Mercari description template: what to write, and in what order
Por Oleksandr Shaniuk · fundador de Sellura · Actualizado el 1 de noviembre de 2026
A Mercari description works as five short blocks: what the item is, its condition and every flaw, measurements or specs, what's included, and anything else true that a buyer would ask about. That order follows what Mercari's help asks for: “as much information in your listing as possible”, the brand stated clearly, flaws photographed and called out, and no brand names or hashtags that aren't the item's. Mercari's listing form stops a description at 1,000 characters and asks for at least five words; that is in the form's code, not in Mercari's help, which prints no number (read 1 November 2026).
- Description length in Mercari's form
- 1,000
- characters; Mercari's help prints no number
- Minimum in the form
- 5 words
- the same code
- Photos per listing
- 12
- Mercari's help
- Tags field
- None
- no unrelated brands or hashtags
Copy the template below and fill the brackets. The three filled examples further down, a pair of jeans, a games console and a vintage dish, come to 340, 438 and 410 characters, well inside the form. After them: what to leave out, and how the title and the form's own fields share the work.
The template, to copy and fill
One line per block, in this order. Fill every bracket you can answer truthfully and delete the ones that don't apply: a console has no inseam, and a pair of jeans has no model number. Keep each block to a line or two, because a buyer on a phone reads the first lines and scrolls for the rest.
- [Brand] [item] [model or style], [size], [colour].
- Condition: [new with tags / like new / good / fair]. [Each flaw, where it is, and the photo that shows it.]
- Measurements: [the numbers a buyer would ask for: flat measurements, dimensions, capacity or specs].
- Includes: [everything that comes with it]. Not included: [anything a buyer might expect and won't get].
- [Material, fit, model number, compatibility, or how it was used and kept.]
Why this order: what Mercari's help asks for
Mercari's guidance on descriptions is short and spread over two help pages, and every block of the template answers one line of it. None of the blocks is decoration: each one is something a buyer otherwise has to ask about in a message before buying, or finds out about after.
| Block | What Mercari's help says | What it means for the text |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What it is | What Mercari's help saysIf you know the brand, state it clearly: it improves the listing's visibility | What it means for the textThe brand and the item in the first line, in the words a buyer types |
| 2. Condition and flaws | What Mercari's help saysPhotograph and call out any of the item's flaws | What it means for the textName each flaw in words and point to the photo that shows it |
| 3. Measurements or specs | What Mercari's help saysInclude as much information in your listing as possible | What it means for the textThe numbers that decide whether it fits or works for the buyer |
| 4. What's included | What Mercari's help saysThe more accurate a listing is, the higher it will appear in search results | What it means for the textNo surprises when the box is opened |
| 5. Anything else true | What Mercari's help saysUse clear, descriptive keywords; avoid irrelevant terms | What it means for the textMaterial, model, compatibility, said once, and nothing that isn't the item |
Paraphrased from Mercari's Creating a Listing and search help pages, read 1 November 2026. The block order is ours, not a Mercari rule.
Sources: Mercari Help: Creating a Listing (information, brand, flaws, no unrelated brands or hashtags), checked 1 November 2026 · Mercari Help: How Mercari search spotlights your items (clear, accurate keywords), checked 1 November 2026
Where the 1,000 comes from
Mercari's help centre prints no description length. The number is in the code of Mercari's own listing form, which tells a seller “Description can not exceed 1000 characters” and asks for at least five words; the same code cuts the title at 80. We read it on 22 October and again on 1 November 2026. It is the limit the form actually enforces, but it is code rather than a published rule, so this page says “the form takes 1,000” and not “Mercari's rules say 1,000”.
In practice you will rarely meet it. The five blocks above, filled for a typical item, come to 300 to 500 characters, which leaves room for a longer flaw list or a second set of measurements without trimming anything a buyer needs.
Source: Mercari /sell form code, build r-v3.106.4 (description 1,000 characters and at least 5 words; title 80; not stated in Mercari's help), checked 1 November 2026
Filled example 1: a pair of jeans
An example we wrote to show the template filled in, not a real listing. 340 characters with the line breaks. Notice the flaw is named and located, and the measurements are the four a jeans buyer asks for.
- Levi's 501 Original Fit jeans, W32 L30, medium stone wash.
- Condition: good, worn a handful of times. Light fading at both knees, shown in photo 5. No holes, stains or repairs.
- Measurements, laid flat: waist 16 in, rise 11 in, inseam 30 in, leg opening 8 in.
- Includes: the jeans only.
- 100% cotton, button fly, straight leg from hip to ankle.
Filled example 2: a games console
438 characters. Electronics swap measurements for specs: the model number goes in the first line, because buyers search by it, and the last line answers the question every buyer of a used console asks, whether it is still tied to the old owner's account.
