How to write a shoe title with the size that is stamped

Size scale before colorway

eBay’s 80-character limit counts every space. For shoes, brand, model, whose size scale, and the US size stamped in the shoe outrank a story about where you wore them. Width stays if it is printed: B, D, EE, or the brand’s own word.

Mercari’s title also stops at 80, and the phone feed shows the beginning. Brand, model, and size belong there. Do not write “fits like 8” in place of the stamped size. That guess can move to the description after the number in the shoe.

Insole length, then the sole

Mercari descriptions should open with the stamped size and the insole length in centimeters, heel to toe, because brands do not share one last. Then say pair or single, original box or not, and the worst sole wear. Odor is a fact. “Smoke-free” does not cancel a shoe that smells like feet.

Facebook Marketplace buyers may want to try a pair on nearby. The opening line still needs the stamped size and width so they do not cross town for the wrong scale. Say if the insoles are glued in or removable, and whether you have cleaned them. Leave the price in the price field.

• Insole length in centimeters, both shoes if they differ.
• Heel height for heels and boots, and shaft height for boots.
• Width as printed.
• What “pair” includes: two shoes, laces, insoles, and which box.

Specifics that match the stamp

Shoe specifics usually include brand, US shoe size, department, style, color, upper material, and width. The size field and the title have to use the same scale. A men’s size in the title and a women’s size in the specifics is a return.

• Upper material from the label or from what you can see: leather, suede, mesh, synthetic.
• Style: sneaker, boot, sandal, heel. Cleat surface (firm ground, turf) if the sole says so.
• Color as it looks in daylight, plus the colorway name only when you are sure.
• Country of manufacture from the tongue label, if you mention it at all.

Soles, insoles, and the box

Describe three surfaces: the upper, the sole, and the insole. Then describe the box only if you are including it. Creasing on leather is normal wear; a hole at the toe is not “lightly loved.”

• Sole: tread left, heel drag, and cracks in the foxing.
• Insoles: worn through, replaced, or original.
• Upper: scuffs, stains, separated glue, and stretched collars.
• Odor, and whether you aired or cleaned them. Do not promise the smell is gone.
• Box: crushed corners, missing lid, or no box. A replacement box is not the original.

If you are not sure the pair is authentic, do not write authentic. Describe the labels you can photograph and stop there.

Stamp, sole, and both shoes

• Both shoes, outer side and top, in one frame.
• The size stamp and the width, readable.
• Insoles, including a tape if you are stating centimeters.
• Soles of both shoes, straight on, so heel drag shows.
• Tongue label and any date or model code.
• The box, if included, including crushed corners.

A product photo from the brand is a new pair in a studio. Your soles are the listing. Photograph them in daylight so the color matches the upper.

Mistakes that return the pair

• Men’s and women’s sizes swapped, or EU read as US.
• One shoe described as a pair.
• “Like new” soles that are bald at the heel.
• Insole length skipped because the tag size felt enough.
• A colorway name you are not sure of, on a model collectors search by that name.
• Promising the original box and shipping a lidless one.