Systems and methods for managing shared collections are described. For example, a machine receives a textual description of an entry requested to be created within a collection at a network-based system. The textual description is submitted by a user of the network-based system and received from a client device of the user by a server system within the network-based system. The entry, when created, corresponds to an item listed by the network-based system. The machine generates a structured description of the entry based on the textual description of the entry requested to be created. The structured description of the entry includes a name-value pair derived from the textual description submitted by the user. The machine determines that the entry is absent from the network-based system, and creates the entry within the collection by storing the structured description of the entry in a database of the network-based system.