How to write a kitchenware listing from the mark on the base

The mark, the material, then the measure

eBay stops the title at 80 characters, spaces included. Start with the maker’s mark you can read on the base or the handle. Then the object, the material, the capacity or diameter, and the piece count. “Vintage bowl” without a mark or a size is a different listing from the one in your hand.

Mercari’s 80-character title should front-load the brand and the size, because phone results cut the rest. A stand mixer is the model name plus which attachments are actually in the box. Do not list a paddle you are keeping.

Lids, marks, and what you will not claim

Open the Mercari description with piece count, what is missing, and the measurement. Then say whether “oven,” “dishwasher,” or “microwave” is printed on the piece. If it is not printed, do not invent a temperature. Cast iron is seasoned, rusty, or stripped — “restored” only if you did more than rinse it.

Facebook Marketplace works well for heavy mixers, knife blocks, and glass sets a buyer can inspect. The first lines need the model, the attachments or the count, and chips. Check Mercari’s current rules before you list blades or items the platform restricts; do not describe a way around those rules. For local pickup, say if the set is in one box you can carry.

• Capacity in quarts or liters, or diameter in inches, from a tape.
• Lids, knobs, and extra bowls: present or named as missing.
• Maker’s mark transcribed, including a number you cannot interpret. Say you cannot interpret it.
• Decorative versus food use: only claim food-safe when the piece is marked for food. Unknown vintage glaze stays “decorative unless marked.”

Specifics for brand, material, and count

Typical fields are brand, type, material, color, number of pieces, and capacity. Use the same count in the specifics and the description. A 12-piece set with 11 pieces in the text is a dispute.

• Material: stainless, cast iron, enameled steel, glass, stoneware, wood.
• Features only when marked: induction base, oven-safe symbol, measurement lines.
• Pattern name from the backstamp, not from a similar catalog photo.
• Country from the mark, if it is there.

Chips, stains, and loose handles

• Chips and cracks, and whether they are on a rim that touches food or a lip.
• Crazing, stains, and knife marks on boards.
• Loose handles, stripped screws, and lids that do not sit.
• Cast iron: rust, sticky seasoning, or bare metal.
• Knives: tip shape and whether you sharpened them. Sharpness you did not test stays untested.
• Glass cloudiness and dishwasher fade.

A chip on a spout is a use problem. Say that in words, and show it. Do not call it “a tiny manufacturing mark” if you can feel it with a finger.

The base, the chip, and the whole set

• The maker’s mark, readable.
• A tape on the diameter or a measuring cup in the pot if you state capacity.
• Every piece in the count, in one photo.
• The chip or crack, close and in focus.
• Inside the lid and the underside, where stains hide.
• Attachments for a mixer, laid out, matching the list.

Skip the brand’s styled photo of a full set. Buyers are paying for the mark and the chip on yours.

Mistakes that arrive as the wrong pot

• No size, so a 2-quart and an 8-quart share a title.
• “Food safe” on an unmarked vintage glaze.
• Oven-safe with a temperature you invented.
• A set counted with the missing lid still included.
• “Complete attachments” when the whisk is in your drawer.
• A knife listed on a platform that restricts it, with no check of the current rule.