AI Guides › Workbench
By Nigel Guy · 7 min read
The usual approach is to photograph everything, paste it into a chatbot, ask for "prices, listings and a CSV", and trust what comes back. It looks finished, so it feels efficient. It is pricing theatre: the model guesses used prices from memory, can't see the scuff on the back of the lamp, and invents an upload file that may match no real template.
The rule: let AI do the typing, not the judging. It drafts identifications, prices and listings; you check prices against real sold listings, and you only upload a file built on the platform's own template.
| Tool | What it does | Cost at time of writing | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A chat assistant that accepts photos (Claude, ChatGPT or similar) | Identifies items, drafts prices and writes listings | Free tiers accept image uploads, with usage limits; paid plans cost more, check the current plan page | Turning 30 photos into 30 drafts in one sitting | Prices are estimates from training data unless it can browse, and it can misidentify models |
| eBay "Sold items" search filter | Shows what identical items actually sold for | Free | Checking every AI price before you list | Takes a minute per item; sold prices vary with condition |
| Facebook Marketplace spreadsheet upload | Lists multiple items from a CSV file | Free | Local collection items, bulky furniture | Computer only; category is guessed from your text |
| eBay Seller Hub Reports | Bulk-creates listings or drafts from a template | Free for UK private sellers (300 free listings a month; 35p each after) | Postable items, collectables, branded goods | Private sellers need at least one completed sale to get Seller Hub access |
Shoot each item in daylight with a close-up of any label, model number or damage. Upload about ten items per batch; bigger batches make mix-ups more likely.
Fill in: your town or region, the platforms you'll use, and how fast you want things gone.
You are an experienced UK second-hand reseller helping me clear my home. I am in [TOWN_OR_REGION] and will sell on [FACEBOOK_MARKETPLACE / EBAY / BOTH]. I want most items gone within [NUMBER] weeks.
I have attached photos. Treat each photo, or each group of photos showing the same object, as one item and number them in the order they appear.
For each item, work through these steps:
1. Identify it: item type, brand, model or range, visible condition issues, and what in the photo told you.
2. Give your confidence: High, Medium or Low. If Low, say what extra photo would settle it.
3. Estimate a realistic used price range in pounds for its visible condition, for a private UK sale.
4. Suggest a list price that should sell within my time frame, and a floor price below which I should decline offers.
5. Write the exact search phrase I should paste into eBay's sold listings to check your estimate.
Output a table with columns: Item no. | Identification | Confidence | Used range (£) | List at (£) | Floor (£) | Sold-listings search phrase | Notes.
Rules:
- Do not state an original retail price unless you are confident; write "unknown" otherwise.
- Do not invent model numbers. If you cannot read one, say so.
- Flag anything that may be restricted or risky to sell (damaged electricals, child car seats, knives, swollen batteries).
- If you need information I haven't given, ask before producing the table.
Before answering, check: does every row have a confidence rating, and is every Low-confidence item clearly marked as a guess?
Then do the bit the model cannot: search each phrase on eBay, tick Sold items in the filters, and move your list price to the middle of what genuinely sold in similar condition. No comparable sales? Price to test and drop after a week.
Run this in the same conversation, after correcting the prices.
Fill in: your corrected price table, collection or postage, and anything you know about condition that the photos don't show.
You are now writing my marketplace listings. Use the corrected table below as the only source for item names and prices. Do not change any price.
[PASTE_CORRECTED_TABLE]
Delivery: [COLLECTION ONLY / COLLECTION OR POSTAGE]
Extra condition notes from me: [NOTES_PER_ITEM_OR_NONE]
For each item write:
- Title: under 80 characters, starting with brand and model (if known), then item type, then condition. No capitals for emphasis, no "L@@K", no emoji.
- Description: 4 to 6 short lines in British English, written as a private person selling their own belongings. Line 1 says what it is. Then dimensions or size if relevant. Then honest condition, naming every flaw I or the photos mention. Then why it's being sold if I've said. Last line: collection or postage terms.
- Condition label: one of New, Used – like new, Used – good, Used – fair.
- Price: copied exactly from the table.
Output as numbered blocks, one per item, in the same order as the table.
Do not claim something works, is genuine, or is complete unless my notes say so. If an item's condition is unclear, write "[CHECK CONDITION]" in the description rather than guessing.
Before answering, check that every price matches the table and every known flaw appears in its description.
Read every description against the actual object; a clean-looking photo can override a flaw you mentioned.
Never ask the model to "match Facebook's template" from memory. Download the real template and paste its header row in.
On Facebook Marketplace, the Help Centre confirms you can upload multiple items from a computer as a CSV, using its template or your own, with the headers left untouched. Title, price and description are required; Facebook predicts the category from your text, and you can fix each row on the listings screen. We could not confirm the exact name of the button that opens this option, so look for it on the desktop create-listing screen.
On eBay, go to Seller Hub > Reports > Upload > Get template, choose Listings as the source, and pick Create drafts template if your photos aren't hosted online (it lets you leave the image URL column blank and add photos when you turn drafts into listings). Upload with Upload template, choosing .csv or .xlsx.
Fill in: the exact header row from the template you downloaded, plus your finished listings.
You are formatting a marketplace bulk-upload file. A wrong header or stray comma will make the upload fail.
Here is the exact header row from the platform's own template. Use these headers exactly, in this order, and add no others:
[PASTE_TEMPLATE_HEADER_ROW]
Here are my finished listings:
[PASTE_LISTINGS]
My location or postcode area for any location column: [LOCATION]
Steps:
1. Map each listing field to its header. Leave headers with no data empty and list them in a note after the file.
2. Prices: numbers only, no £ sign.
3. Wrap any field containing a comma, quote mark or line break in double quotes, and double any quote marks inside it.
4. Output the result as a single CSV code block, one row per item, header row first.
Do not guess category codes or IDs; leave those cells blank and tell me which rows need them.
Before answering, count the rows and confirm the number matches the number of listings I gave you.
Save the output as a .csv file, upload two rows as a test, then the rest.
Bulky or fragile things go on Facebook as collection-only. Branded, collectable or small postable items go on eBay. Under about ten items, skip bulk upload: typing them in is quicker than debugging a CSV.