The Maker's Guide to a Great Product Listing

You spent 80 hours building that table. You selected the wood by hand. You cut every joint, sanded every edge, and hand-rubbed the finish until the grain glowed.

Then you propped it up in your shop, snapped a photo with your phone, typed a quick title, and hit publish.

We get it. By the time you’ve finished the making, and in many cases, shipped that 1-of-1 item to the customer, the listing feels like an afterthought. And, there was a time in the world of ecommerce where there was less competition, and that may have been true. But here’s the hard truth: in 2026, your listing is your showroom. For most buyers, it’s the only place they’ll ever encounter your work. And the difference between a listing that generates inquiries and one that disappears into a sea of 60,000+ results usually comes down to four things.

THE FOUR THINGS THAT MATTER MOST

We recently dug into research from across the ecommerce and handmade goods industry, then reviewed real listings on Maker Marketplace to see how the theory matches reality. What we found was a consistent gap — and a massive opportunity — in four areas: photography, titles, descriptions, and pricing.

We’ve put everything into a free guide. Here’s a taste of what’s inside.

1. Photography: the $0 upgrade that changes everything

Research shows that listings with high-quality, multi-angle images see significantly higher conversion rates. For furniture and home decor — where buyers can’t touch or walk around the piece — your photos are doing the work of an entire showroom.

And yet, most furniture listings on any marketplace (including ours) are photographed in workshops. Plywood walls. Fluorescent lights. Clamps still on the bench.

The guide breaks down the five types of photos every listing needs, what your shooting environment should look like, and camera settings that ensure your finish colors are accurate — all doable with natural light and a smartphone.

2. Titles: the search engine doesn’t know you’re talented

We found titles as short as two words on pieces priced in the thousands. A buyer searching for a “hand-carved rustic hickory bookshelf” is never going to find a listing called “Wood Bookshelf.” Neither will the marketplace algorithm.

The guide includes a simple title formula that balances clarity, searchability, and appeal — plus a do’s and don’ts comparison table with before-and-after examples.

3. Descriptions: where the sale actually happens

Your description is your closer. It’s where a curious browser becomes a confident buyer. And for a 4 or 5-figure handmade piece, “Can be made in any fabric and wood” isn’t going to cut it.

The guide covers the six things every furniture description should include — from the obvious (dimensions) to the underrated (why you made it). It also addresses the one detail that’s the top reason buyers abandon furniture listings entirely.

4. Pricing: your listing IS your pricing strategy

Most makers think of pricing and marketing as separate activities. They’re not.

A beautifully photographed, well-described walnut sideboard with a compelling maker story can command a meaningfully higher price than the exact same piece with a dark workshop photo and a two-word title. Your listing’s presentation directly influences the perceived value of your work — and the price the market will bear.

The guide includes a pricing formula that accounts for costs most makers forget, plus a framework for thinking about value-based pricing as a maker.

Get the Full Guide — Free!

The complete Listing Optimization Guide includes detailed best practices for photography, titles, descriptions, and pricing — tailored for furniture and home decor makers — plus a listing review with specific, actionable recommendations and a quick-start checklist you can use today.

CONTACT SUPPORT@MAKER-MARKETPLACE.COM FOR THE FREE GUIDE.

Want to go deeper? We’re running live webinars where we’ll walk through the guide, optimize real listings together, and answer your questions about optimizing your Maker Marketplace presence. Stay tuned for dates.