localskillsai

Trade Me Listing Drafter

v1.0.1low riskdraft only

Drafts a complete Trade Me marketplace listing from photos and a one-line description.

New ZealandRetail · Businessby @paulgnzLicense: MITFree

Install

Install in Claude — recommended

Claude Desktop · Claude.ai · Claude Code

Localskills is an Anthropic-spec plugin marketplace (github.com/localskills-ai/skills). Add it once, install any skill with one command — no zip wrangling, no self-attested permissions, no fetch-and-grant.

/plugin marketplace add localskills-ai/skills
/plugin install trademe-listing-drafter@localskills

Then describe your task — Claude picks the skill from context.

Or — use without installing (MCP)

full setup →

Prefer not to install? Connect the Localskills MCP server once and any agent can call this skill on the fly through a sandboxed, schema-bound channel.

1. Add the server (one time):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "localskills": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://localskills.ai/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

2. Then ask your agent:

Using the Localskills MCP (get_skill), fetch the "trademe-listing-drafter" skill (nz/trademe-listing-drafter) and apply it to my task.

No MCP? Paste this to a permissive agent (Claude Code, dev CLI). It fetches the skill and sets it up directly. Hosted agents like Claude.ai will often (correctly) refuse this shape — use MCP above instead.

Install and set up the Localskills skill "trademe-listing-drafter"
(nz/trademe-listing-drafter).

Before installing anything, fetch and review it:
- https://localskills.ai/nz/trademe-listing-drafter
- https://localskills.ai/api/install/claude-code/nz/trademe-listing-drafter

Read its SKILL.md and the permissions declared in skill.json
(filesystem, network, shell). Don't grant more than it declares;
if anything looks off, stop and tell me.

Then install it for the agent you're running and confirm it's
available. Keep the work scoped to this skill — ask before any
broader environment changes.

Or grab the files yourself — pick your agent. The download writes one file (or a folder) to where your agent looks for skills. Nothing runs on your machine until you invoke the skill from inside the agent.

Claude Code
downloador terminal ▾
curl -fsSL https://localskills.ai/api/install/claude-code/nz/trademe-listing-drafter -o /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip && unzip -o /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/ && rm /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip

Min Claude Code: >=1.0.0 · Writes to ~/.claude/skills/<slug>/

Cursor
downloador terminal ▾
mkdir -p .cursor/rules && curl -fsSL https://localskills.ai/api/install/cursor/nz/trademe-listing-drafter -o .cursor/rules/trademe-listing-drafter.mdc

Min Cursor: >=0.40.0 · Writes to .cursor/rules/<slug>.mdc

Codex CLI
downloador terminal ▾
curl -fsSL https://localskills.ai/api/install/codex/nz/trademe-listing-drafter -o /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip && unzip -o /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip -d ./ && rm /tmp/trademe-listing-drafter.zip

Min Codex CLI: >=1.0.0 · Writes to .codex/skills/<slug>/

Want to read it before saving? Pipe the download to lessinstead of -o:
curl -fsSL https://localskills.ai/api/install/cursor/nz/trademe-listing-drafter | less

README

Trade Me Listing Drafter

You've got a thing to sell. This skill drafts the listing — title, category, condition wording, description, postage notes — from your photos and a one-line brief. NZ tone, no fluff.

What it does

Trade Me listings live or die on three things: the title (search), the photos (you handle those), and the description (you've been putting that off).

This skill produces:

  1. Title — under Trade Me's 80-character limit, with the keywords buyers actually search for. No SHOUTY CAPS, no clickbait.
  2. Category suggestion — Trade Me has a deep category tree; the skill suggests the best leaf node based on your photos and brief.
  3. Condition wording — "Used — like new", "Used — good", "Used — for parts" etc., matched to what the photos show.
  4. Key specs as bullet points — extracted from photos when possible (visible measurements, model numbers on labels, sizes).
  5. Description body — short paragraph + bullets, NZ-spelt, factual.
  6. Postage note — suggests whether to offer pickup-only, NZ-wide shipping (your call which courier), or both.
  7. Pricing guidance — if you ask, but defaults to "you decide; here are recent comparable Trade Me searches you could check" rather than inventing a price.

It does NOT post the listing. Trade Me Buyer Protection requires you list yourself through your verified account.

Inputs

  • 1–20 photos of the item (Trade Me allows up to 20 per Marketplace listing).
  • One-line brief: "selling my old Specialized Sirrus bike, has some scratches on the frame, includes lights".
  • Optionally: a Trade Me category if you already know it, your preferred postage option, a reserve price.

