← All use cases · Shops & e-commerce
Test whether AI can write your catalog descriptions from five product photos, with a blind peer review
Scott Brown, owner of Downtown Brown Books, a one-person rare book shop in Portland, Oregon, in his own Substack
He photographed one book five times with his phone and gave five chatbots the same one-line prompt to write a professional catalog description. Then 24 booksellers rated the five AI descriptions and his own, unlabeled, on a 1 to 5 scale.
Claude $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) · ChatGPT Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo · Google Gemini $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus); free plan available.
Easy · or we set it up for $197
Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini
The problem
Cataloging each book is the slowest part of a one-person rare book business.
What happened
Claude Sonnet 5 rated best (3.4 out of 5), ChatGPT 5.6 Sol second (3.0) and his own description last (2.3). The drafts had errors: Sonnet 5 invented a long, closed tear in the jacket, and Gemini's pagination was wrong. The chatbots were "terrible at assigning prices," from $325 to $1,500 against a reviewer median of $1,100. His conclusion: "AI chatbots can already competently catalog books based on photographs with no special training. Chatbots are lousy at pricing."
Quoted in the source: Scott Brown, owner, Downtown Brown Books. Source: Dispatches from the Rare Book Trade (Substack): How well does AI catalog rare books? (2026-08-10) · Added 2026-10-29.
How to set it up yourself
- What Downtown Brown Books did: five phone photos of one book, the same one-line prompt in five chatbots (Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini models), then a blind rating by 24 other booksellers.
- Pick one item you've already listed well. Take the photos you'd normally take (Brown used five) and paste them into two or three chatbots with the prompt below.
- Put the AI drafts next to your own listing without labels and ask two or three people who know your trade to score each from 1 to 5.
- Check every fact against the item itself; Brown found an invented flaw and a wrong page count. Don't use AI prices without your own comps.
- If a draft wins, use that chatbot for first drafts and keep your own edit and pricing as the last step.
Copy-paste prompt
Based on these {NUMBER} images of a single {ITEM TYPE}, write a professional catalog description for {YOUR SHOP TYPE, E.G. AN ANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLER}. Include {FIELDS YOU ALWAYS LIST, E.G. EDITION, BINDING, CONDITION, INSCRIPTIONS}. Describe only what you can see in the photos; mark anything you can't confirm as CHECK, and don't suggest a price.We set up one AI automation in your tools, live within 48 hours of getting access, for $197. No call needed. Founding price for our first 10 customers (regular $297).
One short email a day: 3 new AI use cases from real small businesses, each with its source and setup steps, plus a Tool of the Day. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Tools used
Claude
AI assistant for writing, long documents, analysis and coding help.
From $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) (checked 2026-10-30)
Visit site →
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for writing, research, brainstorming and analysis.
From Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (checked 2026-11-03)
Visit site →
Google Gemini
Google's AI assistant, integrated with Gmail, Docs and Workspace.
From $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus); free plan available (checked 2026-10-30)
Visit site →Some tool links may be affiliate links. Disclosure
Checked prices: Claude: from $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) (verified 2026-10-30) · ChatGPT: from Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (verified 2026-11-03) · Google Gemini: from $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus); free plan available (verified 2026-10-30)
Rather not do it yourself?
The $197 Quick-Win: we set up one AI automation that saves you hours each week, in accounts you own, live within 48 hours of getting access. No call needed. Refund if it isn't live in 48 hours or isn't doing its job in the first 14 days. Founding price for our first 10 customers (regular $297). Terms.
See the $197 Quick-WinNeed more than one automation or ongoing care? Bigger setups: $149/mo with setup included (6-month minimum), or $497 pay-once. Satisfaction guarantee: we'll fix it until it works. Pay-once setups: or we refund your setup fee. $149/mo plan: cancel in the first 30 days and we refund your first month. We reply within 1 business day.
Related for Shops & e-commerce
Use ChatGPT to bulk-add book listings and spot titles to feature
The owner uses ChatGPT to fill in book details in bulk, uses AI on Google Analytics data to spot rising interest (romance before Valentin…
ChatGPT
Canva AI (Magic Studio)GAGoogle AnalyticsAdd a catalogue-only AI 'librarian' to your bookshop website
'Ask the Librarian' answers in the reader's language, only recommends books in the store's catalogue with live price and stock, and puts …
Use AI to research, price and catalogue thousands of used books before opening
AI helps find prices for comparable copies, check whether sets are complete, decipher old inscriptions, and turn his dictated book detail…
Running something like this in your business? Submit your use case and we'll credit you with a link.
Get 3 new AI use cases every morning
One email every morning: 3 new AI use cases from real small businesses, each linked to its source, plus a Tool of the Day. Free. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy
Rather have one set up for you? The $197 Quick-Win.