Crafting a good listing title & description
The importance of a good listing title & Description
It is important to have a good title and description for your listing to allow it to be found by potential buyers. On most platforms, there is a search function where users can type in words, and the platform will bring up listings that best match the search. Some platforms may also pull information from the description or other fields so it is important to fill these out with the correct information.
The description for your listing is also a great way to communicate with potential buyers and convince them to make the purchase. If a listing does not have enough information in it, the buyer may not feel confident in their purchase and move on to another item. However, if the description is too long, jumbled, or hard to understand, this may also turn away buyers so it is important to find a balance. Keep reading to see how I craft my listing title and description and what information is important to include.
The Title
In my listings titles, I like to always start by including the brand of the item as this is one of the most important defining characteristics to most buyers. Other information that I like to include is the model name (if I can find it), the colour/pattern, fabric, and the type of clothing (jeans/sweater/dress/t-shirt/etc.). I always try to use the maximum amount of characters available for the listing title. I like to include the most important information at the beginning as this is what buyers will see first when scrolling through listings. Poshmark recently increased the character count for listing titles so you shouldn’t have a problem creating a detailed listing title.
The Description
Details: In the listing description I like to go further into depth and include as many details about the item as possible. I also like to repeat the information included in the title field. For the first line in my description, I will include the brand, colour, pattern/print, neckline/sleeve length & type, item type, and any other details that may be interesting to the buyer.
Fabric Content: The next line I like to include the fabric content on most items, especially if it is a desirable material (silk, wool, leather, vegan leather, etc.) as buyers may search for this specifically. I do not include the fabric content of all items, but always do for jeans, jackets, and sometimes sweaters as I found that I would get often questioned about these items and it saves me the time of having to go back and check it.
Condition: When selling pre-owned items, it is very important to include an accurate description of the condition of the item. Mention any flaws, no matter how small they may be as this will save you having to deal with a return or unhappy customer. I always include on of the following lines:
“Excellent pre-owned condition, no flaws”
“Good pre-owned condition, [describe the flaws]”
“Pre-loved condition, [describe the flaws]”
Measurements: There is a large debate in the Poshmark and reseller communities about including measurements in listings. I personally include measurements in most of my listings with the exception of athletic clothes. My reasoning for choosing to include measurements is because my inventory is stored in my office and I seem to always get asked measurement questions when I am away from my inventory. It takes me approximately one minute to take the measurements and include them in my listing and also saves me the trouble of having to dig out the items from my storage later when someone asks for them.
The measurements that I include in my listings are broken down into two categories. For tops, I will measure the armpit to armpit, the armpit to wrist, and the armpit to the bottom. For bottoms, I include the waist, rise, and inseam. This usually helps potential buyers and has greatly reduced the number of measurement questions that I receive.
Buyer Confidence line: I like to include a tag line at the end of my listing as a final “sales pitch” to my buyers. This can be unique to you and you can write whatever you think is important. This is the final thing that a potential buyer will read before making their decision so make sure that it is concise, to the point, and will help close the deal.
The line that I use is: Ships Same/Next Day, Offers welcome, Bundle and save! 💙 for price drops
This tells my buyers that their items will be shipped quickly and that I am open to negotiating on the price. This may not be appropriate for your business model so feel free to come up with your own line and see if it helps! Some ideas of things you could include are, “sustainably packed” if you use recycled packaging, “questions welcome”, “pet-free/smoke-free home", etc.
I hope that this blog will help you improve your listings and sales! Feel free to use it as inspiration, slowly work in some parts into your listing, or jump in fully and completely redo all your listings. Feel free to browse my closet at check out my description if you need more inspiration.