Two people in the same city list the same phone on the same day. One gets ten messages before evening. The other waits a week and drops the price twice. The difference is almost never the phone. It is the title, the photos and the price, in that order. Here is how to get each one right, with examples you can copy.
Start with what a buyer sees first
In search results a buyer sees four things: the first photo, the price, the title and the area. Your ad has about two seconds to earn a tap. Everything in this article follows from that.
The title: say what it is
A good title answers the question "what exactly is this?" before the buyer opens the ad. Use this order: brand, model, the one key fact, condition.
- Weak: "Mobile for sale urgent"
- Strong: "Samsung Galaxy A54 8/256, PTA approved, with box"
- Weak: "Beautiful sofa set"
- Strong: "7-seater sofa set, sheesham frame, 2 years used"
- Weak: "Honda bike good condition"
- Strong: "Honda CD 70 2022, Lahore number, first owner"
Things to leave out: ALL CAPITALS, rows of symbols, words like "urgent" and "best price", and your phone number. They push the useful words off the screen, and numbers in a title get an ad sent back for changes.
Photos: the cover does most of the work
- Daylight. Near a window or outside in shade. A dark, yellow photo makes even a new item look tired.
- Plain background. A clean floor or wall. Clear away laundry, cables and yesterday's tea cups.
- Cover photo: the whole item, straight on, filling the frame.
- Then the details: every side, the screen switched on, the label or model number, the accessories, the box.
- Then the faults. A close-up of each scratch or dent. This feels wrong, but it works: buyers who come already know, so they do not bargain again at the meeting, and they do not walk away.
You can add up to 12 photos. Use your own. Pictures copied from a shop website make buyers suspicious and are not accepted for used items.
Let the AI do the first draft
If you add your photos first, the BUY.net.pk AI ad creator suggests a title, the category and a description from what it sees, and fills in details it can read from a label or a box. It will not guess things a photo cannot prove, such as PTA status or mileage; it asks you. Treat the draft as a helpful start, then correct it. You know the item; the AI only knows the picture.
The description: answer the questions before they are asked
Every unanswered question is a message you must reply to, or a buyer who never writes. A simple structure:
- What it is and how old. "Bought new in March 2023 from an authorised shop."
- Condition, honestly. "Screen has no scratches. Small dent on the lower left corner, shown in photo 6."
- What is included. "Original charger and box. No earphones."
- The facts only you know. PTA status, real mileage, repairs, warranty left, whether documents are complete.
- Why you are selling. One line is enough, and it removes a lot of doubt.
- How to deal. "Can be checked in Johar Town in the evening. Price slightly negotiable."
Short lines are easier to read on a phone than one long paragraph. English, Urdu or Roman Urdu are all fine; write the way your buyers search.
The price: research for five minutes
- Search for the same item in your city on BUY.net.pk and note the range. Ignore the highest and the lowest.
- If you want a quick sale, price a little under the middle. If you can wait, price at the middle and mark it negotiable.
- Leave room to come down a little. Most buyers will ask, and both sides like to feel they got something.
- Enter the real price. A fake low figure to attract clicks wastes your time with angry callers and can get the ad removed.
A useful signal: plenty of views but no messages after a few days means the ad is being seen and the price is being rejected. Edit the price rather than posting again.
Category, city and area
Buyers filter. If your ad is in the wrong category or the wrong city, it does not appear in their results, however good it is. Choose the most specific category that fits, and the area where the item really is. "DHA Phase 5, Lahore" brings buyers who can actually come.
After you post: speed wins
- Reply fast. Buyers message several sellers at once. The first clear, polite reply usually gets the visit.
- Answer offers. Accept, decline or counter. Silence loses the buyer.
- Keep the chat on BUY.net.pk and never share an OTP or pay anything to "receive" a payment.
- Refresh a slow ad. Replace the cover photo, tighten the title, adjust the price.
- Mark it sold the day it sells.
A complete example
Title: Dawlance 12 cu ft refrigerator, 3 years used, working perfectly
Description: Bought new in 2022, single family use. Cooling is excellent, compressor never repaired. Two small scratches on the left side (see photo 5). Door rubber replaced last year. Selling because we are moving abroad. Can be seen running in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, any evening. Buyer arranges transport. Price slightly negotiable.
Nothing clever in it, and nothing missing. That is the whole method.
Checklist before you press submit
- Would a stranger know exactly what this is from the title alone?
- Is the cover photo bright, sharp and of the whole item?
- Have you shown and mentioned every fault?
- Is the price inside the range of similar ads?
- Right category, right city, right area?
If yes, post your free ad. Your account includes 10 live ads at no cost, and the seller guidelines cover the handover.
