Etsy Listing Board — 3-Lens Listing Review

How it works

Etsy Listing Board is for the moment before you publish (or when a live listing is not working) and you want more than one voice's opinion on it. You paste the title, tags, description, price and photo notes. Three reviewer lanes audit the listing text, then check each other's findings, and a board verdict hands back a short, ranked fix list. It never logs in to Etsy, edits or posts anything. The three reviewers are separate passes written one after another by the same agent, each starting from your raw listing only and not allowed to quote another lane until the cross-check, so they are independent by procedure, not truly independent. If your agent supports sub-agents, it can run each lane in its own.

Phase 1 - Intake. Whether it only has your text or can also view photos, the listing as pasted (title length, tag count and lengths, word count, price, photo notes, anything MISSING), and your brief: who the buyer is and what worries you.

Phase 2 - Three separate reviews. The Search Visibility Realist judges whether a buyer's words are in the title and tags. The Buyer Trust Skeptic judges what a careful stranger would still worry about. The Conversion Realist judges what stops a willing buyer from saying yes. Each works only from your text and brief, with severity, a quoted line and a fix.

Phase 3 - Cross-check. Each reviewer challenges or corroborates the other two lanes' findings, and conflicts between fixes (for example keyword-heavy title vs. readable title) are named and resolved for your brief.

Phase 4 - Board verdict. One tagged fix list (CORROBORATED, CONFIRMED, DISPUTED, UNSURE), a rewritten title, tag gaps, trust gaps, conversion blockers, and a plain verdict (Not ready, Fix before publishing or Ready). It judges against your text and brief, not against Etsy's changing ranking rules, and it flags anything it cannot verify as UNSURE instead of inventing numbers.

Sample output

Real, unedited output from running this Skill on a sample problem:

Mode T - listing: Hand-poured soy candle (lavender) - BLOCKER 1 / FIX 8 / NOTE 4 / UNSURE 4 - Verdict: Not ready

## Listing and brief

Mode T: only text and photo notes were pasted; no photos attached.

- **Title** (91 characters): "Beautiful Unique Handmade Soy Candle Gift for Her - Cozy Lavender Scented Candle Home Decor"
- **Tags** (8; length in characters): soy candle (10), candle gift (11), handmade candle (15), lavender candle (15), home decor (10), gift for her (12), scented candle (14), hand poured soy candle (22)
- **Description** (3 sentences, 49 words): "Hand poured in small batches, this soy candle fills your room with a soft lavender scent. It comes in a 8 oz amber glass jar with a cotton wick and makes a lovely gift. Perfect for relaxing evenings, it is eco-friendly and burns clean for up to 50 hours."
- **Price**: $18. No variants or options mentioned.
- **Photo notes**: "1) front view, white background; 2) lit candle on a wooden table; 3) close-up of the label"
- **MISSING**: shipping and processing time, care and safety text, wax and fragrance details, returns. These were not provided.
- **Brief**: none was pasted. This is an `inferred brief`. Buyer: gift buyers looking for a cozy scented candle. Goal: find gift buyers. Worry: is a handmade candle worth $18 compared with a store candle?
- **Product type**: handmade.

## Phase 2 - Independent reviews

### Search Visibility Realist
1. NOTE | "Beautiful Unique Handmade Soy Candle Gift for Her" | The title opens with vague filler ("Beautiful Unique") before the item name. | Lead with the plain name: "Hand Poured Soy Candle...". | FOUND
2. FIX | tag "hand poured soy candle" (22 characters) | This tag is probably over the per-tag limit `[widely documented - verify current]`. Check the current limit in the listing form. | Shorten it, e.g. "poured soy candle". | FOUND
3. FIX | tags "soy candle", "scented candle", "lavender candle", "candle gift", "gift for her" | The tags overlap each other and the title. They add few new search angles (no occasion, no scent-family or use angle beyond "gift"). | Replace the overlaps with tags built from stated facts, e.g. "amber glass jar". | FOUND
4. NOTE | 8 tags pasted | Unused slots cannot be judged because the max tag count is not in the paste. | Check the current maximum in the listing form. | UNSURE: how many tag slots does your form show?
5. NOTE | whole listing | Checked for brand, franchise, celebrity and character terms. None found. | None. | FOUND

