Online selling
Collect the facts for an accurate product listing
Fill in a facts sheet while the item is in your hands, then write the listing from it. Record the exact identity, measurements, materials, condition and included parts, and mark anything you could not confirm.
A text to start with
I'm preparing to sell [item description]. Here is what I know from the item itself: [brand, model or part number from the label, measurements, materials, condition notes, included parts]. Here is what I could not confirm: [unknowns]. Organize this into a facts sheet with a separate list of open questions. Do not write sales copy yet, and do not fill gaps from similar products.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Product listing facts sheet
Item name as printed on the item: [ ] Brand: [ ] Model or part number, copied from the label: [ ] Where that number was found: [ ] Year or version, if shown: [ ] Measured dimensions and unit: [ ] Materials, as labeled or as identified by me: [ ] Color or finish: [ ] Condition summary: [ ] Parts included: [ ] Parts missing or unconfirmed: [ ] Manual, box or accessories: [ ] Recall or safety check done, and where: [ ] Specifications I took from another source: [ ] Unknowns to leave out or state plainly: [ ]
Facts that come from the wrong model
A specification often belongs to a neighboring model, a different year or another size in the same line. Check each number against the label, the item or the original manual, not a search result for the product name. Compare the model number on the item with your notes character by character. Look for included parts you assumed came with it, such as cords, manuals or hardware. If a fact has no source you can point to, move it to the unknowns list.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare each specification on this sheet against the model number I recorded. Flag any value that may belong to a similar but different model, year or size. Tell me which facts lack a source on the item itself, and list what I should verify before they appear in a listing.
Check the item before drafting
Close as many open questions as you can by handling the item: read the label, measure it, test what can be tested. For secondhand goods, the CPSC online sellers FAQ addresses examining items for recalls and safety, so start there. Then draft the title and description from the sheet alone, and either leave the unknowns out or state them plainly.