Outputs

Title (78/80 chars)
-------------------
Specialized Sirrus Hybrid Bike — Medium, Black, Lights Included

Category
--------
Sports → Cycling → Bikes & frames → Hybrid bikes

Condition: Used — good
(some frame scratches visible in photo 3, otherwise mechanically sound)

Description
-----------
Specialized Sirrus hybrid in medium (frame ~17"). Used commuter — fine on
mechanically, frame has a couple of scratches near the bottom bracket
(see photo 3). Comes with the lights pictured (front + rear, USB
rechargeable, batteries in good condition).

Key details:
- Frame: aluminium, medium (~17")
- Wheels: 700c
- Gears: 24-speed (3 x 8)
- Brakes: rim, both work fine
- Tyres: ~70% remaining
- Lights: included

Pickup or NZ courier (you pay the courier ticket — quoted at checkout).
No reserve. Happy to answer questions.

Postage suggestion
------------------
Offer both: "Pick up only OR NZ-wide courier at buyer cost".
Bikes are expensive to ship — most Trade Me buyers will collect.

Permissions

  • fileSystem.read:photos — to read the photos of the item.
  • fileSystem.read:downloads — alt location for photos.
  • fileSystem.write:outputs — to save the drafted listing.
  • No network. The skill doesn't read Trade Me or any other site.
  • No shell.

What it won't do

  • Set a price. Pricing is your call (and varies wildly by item). The skill produces the listing, not the valuation.
  • Auto-list. Trade Me requires identity-verified accounts and 2FA — that's by design and we don't bypass it.
  • Write hype. "WOW! UNBELIEVABLE! GENUINE BARGAIN!" doesn't pass moderation here.
  • Misrepresent condition. If the photos show damage, the listing says "damaged" in the spot Trade Me expects.

Trade Me-specific niceties

  • Buyer Protection applies when the buyer pays via Ping or Afterpay — covers them up to $5,000 if the item doesn't arrive, isn't as described, or arrives broken. Keep payment in-app to stay covered.
  • Reserve auctions vs Buy Now — the skill suggests but doesn't decide. For unique items reserve is fine; for commodities Buy Now sells faster.
  • Ping — Trade Me's in-app card payment system (a virtual wallet). Mentioned in the listing if it's available for your category.
  • Selling fees — from 10 March 2026 Trade Me dropped the 7.9% success fee for casual sellers on Marketplace (general items list for free; buyers pay a small service fee instead). In-trade sellers still pay success fees. You can mention "GST receipt available" if you're a GST-registered seller; otherwise leave it out.

Tone

NZ-direct. The Trade Me readership rewards honest descriptions. "I drove this for 4 years, has a dent" gets more views and better bidders than "MINT BARGAIN PRICED TO SELL". The skill writes accordingly.

Author

Paul Grey (@paulgrey).

Skill instructions (SKILL.md)

View the prompt the agent receives

Trade Me Listing Drafter — SKILL

You draft Trade Me marketplace listings from photos and a one-line brief. You do not post the listing. You do not invent specs you can't see.

Operating rules

  1. You never contact Trade Me. You produce text the user pastes into Trade Me's listing form themselves.
  2. You describe what you can see. If a measurement isn't visible in the photos and the user didn't state it, you leave it out — don't guess.
  3. Honest condition wording. Trade Me's condition options are: New / Used — like new / Used — good / Used — for parts. Match the photos. If the photos show wear, the listing says "Used — good" with notes. If they show damage, "Used — for parts" or "Used — good with damage noted".
  4. Title ≤ 80 characters. Trade Me truncates. Use the keywords buyers search for first: brand, model, size, key spec.
  5. No clickbait. No "MUST GO!", "BARGAIN!", "L@@K!". Trade Me's audience hates it.

Inputs

  • 1–20 photos (Trade Me allows up to 20 per Marketplace listing).
  • One-line brief: what it is, condition notes, any inclusions.
  • Optional: category if known, postage preference, reserve.

If you get less than this (e.g. just a brief, no photos), ask for photos — title and condition depend on them.

Information you extract from photos

  • Brand and model (labels, head badges, embroidery).
  • Visible measurements (rulers, tape measures, screens showing inches/cm).
  • Wear/damage: scratches, dents, fading, missing pieces.
  • Inclusions in shot (battery, cable, charger, original box).
  • Approximate size if context gives it away (a chair against a wall of known height).

If a photo is blurry or shot in poor light, note it: "I can't read the model number in photo 4 — can you confirm?"

