September 7, 2026 · 9 min read
Learning how to write a listing description starts with accepting an uncomfortable fact: almost nobody reads them. A marketplace shopper scans a grid of thumbnails, taps the ones that look promising, and spends a handful of seconds looking for a few specific facts. If those facts are present and easy to find, they message you. If they have to hunt, they leave, because the next listing is one swipe away.
So the job of a description is not persuasion. It is removing reasons to leave. Every question a buyer has to ask is a delay, and every delay is a chance for them to buy something else instead.
The six facts every buyer is scanning for
- What exactly is it? Brand, model, size, capacity, dimensions.
- What condition is it in? Including the flaws, stated plainly.
- Why is it available? One clause. It answers the unspoken question about what is wrong with it.
- What is included? Cables, hardware, remotes, original box, spare parts.
- Where and how do I get it? Neighbourhood or cross streets, pickup or delivery, whether you help load.
- How do I pay? Cash, and which apps.
A description that supplies all six in a scannable shape outperforms a beautifully written paragraph that buries three of them. That is the whole game.
The title formula
The title does more work than the description, because it is the only text most shoppers ever read. Use brand, then model, then key specification, then item type, then a condition qualifier.
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Nice couch | West Elm Harmony 82in Sofa — Gray Velvet, Excellent |
| Kids bike | Trek Precaliber 20in Kids Bike — Blue, Recently Tuned |
| Drill and stuff | DeWalt 20V Cordless Drill — 2 Batteries, Charger, Case |
Front-load the searchable words, because titles truncate in grid view and brand and model must survive the cut. Write the words buyers type rather than the words manufacturers use — sectional and L-shaped couch both belong in a listing for the same object, one in the title and one in the body. Skip all-caps and emoji stacks, which read as low quality and are suppressed on some platforms. Leave “OBO” out of the title, since it invites lowballs before anyone has read your price. And add the qualifier that matters for the category: size for clothing, dimensions for furniture, capacity for storage, year for tools and appliances.
If you are writing dozens of these at once, the per-item math changes fast — see how to list 500 items.
The five-block description template
Keep it under about 120 words, and use line breaks rather than paragraphs. Open with a one-line hook naming the item and its single best quality. Follow with three to six specification bullets covering dimensions, model, age, material and capacity. Then a condition line in plain language with flaws named and located. Then what is included. Then logistics: pickup area, availability windows and payment methods.
Filled in, that reads like: solid oak dining table seating six, eight with the leaf; 72 by 38 inches, 96 with the leaf inserted; solid white oak rather than veneer; bought in 2021 from a local maker; four matching chairs included. Condition very good, with two light scratches on the right end of the top, visible in photo four, no wobble and no water rings. Includes the leaf, all chairs and the original hardware. Pickup in the Riverside neighbourhood, evenings and weekends, cash or a payment app, and bring two people and a truck because it is heavy.
Under a hundred words, that answers all six facts and pre-empts the four questions this seller would otherwise get by message: is it real wood, is there damage, does the leaf come with it, and will it fit in an SUV.
Describe flaws on purpose
The instinct is to omit the scratch. Do the opposite, for three practical reasons. It kills the no-show, because a buyer who discovers damage in your driveway walks and you have lost an evening. It makes everything else credible, since a located, photographed flaw tells a reader the rest of the description is honest. And it ends the negotiation early, because disclosed and priced-in damage is much harder to reopen as a discount at pickup.
Name the flaw, locate it, and point to the photo that shows it. Photograph flaws deliberately — the shot list in how to photograph items to sell online includes them for exactly this reason. Keep condition words consistent too: new means unused with tags or seal intact, like new means used briefly with no visible wear, excellent means light wear you would not notice across the room, good means normal use with disclosed minor marks, fair means visible wear or a functional quirk priced accordingly, and for parts means it does not work as intended and you have said what is wrong.
Words and phrases that cost you sales
- Must go ASAP, moving Friday, need gone today. Every one is an invitation to offer half. Urgency belongs in your pricing schedule, not your copy — see how to have a moving sale for how to structure that properly.
