How to Write Product Descriptions That Actually Sell Secondhand Items

You can have the best item at the right price, but if your description is weak, buyers scroll straight past it. A good product description isn't about being a writer. It's about removing every reason a buyer has to hesitate.

This guide covers exactly what goes in a description that converts — and what to cut.

Why Most Secondhand Descriptions Fall Flat

Browse any selling app for five minutes and you'll see the same patterns: no measurements, vague condition notes like "good used condition," and a title that just restates the item name with no useful detail.

The seller usually knows the item is fine. But the buyer can't touch it, try it on, or inspect it in person. Every gap in your description is a gap in their confidence — and when buyers aren't confident, they don't buy.

The fix isn't to write more. It's to write the right things.

The Five Details Every Buyer Checks Before Committing

Before a buyer messages or purchases, they're mentally asking five questions. Answer all five in your listing and you remove the friction that kills sales.

1. What exactly is it? Be specific in your title and opening line. "Nike Air Force 1 Low, white/white, men's UK 10, worn twice" tells a buyer everything before they even click. "Nike trainers, good condition" tells them almost nothing.

2. What condition is it really in? "Good condition" means nothing because everyone uses it for everything from pristine to clearly worn. Instead, describe what you see: "No marks on the toe box, light creasing on the vamp from normal wear, insoles are clean." Buyers trust specifics. Vague condition language breeds suspicion.

3. What are the measurements? Size labels lie. A women's medium from one brand fits completely differently from another. If you're selling clothing, include chest, waist, and length measurements flat on a surface. For shoes, include the heel-to-toe measurement in addition to the size. For furniture, always provide width, depth, and height.

4. What's the history? How often was it worn or used? Where was it stored? Was it washed? Has it been repaired? A coat that's been stored in a smoke-free home is a different item from the same coat in a different environment, even if both look identical in photos.

5. Why are you selling it? This one surprises people, but "selling because I bought two by accident" or "upgrading to a newer model" tells buyers the item isn't damaged or defective. If you don't explain why you're selling something, buyers sometimes assume the worst.

Writing a Title That Gets Clicks

Your title has one job: get the buyer to click. After that, the photos and description do the work.

Good secondhand titles follow this structure: Brand + Item type + Key feature + Size/Colour + Condition or selling point.

Compare:

• Weak: "Black trousers good condition"
• Strong: "Arket wide-leg trousers, black, size 12, barely worn — great for work or smart-casual"

The second version ranks better in search (buyers search brand names and item types), tells the buyer what they're getting at a glance, and signals quality without being pushy.

Keep titles under 80 characters where possible. Most platforms truncate at that point, and if your best detail is at the end, it gets cut.

Describing Condition Without Killing Your Sale

Condition is where most sellers go wrong in one of two ways: they oversell ("perfect condition!") or they bury flaws and get negative reviews when the buyer receives the item.

Neither approach works long-term. Buyers who feel misled leave bad reviews and demand returns.

The honest middle ground is to describe both what's good and what's not, specifically. "The fabric is in great shape with no pilling or fading. There's a small pen mark (around 2mm) on the inside cuff, not visible when worn." That sentence will sell the item to the right buyer and filter out buyers who'd be disappointed.

If something has genuine wear, say so and price accordingly. A buyer who understands what they're getting will be satisfied. A buyer who gets a surprise flaw won't.

Measurements, Sizing, and the Details That Close Sales

For clothing:

• Chest: measure flat across the front, from armpit seam to armpit seam, then double
• Waist: measure flat at the narrowest point
• Length/inseam: measure from top of waistband to hem (or crotch seam to hem for inseam)
• Shoulders: for structured tops and jackets, measure seam to seam across the back

Always note whether measurements are of the garment itself ("laid flat") or would represent a body measurement — buyers sometimes get these confused.

For shoes: UK, EU, and US sizes all differ. List all three if you can, or include the insole length in centimetres.

For furniture and homewares: always include all three dimensions. State the units. "200 x 90" is useless without "cm" or "inches."

Writing Faster Without Sounding Generic

Once you know the formula — specifics about condition, honest flaws, real measurements, a brief history — writing listings gets faster. The challenge is doing it consistently across multiple items without every description sounding the same.

One approach that helps is to photograph and note down everything at once (condition details, measurements, flaws) and then write descriptions in a batch. Some sellers use tools like Parlo to generate a structured first draft from a photo, then edit in the details they know: the exact measurements, why they're selling, and any specific flaw notes.

Either way, a description that took ten minutes to write can be the difference between an item that sits unsold for weeks and one that goes in two days. It's one of the highest-return things you can do as a secondhand seller.

What to Leave Out

Descriptions fail not just from missing information but from filler that doesn't help buyers.

Skip:

• "Happy to answer questions" — this adds nothing
• "Check out my other listings!" — keep the buyer focused on this item
• "No time wasters" — it sounds hostile and filters out nobody you'd want to filter
• "Will consider all offers" — just set a fair price and let buyers make offers if the platform allows it

Every sentence in your description should answer one of a buyer's questions. If it doesn't, cut it.

The goal of a product description is simple: remove every reason a buyer has to hesitate. Give them the measurements, be straight about condition, tell them what they're getting, and make the item easy to find in search. Do that, and the description does the selling for you.