Write a listing buyers can actually find

Why the details matter

Every checkbox and tag you fill in becomes something a buyer can search or filter by. A buyer looking for Jain sweets, halal meat, or a cotton kurta in their size is filtering past everything that doesn't match -- if your listing doesn't carry the right tags, it simply won't come up for that buyer, even if it's exactly what they wanted. The goal isn't to check every box; it's to check the ones that are actually true, so the right buyer finds you and the wrong request doesn't land on your doorstep.

Title & description

Be specific rather than general. The tags below help with filtering, but the title is still the first thing a buyer reads.

• Vague: "Snack boxes" Better: "Gujarati farsan box — dhokla, khakhra, chevdo"
• Vague: "Kids clothes" Better: "Cotton kurta pajama set, ages 4–6, festive"
• Vague: "Mehndi" Better: "Bridal mehndi, natural henna only, 2-hour appointment"

Food items: the fields, one by one

Legal classification

Cottage Food or MEHKO only — this is per item, not per category, and it drives which permit actually covers the item. If you're not sure, check your own compliance attestation or see Compliance & insurance.

Cuisine

Pick the region(s) the dish comes from. This stops at the state/region level (Gujarati, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Bengali, South Indian, and so on) — city or family-recipe-level detail ("my nani's version," "Hyderabadi-style") belongs in the title, description, or the Tags field, not a checkbox.

• Dhokla, khaman, thepla → Gujarati
• Rajma made sweet, gatte ki sabzi, daal baati churma → Rajasthani
• Litti chokha, sattu paratha → Bihari
• Undhiyu during winter, but also check Vrat friendly if it's a fasting-day version

Dietary

Only check what you're sure of. Vegetarian, eggetarian, non-vegetarian, jain, vegan, halal, jhatka, kosher, vrat friendly, sugar free, gluten free, dairy free are all independent checkboxes — check as many as genuinely apply.

• Eggless cake → Vegetarian (not eggetarian, since it contains no egg at all)
• Cake made with egg → Eggetarian. Whether that also counts as "vegetarian" varies by community and region in India, so eggetarian and non-vegetarian are not mutually exclusive here — check both if the item genuinely fits both, or use the "Contains egg" ingredient flag below to be precise either way.
• Chicken or mutton prepared the halal way → Non-vegetarian + Halal
• Meat prepared jhatka style → Non-vegetarian + Jhatka
• Fasting-day khichdi or sabudana → Vrat friendly

Allergens (required, not optional)

Declare every one of the nine major allergens (milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, sesame) that's actually in the item. This isn't marketing — buyers with allergies rely on it being accurate.

Meat type (shown once you check "Non-vegetarian")

Chicken, mutton/lamb, beef, pork, seafood/fish — check whichever meats are actually in the dish, so a buyer who eats chicken but not beef can filter correctly.

Spice level

Mild, medium, spicy, or extra spicy. One choice, self-reported — helps buyers who are spice-sensitive or spice-seeking sort at a glance.

Ingredients present

Direct check/uncheck for egg, onion, garlic, ginger, and root vegetables — this is what makes "no onion no garlic" and Jain requests filterable, rather than buried in a description.

• Jain-friendly dal, no onion/garlic/ginger/root vegetables → leave all four ingredient flags unchecked
• Regular dal with onion and garlic tadka → check Contains onion and Contains garlic
• Item made with egg, some buyers ask "eggs okay or not" → check Contains egg so it's answered before they have to ask

Non-food items: use the Tags field

Clothing, jewelry, décor, and services vary too much for a fixed checklist — instead of guessing a taxonomy that's never complete, type the details that matter as tags. Tags go through the same review as your title and description, so keep them accurate and relevant.

• Clothing & textiles: cotton, silk, kurta pajama, salwar suit, saree, festive, kids, unstitched
• Jewelry & accessories: gold-plated, oxidized silver, temple jewelry, bridal set, kundan
• Home décor: brass, terracotta, rangoli stencil, diya, wall hanging, Diwali
• Services (mehndi, tailoring, classes): bridal mehndi, natural henna, alterations, beginner-friendly, kids class

Up to 10 tags per listing, 30 characters each. Comma-separated in the Tags field.

Tags field for food, too

The checkboxes above cover the well-established, safety-relevant vocabulary. Anything more specific — a family recipe name, a city-style variation, a festival it's tied to — still belongs in Tags or the description.

• Hyderabadi biryani vs. Lucknowi biryani vs. Kolkata biryani → cuisine checkbox for the state, then "Hyderabadi style" or "Lucknowi style" as a tag
• Diwali faral, Rakhi sweets, Navratri thali → tag the occasion