Need Advice About Duplicated Content

When putting together a eCommerce website that sells collectible cards (Baseball Football basketball etc)
and listing each card a certain way that other websites that sell the same kind of cards sells cause there are only one way to describe
certain cards on each.

now is this considered duplicate content and will I take a big serp hit if I do this? I have no idea how else to describe the cards.

Also if I on the website have two very similar cards and describe them does that hurt the listing in the search engine for duplicated content?

Example:
Mint Topps Baseball Card 1977 Reggie Jackson Rookie

and then in listing another one like this:

Mint Topps Baseball Card 1977 Reggie Jackson ALL STAR CARD

Being very similar but different at the tail end all on the same website listed by me?

Yes, content always king.
if you use duplicate content means your facing problem with SERP, one more suggestion hire good content writer because you want just short description so why are you taking risk ?just go hire section and hire writer.

The short descriptions could certain add more value for your users and lessen the issues with duplicate content. At the same time, a certain amount of re-used content is fine, just cant be the entire site... unless you are in the news, then somehow they get a pass.

Shawn

read this: http://www.markrushworth.com/revelation-matt-cutts-thin-content/ (my blog)

Why you always have to make the same description? make it little elaborate. the name of the card will remain same in all the sites but the description can easily be changed. As you wish. Of course you have to use different description.

With stuff like this there's only one way to do it and i don't think you'll be penalised for it as such.

What you need to do is put your own content around the product, and maybe some information about each card which is unique to your site.

Product listings are often duplicate across many sites and across similar products on the same site, but if the product information is unique it helps.