- Nintendo Switch OLED console, white, model HEG-001.
- Condition: good. Fully working, tested docked on a TV and handheld. Light scratches on the back of the console, shown in photos 4 and 5. No scratches on the screen, which has had a protector on since day one.
- Includes: console, two white Joy-Con, Joy-Con grip, dock, HDMI cable and power adapter. Not included: the box and any games.
- Factory reset and signed out of my Nintendo account.
Filled example 3: a vintage dish
410 characters. For a collectible, the condition block does most of the work: chips, cracks and fading are what a buyer zooms in on. The last line says what the seller doesn't know, which is as useful to a buyer as what they do.
- Vintage Pyrex Spring Blossom green casserole dish, round, with clear glass lid.
- Condition: good vintage condition. No chips or cracks. Light utensil marks inside and some fading of the pattern on one side, shown in photos 3 and 4. The lid has no chips.
- Measurements: 8 in across, 3.5 in tall without the lid.
- Includes: the dish and its lid.
- Hand washed. I have not used it in an oven, so I can't speak to that.
Mercari vs Poshmark: the same sale, the same item, on both →
What to leave out
Mercari asks for two things to stay out of a description, and both are about search. Anything else on this list is our advice from writing these, and is marked as such.
- Brand names the item isn't. Mercari asks sellers not to “add a bunch of brand names and hashtags that aren't associated with the item”.
- Hashtags. Mercari has no tags field, and the same line of its help covers them.
- Irrelevant terms. Mercari's search help says to think like a buyer and leave out words that don't describe the item.
- Our advice: words with no information, such as “perfect” or “must have”, and a claim you can't back, such as “authentic” with no proof in the photos.
- Our advice: the same pasted paragraph on every listing. A buyer comparing two of your items should find the difference in the text.
Sources: Mercari Help: Creating a Listing (information, brand, flaws, no unrelated brands or hashtags), checked 1 November 2026 · Mercari Help: How Mercari search spotlights your items (clear, accurate keywords), checked 1 November 2026
The title and the form's fields carry part of the load
The description is not the only place a buyer's words go. Mercari's form also asks for a category, a brand and a condition, and its help says to add the category and condition “for better search-ability”. Fill them first, then repeat the brand and the item in the description's first line, where a buyer reading the listing sees them.
The title is the other half: brand, item, model, size and colour, each once, inside the 80 characters the form takes. And when a listing sits, Mercari's search help says it favours genuine updates over listings deleted and relisted, so edit the description, add photos or adjust the price rather than starting again.
Sources: Mercari Help: Creating a Listing (information, brand, flaws, no unrelated brands or hashtags), checked 1 November 2026 · Mercari Help: How Mercari search spotlights your items (clear, accurate keywords), checked 1 November 2026
Check your own listing
Already listed on Mercari? Score your listing
Paste the link for a 0–100 score and the top fixes to the title and description, then rewrite it with your own words already filled in.
Free, no sign-up.
Check a Mercari title against the 80 its form takes → · Mercari items not selling? What its search ranks first →
What Sellura does here, and what it doesn't
Sellura writes the Mercari description in this order from what you tell it about the item: the first line with the brand and the item, then condition and the flaws you gave, measurements, what's included, and the search phrases worked into the text, since Mercari has no tags. It writes the title inside the form's 80 characters and keeps the description inside its 1,000. It never invents a measurement, a flaw or a claim of authenticity. Each listing comes back scored 0–100: the same listing always gets the same number, and each weak factor comes with one concrete fix.
The score and the title preview are free on every generation, with no card, and so are the title checker and the Mercari fee calculator. A credit unlocks one finished listing: Starter is $15 a month for 25 credits or $150 a year, and Pro is $24 a month for 65 credits plus bulk, or $240 a year. Sellura doesn't post to Mercari, has no keyword database, doesn't track where a listing ranks, and is not affiliated with Mercari.
Write the Mercari listing, with the score and title free → · Plans and credits →
FAQ
What should I write in a Mercari description?
How long can a Mercari description be?
Can I use hashtags in a Mercari description?
Does Mercari search read the description?
Should I relist a Mercari item to refresh it?
Is there a Mercari listing template for the title too?
Write a Mercari description in five blocks: what it is, condition and every flaw with the photo that shows it, measurements or specs, what's included, and anything else true. Keep out brands the item isn't and hashtags, as Mercari asks, and stay well inside the 1,000 characters the form takes, usually 300 to 500. Fill the category, brand and condition fields first, update a slow listing instead of relisting it, and let Sellura draft it: the score and the title preview are free, and a credit buys the finished listing.
Abre el generador de Mercari.