The key to writing a good description is to be thorough and cover all your bases. Try to think of everything you can to include about the item before submitting the listing.

Include measurements, color, size, and fabric content, manufacturer, washing instructions, weight, texture and anything else you can think of. Use lots sensory adjectives to describe the item. eBay shoppers can't touch, feel, or hold the item, so you have to help them envision how wonderful it is. Anticipate what shoppers will ask and include that information on the listing. You'll save time in the future because you won't have to go back and take the item out of storage, examine it for the requested information, and reply to their email. Look up that item on the Internet and see how retailers describe it. I am not advocating that you plagiarize material from the Internet, but you can definitely get ideas by researching how the big companies describe their items.

If the item has a flaw, be honest and mention it, and show a photo of it. THE KEY IS TO BE HONEST. You can't fool eBay shoppers, they are sharp and they care-fully examine their purchases. Many times, a small flaw is not an issue, and as long as you mention it, some buyers just won't care. This could even work in your favor. Case in point: I had bought a beautiful cashmere sweater at a garage sale to sell but didn't realize it had a hole in it until I got home. The hole was beyond repair. I listed it anyway. I mentioned the flaw in my listing and a buyer contacted me to ask if I had more damaged sweaters to sell. It turned out that this buyer was searching for sweaters to use as the material for making small dog sweaters. From then on, I kept her and her business in mind when I was shopping and we have now a great business relationship. There really is a buyer for everything.

You'll have a better reputation when you mention the flaw up front. You will also avoid the hassle of the return-refund process, and you won't risk getting negative feedback.

Read my Power Seller's Guide.

Happy Selling!