The Photo Gets the Click. The Description Gets the Sale.
Most sellers spend all their energy on photos and then dash off two sentences of description. That's backwards. A buyer who's genuinely interested will read everything you wrote, and what you say, or don't say, is often what tips them toward buying or moving on.
You don't need to be a copywriter. You just need to answer the questions a buyer would ask if they were standing in front of the item.
Start With What It Is, Specifically
Skip the vague opener. Don't write "Beautiful vintage lamp in great condition." Write "1960s Laurel Mushroom table lamp, brass stem, original linen shade, working condition."
Specificity builds trust immediately. It also helps your listing surface in searches, because buyers searching for a Laurel lamp won't find your listing if you only wrote "vintage lamp."
If you don't know the exact maker or period, say so honestly: "Maker unknown, style consistent with mid-century American, circa 1950s-60s." That's still useful information.
Cover the Condition Honestly
This is the section most sellers rush or skip. Buyers are wary of surprises, especially for shipping purchases. Cover these points:
- Overall condition: excellent, very good, good, fair
- Specific flaws: a scratch on the base, a hairline crack, missing hardware
- What still works: all original parts, tested and functional, etc.
Listing flaws upfront doesn't hurt your sale. It actually helps, because buyers factor condition into their offer, and a seller who's honest about wear is a seller buyers trust.
Add the Dimensions
Always. Height, width, depth, weight if it's heavy. Buyers need to know if it fits through a door, on a shelf, or in a shipping box. Missing dimensions is one of the top reasons buyers don't complete a purchase.
Give a Little Context, Just a Little
A sentence or two of background can help a buyer connect with a piece. "This sideboard came from a 1940s craftsman home in Portland and was used as the family's primary dining storage for decades." That's not fluff. It tells a buyer something about provenance and use history.
Don't invent history you don't know. But if you have real context, share it. It adds character to the listing.
Mention What's Included
Are original papers included? A box? A matching piece? Keys? These details matter and are easy to forget. "Includes original hang tag and manufacturer's certificate" can meaningfully increase buyer confidence for watches and collectibles.
A Note on AI-Generated Descriptions
Tappraise drafts a full description for each item you photograph, pulling from its identification and research. It's a solid starting point, and for straightforward items you may not need to change much. But you have full control to edit, and for items with real provenance or specific condition notes, adding your own detail will always make the listing stronger. The AI doesn't know that the lamp sat on your grandmother's reading table for forty years. You do.
The Short Version
A strong listing description:
- Names the item precisely
- States condition clearly, flaws included
- Gives dimensions
- Notes what's included
- Adds a sentence of real context if you have it
Five minutes of writing can be the difference between a listing that sits and one that sells.