- OBO and make me an offer. Both set your real price below your listed price before anyone messages.
- No lowballers, serious inquiries only. These filter out polite buyers and not rude ones. A firm price line does the same job without the tone.
- Retails for $899. Original retail is nearly irrelevant to used value and reads as a justification. Price against comparable used listings instead, as in how much is it worth.
- Smoke free home, as the entire description. A useful detail, not a substitute for one.
- Walls of unbroken text. If it looks like a paragraph, it does not get read.
One phrase worth keeping is “price is firm” — if it is true, and if your price is defensible. It saves both sides a round trip.
Category templates
For furniture, lead with brand, item, dimensions and material, then purchase year, the key feature such as reclining or extending, and assembly status. Close with the condition grade, the located flaw, your neighbourhood and availability, whether you help load, and that the buyer transports.
For electronics, lead with brand, model, capacity and generation, then state that it is fully functional, factory reset and unlinked from your account, with battery health or hours used and what is included. Offer to power it on and demonstrate before payment. That unlinking line is not boilerplate: an activation-locked phone, tablet or watch is unsellable, and buyers who have been burned once will ask.
For clothing, shoes and accessories, lead with brand, item, size and material, then how it fits relative to size, the actual measurements, and how often it was worn. Note any pilling, missing buttons or sole wear, whether the home is smoke or pet free, and whether you will ship.
Adapting one description across platforms
Write it once, then adjust the edges. Facebook Marketplace rewards short, scannable copy and complete category fields, which feed search filters more than the body text does. Craigslist rewards specificity and keywords, because search is text driven with no structured attributes to lean on. eBay rewards item specifics far more than prose, so fill every attribute field and keep the body short. OfferUp and Nextdoor are local and casual, so lead with the neighbourhood and pickup window. The core five blocks survive all four; only the emphasis moves. The platform-by-platform strengths are broken down in Facebook Marketplace alternatives.
Listing descriptions: common questions
How long should a listing description be?
Roughly sixty to one hundred and twenty words, broken into short blocks with line breaks rather than one paragraph. That is long enough to cover the facts buyers scan for and short enough that it does not read as a wall of text and get skipped. Anything that looks like an essay gets ignored on a phone.
What should I include in a listing description?
Exact item identity with brand and model, dimensions or size, approximate age, condition with any flaws named and located, what is included in the box, your pickup area and availability, and the payment methods you accept. Those seven facts remove nearly every question a buyer would otherwise have to message you about, and every message you avoid is a delay you avoid.
Should I mention flaws in my listing?
Yes, always, with the location of the flaw and a photo that shows it. Disclosed damage prevents the buyer who walks away in your driveway, it makes the rest of your description credible, and it stops the flaw being reopened as a discount demand at pickup. Hiding a scratch costs you an evening, not a sale.
Do I need a different description for each marketplace?
No. Write one description in five blocks and adjust the emphasis per platform. Fill in every structured attribute field on eBay and Facebook Marketplace because those feed search filters, lean on descriptive keywords on Craigslist because its search is text driven, and lead with the neighbourhood and pickup window on local apps.
Does the listing title matter more than the description?
Yes. The title is the only text most shoppers ever read and it is what platform search matches against. Lead with brand, model and the key specification, front-load the searchable words because titles truncate in grid view, and let the body carry everything else.
Can AI write my listing descriptions?
It can write a good first draft, identifying the item from a photo and producing the specification, condition and logistics blocks in a consistent structure. You still supply the things only you can see, such as the scratch on the right end and your pickup window, and you confirm the price before anything publishes.
Let the first draft write itself
Writing one good description takes ten minutes. Writing sixty takes a weekend you do not have. ZaZooomIt photographs the work out of it: point your camera at an item and it identifies what it is, drafts a keyword-forward title and a structured description, and suggests a price from comparable local listings. You edit what only you know — the scratch on the right end, the pickup window — and publish to one shareable page or send it out to the marketplaces you already use.