Condition is where honest sellers lose money by being vague and dishonest ones lose their store by being optimistic. It is also the easiest thing on Metzee to get right, because there is a template.
1. Pick the right word
Condition * offers five, each with the app's own one-line definition:
New—Unused, in original packagingLike New—Used once or twice, pristineUsed—Normal wear, fully functionalVintage—Age adds value or characterFor Parts—Sold as-is, needs repair
Read those definitions as promises, because that is how a dispute reads them.
New means unused and in its original packaging. An unworn item without its box is Like New, not New. That single distinction causes more disputes than anything else in this list.
Vintage is not a polite word for worn out. It means the age is part of the value. A twenty-year-old shirt with a hole is For Parts or Used, not Vintage.
For Parts is an honest and perfectly good thing to sell. Say it plainly and the right buyer finds you.
2. Write the description with the same four parts, every time
A template, in this order:
What it is. The specific thing — make, model, size, material, year if it matters.
What is good about it. The reason to want this one.
What is wrong with it. Every flaw you can see, located and sized. "A 2cm scuff on the back lower left corner." Not "minor wear".
What is included. Box, papers, dust bag, charger, spare buttons — and what is not included, if a buyer might assume it is.
Four short paragraphs. It takes two minutes and it is the difference between a sale and an argument.
3. Name flaws with a number
"Small mark" is not a description, because small is your word and the buyer has their own. A measurement is not arguable:
- "3mm chip on the rim, inside, below the handle"
- "Fading along the left shoulder, about 5cm, visible in daylight"
- "Two buttons replaced; the originals are not included"
This is the whole trick. A located, measured flaw cannot come back as "not as described". A vague one can.
4. Say what you cannot know
For anything second-hand or inherited: say what you do not know. "I have not tested the motor." "Bought from an estate sale; I cannot confirm the year."
That sentence protects you completely and costs you nothing with a serious buyer. Inventing certainty is what loses a dispute.
What never comes off, whatever you write
A faulty, damaged, wrong or misdescribed item is returnable for 7 days, whatever your returns policy says. There is no wording that disclaims it — not "sold as seen", not "no returns accepted".
Which flips the incentive the right way round: the description is not a shield you build, it is the thing that stops the claim being true in the first place.
The vocabulary is category-specific
What counts as a flaw worth naming differs completely between a saree, a graded card and a power tool. There is a page for each — condition by category and its equivalents — with the words that category's buyers actually use.
Using your category's vocabulary also signals that you know the field, which is most of why a buyer picks one of two similar listings.
The sentence that sells the next item
Naming a flaw does something beyond that listing: a buyer who sees you volunteer a fault believes everything else you say. It is the cheapest trust you will ever buy, and it compounds across your whole shop.
Stores that hide flaws get one sale. Stores that name them get a buyer.
Questions people ask
Will listing flaws lose me money?
It loses you a few sales and almost all of your disputes and returns. That trade is strongly positive, and it gets better as your store grows.
Can I write "sold as seen"?
You can write it. It does not override anything — a misdescribed or faulty item still comes back.
What if I miss a flaw I did not see?
It happens, and it is not dishonesty. Fix it quickly and generously: a partial refund offered before a dispute is opened costs you less than one decided afterwards. How to refund a buyer.
How long should the description be?
Four short paragraphs. Long enough to answer the obvious questions, short enough to be read on a phone.
Should I describe condition out loud in a show?
Yes, and name the flaw while holding the item. The room hears it and the room trusts you for the rest of the hour.
More: how to describe condition honestly, the condition discount, how to photograph an item.