How to Write a Listing That Sells

4 min read

Most listings fail before anyone reads the description. They fail at the title, or they bury the one fact a buyer needs, or they leave out the fault that would have saved everyone a wasted trip. Here is what actually gets an item sold, in the order a buyer reads it.

Write the title the way people search, not the way you'd describe it to a friend

Buyers search classifieds the same way they search anything else: brand, model, size, sometimes colour. "Selling my old bed frame, great condition!!" tells a search engine and a buyer nothing. "Queen Bed Frame, Solid Timber, Good Condition" tells them everything they need to decide whether to click.

Lead with the noun. Then the identifying details in the order a buyer would type them:

Brand and model, if it has one (a washing machine, a pram, a power tool, a bike)
Size or capacity (queen, 3-seater, 7kg, 10L)
Condition, in one word (new, near new, good, used, for parts)

Skip the exclamation marks, skip "must go", skip "make an offer" in the title. None of that is a search term and none of it earns a click on its own. Save the enthusiasm for the description if you want it there at all.

Lead the description with the facts, not the backstory

Nobody needs to know why you're selling it before they know what it is. Open with brand, model, size and condition again in full sentences, then move straight into specifics: age, how much it's been used, whether it comes with original accessories, box, cables, manual or warranty.

If it's furniture or anything with dimensions, put the measurements in the first paragraph, not buried at the bottom. "1.8m long, 0.9m deep, 0.75m high" saves a buyer measuring their doorway and their car boot, and saves you a no-show when it turns out not to fit.

Disclose faults. It is the single biggest lever you have

This is the part sellers skip and it is the part that costs them the most time. If there's a scratch, a stain, a crack, a part that doesn't work, a missing piece, say so, and say roughly where. Buyers who know exactly what they're getting turn up and buy. Buyers who find an undisclosed fault in person walk away, and you've lost an afternoon and the buyer, and the next buyer will read your reply to "any issues?" and wonder what else you didn't mention.

Honest fault disclosure also filters your enquiries. Someone who reads "small chip on the back leg, not visible when assembled" and still messages you is a real buyer. That's worth more than ten tyre-kickers who show up and negotiate down over something you didn't mention.

Say exactly what pickup involves

State the suburb or general area (not your full address until you've arranged a meet), whether the item is heavy or needs two people, whether it's flat-packed or assembled, and whether you can help load it. If it needs a trailer or a van, say so in the listing, not after someone's driven over with a hatchback.

If you're open to delivery for a fee, or you can meet partway, say that too. It widens your buyer pool without you having to answer the same question by message twenty times.

Price to the market, not to what you paid

The price you paid, what it cost new, or what you "think it's worth" are not the same number as what it will sell for. Buyers are comparing your listing against every other similar item currently listed nearby, not against your receipt. Have a look at what comparable items in similar condition are actually listed for right now before you settle on a number.

Price tiers roughly track condition: new/unused close to retail, near-new a clear step down, good used well below that, and anything with real wear or faults priced to reflect the work or risk the buyer is taking on. If you're not sure which tier your item sits in, price toward the lower end of your range. An item priced right sells in days; an item priced hopefully sits for months and ends up selling for less anyway once you're tired of it.

Skip "OBO" and never leave the price blank

"OBO" (or best offer) and no price at all both do the same damage: they signal you haven't done the work of pricing the item, and they invite every lowball offer going. A blank price field also gets filtered out by buyers scanning a category by price range, so you're invisible to anyone comparing options.

Put a real number on it. If you're genuinely flexible, you can still say so in the description ("open to reasonable offers") without leaving the headline price blank or vague. A firm number with room to move in conversation performs better than an open-ended question.

What a strong listing looks like end to end

Title: brand, model, size, condition
Opening line: what it is, condition, age, what's included
Specifics: dimensions, capacity, accessories, any warranty remaining
Faults: named plainly, with rough location
Pickup: area, access needs, whether you can help load
Price: a real number, priced against comparable current listings

That's the whole job. None of it takes long once you've actually looked at the item and written down what's true about it. It's the listings that skip a step, usually the price or the faults, that sit unsold or turn into wasted meet-ups.

When you're ready, list it at /sell and check the current /rules before you post. Browse /listings in your category first if you want a quick read on what a well-priced, well-photographed listing in your area looks like right now.