### Buyer Trust Skeptic
1. BLOCKER | "it is eco-friendly" | This is an environmental claim and the text gives no support. The claim is UNSUPPORTED. The board cannot confirm it. | Remove it, or state the true basis, e.g. "[YOU FILL IN: what makes it eco-friendly, e.g. materials]". | UNSURE: what concretely supports "eco-friendly"?
2. FIX | "burns clean for up to 50 hours" | The claim is UNSUPPORTED in the text. Performance and safety-adjacent claims are for the seller to verify. | Keep it only if you tested it, and say how. Otherwise remove it. | UNSURE: how was the 50-hour figure measured?
3. FIX | MISSING: wax type, fragrance source, weight, care and safety text, production time | The buyer cannot tell what is in the candle or how to use it safely. Only "8 oz", "amber glass jar" and "cotton wick" are stated. | add "[YOU FILL IN: wax blend]", "[YOU FILL IN: fragrance]", "[YOU FILL IN: care/burn instructions]", "[YOU FILL IN: processing time]". | FOUND
4. FIX | photo notes "front view...; lit candle...; close-up of the label" | The notes show no scale reference and no top-down or underside view. Mode T: this judges the notes only. | Add a note for a scale shot (hand or ruler) and a top view. | FOUND
5. NOTE | MISSING: returns and package contents | Not stated. Check Etsy's current seller policies. | State what you offer. | FOUND

### Conversion Realist
1. FIX | "Hand poured in small batches, this soy candle fills your room..." | The first two lines open with process and mood. The size and jar arrive in sentence 2. | Open with: "8 oz hand poured soy candle in an amber glass jar, lavender scent, a [YOU FILL IN: occasion] gift." | FOUND
2. NOTE | price $18 | The skill cannot say whether $18 fits. | Compare against similar items in your niche. | UNSURE: what do comparable items in your niche list for?
3. NOTE | no options mentioned | The paste lists one scent and one size. Whether others exist is unknown. | If other scents or sizes exist, say how to choose. | FOUND
4. FIX | worry (inferred): "worth $18 vs a store candle?" | No line in the copy directly answers it. | Add one true differentiator: "[YOU FILL IN: what is different about your process or ingredients]". | FOUND
5. NOTE | end of description "...up to 50 hours." | The page ends on a claim, with no clear next step. | Close with a plain line, e.g. "[YOU FILL IN: ordering or processing information]". | FOUND

## Phase 3 - Cross-check

Visibility reads Trust and Conversion:
- Trust #1 (eco-friendly) - Corroborate: removing it also takes away a keyword-like phrase, but nothing in the tags uses it. No harm to my lane.
- Trust #3 (missing facts) - Corroborate: wax and fragrance facts would supply new tag angles. Challenge: none.
- Conversion #1 (open with size) - Corroborate: it matches my title advice to state the plain name early.

Trust reads Visibility and Conversion:
- Visibility #3 (replace overlapping tags) - Corroborate. New tags must come only from supported facts, not from "eco-friendly".
- Conversion #1 (new opening) - Corroborate: it brings the size forward. It must not add claims the seller did not make.
- Conversion #4 (worry) - Corroborate: the same facts I asked for in #3 answer it.

Conversion reads Visibility and Trust:
- Visibility #1 (title filler) - Corroborate.
- Trust #2 (50 hours) - Corroborate: an unsupported number hurts buyer confidence more than leaving it out.
- Trust #4 (photo notes) - Challenge (mild): in Mode T the photos themselves were not seen, so this is a note-level finding, not a verdict on the photos. The finding stands.

Conflict check: Visibility wants more keywords in the title, Trust wants size and jar kept. Winner: readability with size kept, because the brief's goal is gift buyers and a keyword wall adds nothing here. No other opposite fixes.

