Writing a title and description that get replies

Say what the thing is, what condition it is in, and why you are selling it. Those three answers are what a buyer is looking for, and a listing that answers them before being asked gets replies instead of questions.

The title

You have 120 characters. Spend them on the words somebody would actually type into search: the brand, the model, the size, the year. "IKEA Malm 6-drawer dresser, white, 63 inches" is findable. "Great dresser must go!!" is not, and the capital letters and exclamation marks add nothing a buyer can search for.

Search matches the title and the description, so a word that is in neither is a word nobody can find you with.

The description

The minimum is 20 characters. That is a floor, not a target. Work through:

• What it is. Brand, model, size, color, age, what is included and what is not.
• What condition it is in. Be specific about the flaws. A scratch you mention is a detail; the same scratch discovered at the meeting is a renegotiation, or a buyer who walks.
• Why you are selling. One line. "Moving in three weeks", "bought a bigger one", "it does not fit the space". It is the single most reassuring sentence in most listings, because the thing a buyer is quietly wondering is what is wrong with it.
• Measurements and numbers. Dimensions, capacity, mileage, square footage. Buyers filter and compare on numbers.
• How the handover works. Pickup only, will meet locally, can deliver within so many miles.

If you would rather start from something than from nothing, the description field has a Generate a description with AI button. It is free, and it produces a draft you should edit rather than a finished listing.

What to leave out

• Contact details. No phone numbers, email addresses or links to other messaging apps in the listing body. Moving a conversation off Jinu straight away is one of the oldest signals of a scam, and buyers have been told to treat it as one. Use the Jinu inbox.
• Claims you cannot stand behind. Authenticity, provenance, warranty status, income potential. If you cannot prove it, do not print it.
• Urgency theatre. "Today only", "three other people interested". Manufactured pressure is a scam signal, and readers now read it as one.
• Capital letters throughout. They do not rank higher and they read as shouting.

Photographs do more than words

Shoot in daylight, against a background that is not the rest of your house, from several angles, and photograph the flaws you described. Ten photos is the limit and most listings would be better for using more of them.