Title formula

<BRAND> <MODEL> — <KEY SPEC>, <COLOUR/SIZE>, <INCLUSIONS>

Examples:

  • Specialized Sirrus Hybrid Bike — Medium, Black, Lights Included (78 chars)
  • iPad Air 4th Gen 64GB WiFi — Space Grey, Smart Folio Cover Included (71 chars)
  • Wedgwood Wild Strawberry Tea Set — 6 Cups, Saucers, Teapot, Sugar Bowl (72 chars)

Keep it under 80. Trim aggressively.

Category suggestion

Trade Me's category tree is deep. Aim for the most specific leaf node. Top-level branches:

  • Antiques & collectables
  • Art
  • Baby gear
  • Books
  • Building & renovation
  • Business, farming & industry
  • Cars, bikes & boats
  • Clothing & fashion
  • Computers
  • Crafts
  • Electronics & photography
  • Gaming
  • Health & beauty
  • Home & living
  • Jewellery & watches
  • Movies & TV
  • Music
  • Pets & animals
  • Pottery & glass
  • Sports
  • Toys & models
  • Trade Me Property (separate flow — don't draft real estate here)

If unsure between two leaves, suggest both and let the user pick.

Description body — structure

Three blocks:

  1. One-paragraph summary — what it is, who it'd suit, condition headline.
  2. Bulleted key details — specs, measurements, inclusions.
  3. A practical note — pickup vs courier, willingness to answer questions, no-reserve / reserve, GST status if business seller.

Keep it under 250 words. Trade Me buyers skim.

Pricing

If the user asks "what should I list it at?", produce a category-appropriate question back: "What did you pay, and when? What's the condition relative to mint?" Then suggest a range based on common Trade Me depreciation curves (electronics: 40–60% of original for 1-year-old, 20–40% for 3-year-old). Don't pretend you know what comparable listings closed at — you can't see Trade Me.

If they want a hard number, refuse and explain.

Postage note

Three options to offer:

  • Pickup only — for bulky items, fragile items, items where shipping cost would exceed item value.
  • Courier — most things. Buyer pays. "Courier price quoted at checkout via NZ Couriers / Aramex / NZ Post."
  • Both — best for medium items. Let buyer choose.

The skill suggests based on size/fragility visible in photos. The user decides.

Output format

Title (<chars>/80)
------------------
<TITLE>

Category
--------
<TOP> → <BRANCH> → <LEAF>

Condition: <NEW | USED — LIKE NEW | USED — GOOD | USED — FOR PARTS>
<one-line condition note>

Description
-----------
<paragraph>

Key details:
- <bullet>
- ...

<practical note>

Postage suggestion
------------------
<one-line recommendation + why>

Pricing
-------
<range or "you decide; here's how to think about it">

What you will not do

  • Auto-list to Trade Me. The skill is draft-only.
  • Misrepresent condition or omit damage shown in photos.
  • Write SEO spam ("buy now sale cheap fast", "MINT MINT MINT").
  • Suggest selling restricted items (firearms, prescription medicines, alcohol over volume limit, restricted electronics). If user describes one, refuse and point at Trade Me's banned and restricted items list.
  • Forge a brand. If the photos show "Diesell" instead of "Diesel", say so; don't fix it for the user.

Tone

Trade Me-direct. NZ English. Polite. Honest. The audience rewards this.

Self-check

  1. Title ≤ 80 chars?
  2. Category specific enough to be the actual leaf node?
  3. Condition matches the photos?
  4. Description ≤ 250 words?
  5. No invented specs?
  6. No clickbait?

If any answer is "no", fix it.

Changelog

Changelog

[1.0.1] — 2026-05-25

Fixed

  • Corrected the photo limit from "1–10 photos" to "1–20 photos" (Trade Me allows up to 20 images per Marketplace listing) in SKILL.md and README.md.
  • Replaced the dead restricted-items help link with the current Banned and Restricted page (https://www.trademe.co.nz/c/trust-safety/banned-and-restricted).
  • Fixed the "Sucessful Trade fees" typo and updated the fee note: from 10 March 2026 Trade Me dropped the 7.9% success fee for casual sellers on Marketplace (general items list free; buyers pay a small service fee), while in-trade sellers still pay success fees.
  • Updated the Buyer Protection note: cover applies when the buyer pays via Ping or Afterpay, up to $5,000; corrected the description of Ping from "escrow-style" to Trade Me's in-app card payment system.

[1.0.0] — 2026-05-20

Added

  • Initial release.
  • Drafts Trade Me listing title (≤ 80 chars), category suggestion, condition, description, postage note.
  • Extracts visible specs and measurements from photos when possible.
  • NZ-direct tone; refuses clickbait and SHOUTY CAPS.
  • Refuses to auto-list, set hard prices, or misrepresent condition.
  • Zero network permissions.