Writing Pokemon Card Descriptions That Sell

Descriptions close sales. After writing 10,000+ descriptions, I know what converts browsers into buyers.

The Formula: Hook + Details + Trust + Action = Sale

The Hook (First 20 Words)

Purpose: Grab attention immediately, highlight best feature

Bad Hook: "This is a Pokemon card for sale."

Good Hook: "Stunning Near Mint Charizard from Base Set—perfect centering, sharp corners, excellent grading candidate."

Hook Formulas That Work:

• Condition Lead: "Near Mint condition with zero visible flaws..."
• Rarity Lead: "Rare 1st Edition Shadowless from original print run..."
• Grading Lead: "PSA 9/10 quality—ready for professional grading..."
• Collection Lead: "Perfect addition to complete your Base Set collection..."
• Investment Lead: "Consistently appreciating card from $50 to $150 over 2 years..."

Test: Would this hook make YOU click? If not, rewrite.

Essential Details Section

Must-Have Information:

1. Card Name & Set: "Charizard from Base Set (1999)"
2. Condition Grade: "Near Mint" with TCGPlayer/PSA definition
3. Specific Condition Notes: "Minor edge whitening bottom-left corner (see photo 5)"
4. What's Included: "Card only" or "Card + case + Certificate of Authenticity"
5. Print Details: "1st Edition" "Shadowless" "Unlimited" "Japanese" "Error card"
6. Rarity: "Holo Rare" "Secret Rare" "Ultra Rare"

Format for Readability:

Card: Charizard
Set: Base Set (1999)
Condition: Near Mint
Rarity: Holo Rare
Edition: Unlimited
Language: English

Mobile-Friendly: Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max), bullet points, whitespace

Condition Disclosure (Critical for Trust)

The Transparency Rule: Disclose EVERY flaw, even minor ones

Why: Undisclosed flaws = returns, disputes, negative reviews. Disclosed flaws = trust, no surprises, fewer problems

How to Describe Flaws:

• Be Specific: "Light edge whitening on back left corner" NOT "some wear"
• Location: "Top-right corner has small crease" NOT "has crease"
• Severity: "Minor" "Moderate" "Significant"
• Photo Reference: "See photo 4 for close-up of whitening"

Example: "Condition: Lightly Played. Front is Near Mint with no visible flaws. Back has minor edge whitening on left side (photos 4-5) and tiny surface scratch bottom-right (photo 6, only visible under bright light). No creases, bends, or major damage."

The Paradox: More flaw disclosure = higher trust = more sales (buyers confident no hidden issues)

Building Trust Elements

Social Proof: "500+ sales, 4.9-star rating" "Trusted seller since 2015"

Guarantees: "14-day returns, no questions asked" "100% authentic guarantee"

Shipping Confidence: "Ships within 24 hours with tracking" "Professional packaging—penny sleeve, top loader, bubble mailer"

Communication: "Questions? I respond within 2 hours during business hours (9am-9pm EST)"

Storage History: "Stored in climate-controlled environment in penny sleeve and top loader since 2018"

Call to Action (CTA)

Purpose: Tell buyer what to do next

Weak CTA: Nothing, or "Thanks for looking"

Strong CTA: "Buy with confidence—click Add to Cart!" "Questions about condition? Message me for additional photos!" "Don't miss out—only 1 available!"

Urgency (Use Sparingly): "Price increases $5 tomorrow" "Last one in stock" "3 people watching"

Multiple CTAs: Buy now CTA + Question CTA + Watch/Follow CTA

SEO Keywords for Search Visibility

Include These Terms (Where Natural):

• Card name variations: "Charizard" "Charizard Holo" "Base Set Charizard"
• Set name: "Base Set" "Unlimited" "1999"
• Condition terms: "Near Mint" "Mint" "PSA"
• Collector terms: "grading candidate" "investment" "vintage"
• Platform-specific: "Pokemon TCG" "PTCG" "Pokemon card"

Don't Keyword Stuff: Write for humans first, search engines second

Platform-Specific Description Tips

eBay: Can be longer (buyers read more), include shipping details prominently, use HTML formatting (bold, bullets) if comfortable

Mercari: Keep concise (mobile users), first 2 sentences critical (preview), use line breaks for readability

TCGPlayer: Focus on condition accuracy (serious collectors), less marketing fluff, professional tone

Description Templates

Template 1: Standard Single Card

[Hook highlighting best feature]

Card Details:
- Name: [Card]
- Set: [Set] 
- Condition: [Grade]
- Rarity: [Type]

Condition Notes: [Specific details and flaw disclosure]

Shipping: [Speed and protection method]

[Trust elements: ratings, guarantee, return policy]

[Call to action]

Template 2: High-Value Card

[Investment/rarity hook]

This [card] from [set] is a [rarity level] in [condition]. [Why it's special/valuable]

Authentication & Storage: [How you verified authenticity, storage history]

Grading Potential: [PSA estimate if applicable]

Condition Assessment: [Detailed front/back analysis]

What's Included: [Card, case, COA, etc.]

Buyer Protection: [Your guarantees, return policy, shipping insurance]

Questions? [Contact invitation]

[CTA with urgency]

Common Description Mistakes

Mistake 1: Generic copy-paste (sounds like robot) Mistake 2: Missing flaw disclosure (causes disputes) Mistake 3: Too long/boring (buyers skip it) Mistake 4: No trust elements (buyers hesitate) Mistake 5: Spelling/grammar errors (looks unprofessional) Mistake 6: No mobile formatting (hard to read) Mistake 7: Misleading claims ("PSA 10" when not graded)

Advanced Description Techniques

Storytelling: "Pulled this from a pack in 1999 and immediately sleeved it. It's been in my collection ever since."

Comparison: "Comparable Near Mint Charizards selling for $150-180. This one priced at $145."

Expertise Signals: "Graded 500+ cards personally. In my assessment, this would grade PSA 8-9."

Scarcity: "Only 50 of these printed" "Hard to find in this condition"

Use Case: "Perfect for completing your master set" "Great tournament player card"

Testing and Improving

A/B Test: Try different hooks/CTAs on similar cards, track which sells faster

Study Top Sellers: Find top listings for your card type, analyze their descriptions, adapt successful patterns

Get Feedback: Ask buyers "Was description accurate? Anything I could improve?"

Track Metrics: Conversion rate (views to sales). Adjust descriptions if conversion is low.

Action Steps

1. This week: Create 3 description templates (standard, high-value, bulk lot)
2. This week: Write 5 descriptions using templates (test them)
3. This month: A/B test different hooks on 10 similar cards (learn what works)
4. This month: Get buyer feedback on description accuracy
5. Ongoing: Refine templates based on conversion data

Module 7.3 - Enroll Now →

Module 7.3 of Week 7