales consistently from 2020 to 2021. When I got access to live shows at the end of last year, I went from selling $700 a month to $10,000. And that's doing it part time, three live shows a week.

I've never lived paycheck to paycheck, thankfully. But before the live shows, I was very cautious about my expenses. All my friends were getting married, but I didn't always go to everyone's bachelorette party. That's where I was this past weekend. Now if I want to spend $100 on a dress, I can. If I want to splurge on a Chanel bag, I can and it won't hurt me.

As of April, I had $50,000 in sales this year, but that's not profit. That's just what I've sold, which is before Poshmark fees, expenses, and the time I put into it. The profit in my pocket was $17,000 when I last looked.

Yeah, it's a salary, but it's not a salary for me to walk away from my full-time job. I'd rather have both.

I make my live shows personal and entertaining

My shows are very personal. I respond to every single comment. I always have three water bottles next to me because I'm talking the entire time. There's never a silent moment. We're talking about our dogs or a bad experience or whatever.

On average, I have 50 people watching. My highest was 106. I usually go from 9 p.m. to midnight. Sometimes I go until 1 or 2 a.m., and I have to get up for work the next day.

The number of items you sell in a show is way more than what you're selling on a daily basis. I'm averaging 35 items a night. People are willing to spend way more during the live shows than they normally would, and I think it's because they're fighting for that item.

I have these two girls who call each other the size-6 rivals. It's always a bidding war between them whenever I get size-6 items.

I've gotten to know my audience very well, so they're willing to spend because they know I'm finding what they're looking for.

I've created a community of fashion-loving friends

It's not all about the money. It's nice, but I've created my own community on Poshmark with these live shows. I call them my friends because I feel like that's what they are.

It's like this little community of girls and guys who bond over fashion. Some people are there to buy; some people are there just to hang out on Sunday and have their wine.

I feel like I'm talking to my best friends. They know my whole life. I have two English bulldogs and one has eye issues. I told everyone the story, and these people have been reaching out to me and asking how Nico's doing. These people care about me, and I care about them.

If I'm personal with them, they come back. They trust me. And then the community just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I have a customer who lives in California and invited me to her house. And I might go!