## Phase 4 - Board verdict

1. CONFIRMED - BLOCKER - "eco-friendly" unsupported (Trust #1). UNSURE for the seller to verify.
2. CORROBORATED - FIX - Missing facts (wax, fragrance, care, processing time) (Trust #3, Conversion #4).
3. CONFIRMED - FIX - "burns clean for up to 50 hours" unsupported (Trust #2). UNSURE.
4. CONFIRMED - FIX - Title filler opener (Visibility #1; Conversion corroborates).
5. CONFIRMED - FIX - Over-length tag (Visibility #2).
6. CONFIRMED - FIX - Overlapping tags (Visibility #3).
7. CONFIRMED - FIX - Photo notes lack scale and top view (Trust #4). Mild challenge noted.
8. CONFIRMED - FIX - Description opening (Conversion #1).
9. CORROBORATED - FIX - Price worry unanswered (Conversion #4, Trust #3).
10. CONFIRMED - NOTE - Returns and package contents missing; options not stated; no closing line; no brand terms found.
11. UNSURE - price fit; tag slot limit; eco-friendly basis; 50-hour basis.

### Rewritten title
- Recommended (80 characters): "Hand Poured Soy Candle, Lavender Scented, 8 oz Amber Jar - Handmade Gift for Her"
- Alternative: "Lavender Soy Candle, Hand Poured, 8 oz Amber Glass Jar, [YOU FILL IN: occasion] Gift"
- What changed: removed the filler "Beautiful Unique" and "Cozy"; moved the item name first; added "8 oz" and "Amber Jar" from your description; kept "Gift for Her" from your title. I added no new facts. Check the current title character limit in the listing form.

### Tag gaps
| Action | Tag | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| keep | soy candle | Item name |
| keep | lavender candle | Scent angle |
| keep | gift for her | Recipient angle |
| keep | home decor | Use angle (general; consider a more specific one) |
| change | hand poured soy candle (22) | Over 20 characters `[widely documented - verify current]`; use "poured soy candle" |
| drop | scented candle | Overlaps "lavender candle" and "soy candle" |
| drop | candle gift | Overlaps "gift for her" |
| change/add | handmade candle | Keep for the handmade angle |
| add | amber glass jar | From the paste |
| add | cotton wick candle | From the paste |
The form's tag limit is unknown to this check; verify it.

### Trust gaps
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: wax blend]
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: fragrance source]
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: care and burn safety instructions]
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: processing time]
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: returns / what is in the package]
- add this: [YOU FILL IN: what supports "eco-friendly" and "50 hours", or remove both]

### Conversion blockers
1. Remove or support "eco-friendly" (BLOCKER).
2. New first two lines: "8 oz hand poured soy candle in an amber glass jar with a cotton wick. Soft lavender scent, [YOU FILL IN: why it suits a gift]."
3. Add a line answering the $18 worry: "[YOU FILL IN: true differentiator]".

**Verdict: Not ready** - the one BLOCKER is the unsupported "eco-friendly" claim. The FIX items about missing facts and the 50-hour claim are strongly advised. This is a judgment on the text, not a forecast.

## Needs your answer
- What concretely supports "eco-friendly"?
- How was "up to 50 hours" measured?
- What do comparable items in your niche list for ($18)?
- How many tag slots and what per-tag limit does your listing form show?

## Limits of this check
Mode T. Photos were not viewed; only the photo notes were judged. No search ranking, demand, competitor or pricing data was used. Check trademarked or brand terms and Etsy's current seller policies yourself; no sales, ranking or delivery outcome is implied.

Use cases

• Auditing a handmade, vintage or digital listing before you hit publish
• Finding out why a live listing gets views but few sales
• Rewriting a cluttered title around the item's plain name and real facts
• Spotting duplicate or missing tag angles without guessing at search volumes
• Listing the facts a careful buyer will want that your page leaves out

FAQ

Does it know how Etsy ranks listings? No. Etsy's search and ranking rules change and are not public in detail. The Skill judges your listing against its own text and your stated brief, and marks anything it cannot verify as UNSURE instead of inventing numbers.

Will it make my listing sell? No. It returns a clearer draft and a ranked fix list. It never promises views, rankings, sales or reviews.

Can it see my photos? Only if the agent you run it in can view images. Otherwise it reviews your photo notes and says so; it never describes a photo it has not seen.

Does it log in, edit or publish my listing? No. It is read-only, keeps nothing after the conversation, and needs no API key, network or hosting.

Is it legal or policy advice? No. It does not give legal, tax, trademark or copyright advice, and it does not set prices or shipping promises. Check trademarked or brand terms and Etsy's current seller policies yourself.

Does it work for vintage or digital listings? Yes. It adjusts its trust and conversion questions to the product type, for example what file the buyer receives for a digital item.