Optimising eBay listings in 2026: titles, item specifics, photos, description and checklist

The key requirements at a glance

Title: 80 characters, only what describes the item

When a buyer searches on eBay, the system looks for listing titles that closely match the search terms. eBay therefore recommends using as much of the 80 characters as you can, clearly, concisely and without spelling mistakes. According to eBay, the title should include brand, model or product type, colour, style, size and, where there is one, the model number. A subtitle of up to 55 characters is possible but costs an extra fee.

Under eBay policies, the following is not allowed:

• Unrelated keywords: every word must relate directly to the item for sale. Popular search terms without that link count as manipulation.
• Question marks and comparisons: keywords with question marks, comparisons with other products and promotion of other listings are not allowed.
• “Fits”: for accessories, “fits”, “for” or “compatible with” goes before the name of the compatible item. It is not allowed before brand names of jewellery, clothing and accessories, or for universally compatible items.
• Special characters: subscript, superscript and other special characters are not allowed in titles and item specifics; replace symbols with words.
• Several products: a listing must not offer a choice of different products, brands, models or conditions; sizes and colours belong in one listing with variations.

For breaches, eBay may remove listings, issue warnings, restrict activity or suspend the account. On eBay.com there is one more rule: compatible vehicles do not go in the title but in the parts compatibility list.

Item specifics: why they decide your visibility

Item specifics are structured details such as brand, size, type, colour, material or style. According to eBay, together with product identifiers they are the most important way buyers find an item. The crucial point: buyers filter search results by these specifics, and your item only appears in a filtered result if you have filled in the matching specific.

eBay uses four levels: required (for every new or revised listing), required soon (eBay regularly adds these based on buyers' search trends), recommended (based on demand and popular searches) and additional. eBay.de advises adding as many specifics as possible so listings are also found in external search engines; the US Seller Center explicitly names Google Shopping. The listing form shows which specifics are required.

Product identifiers: EAN, brand and MPN

Product identifiers are unique codes from the manufacturer, such as EAN, UPC or ISBN as a GTIN, plus brand and manufacturer part number (MPN). According to eBay they are required in most categories. Only use identifiers that exactly match your product; a near match misleads buyers, while a correct one, eBay says, reduces return requests. If eBay finds the EAN in its catalogue, the listing takes over title, description, specifics and, where available, a catalogue image.

If an item genuinely has no identifier, for example an antique, enter the substitute text of the eBay site: “Nicht zutreffend” on eBay.de, “Does not apply” on eBay.com and “Non applicable” on eBay.fr. eBay recommends adding missing identifiers later.

Category and condition

Choose the category most relevant to your item; according to the eBay.de seller portal, a second category can be added if needed. Listing in an unsuitable category breaches the search manipulation policy.

The condition you choose must match the item and be consistent across title, description and item specifics. Since February 2025, pre-owned clothing has three condition grades instead of one (on eBay.com “Pre-owned” Excellent, Good and Fair); signs of wear and flaws should be shown and described. Stock photos are not allowed for used, damaged or defective items, and eBay recommends the catalogue image as the main photo only for genuinely new items.

Photos: size, number and what is banned

• Number: at least one photo, up to 24. eBay recommends several angles, including scratches and flaws.
• Size: the policy requires at least 500 pixels on the longest side, the help page says at least 500 × 500 pixels. The safe choice is at least 500 pixels on both sides; eBay recommends about 1600 × 1600 pixels.
• File: JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, WEBP, HEIC or AVIF, at most 12 MB per image.
• Main photo: the first image appears next to the title in search results.

Not allowed under eBay's picture policy: added borders, added text, artwork or marketing material, watermarks of any type (including ownership attributions), placeholder images, stock photos for used or defective items and photos that do not represent the item accurately. The help page adds: no badges, logos or copyright notices in the image. The listing tool can turn the background white automatically and the eBay app offers AI backgrounds; the item itself must still be real and shown accurately.

Description: no active content, readable on a phone

Active content is not allowed on eBay: JavaScript, Flash, plug-ins and form actions have been removed from all listings. If you add them to a new listing, you get the error “Disallowed JavaScript/HTML Syntax” and cannot list until they are removed. Links in the description may only point to other eBay pages, embedded product videos, eBay-approved shipping services and legally required information, and must use HTTPS. Links that take buyers off eBay to buy elsewhere are banned. Description, photos and videos must be in the primary language of the eBay site.

Short description for mobile

On a phone, eBay shows at most 800 characters of the description. If yours is longer, mark up your own short version with the markup eBay documents (a div element with the schema.org type Product containing a span element with the property description). Each line break counts as 50 characters, each list item as three. Without it, eBay shortens the text itself, not necessarily to the first 800 characters; if key details are lost, you risk a “significantly not as described” case. This applies on eBay.de, eBay.fr and eBay.com, among others.

Returns, shipping and seller performance: what eBay itself says

For the default sort order Best Match, eBay names these factors: how closely the listing matches the search terms, how popular the item is, the price, listing quality (description, photos), how complete the listing is, listing terms such as return policy and handling time and your track record as a seller; the eBay.de version also lists the buyer's browsing history. On its page about recommender systems, eBay.de adds that shipping options (such as free or express delivery), return policies, sales history, feedback and defect rate can influence search results. eBay does not publish a weighting.

GPSR: mandatory product safety details

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) has applied since 13 December 2024. Under Article 19, points (a) to (d) of Regulation (EU) 2023/988, an online offer must state clearly and visibly: the manufacturer's name, postal and electronic address; for manufacturers outside the EU, the responsible person in the EU; information identifying the product, including a picture and its type; and warnings and safety information in a language easily understood by consumers, as set by the member state concerned. eBay provides dedicated fields for the manufacturer and up to five responsible persons. According to eBay, the obligation applies to certain products sold in certain regions, such as the EU and Northern Ireland. Our guide GPSR on marketplaces explains what other marketplaces require. This section is not legal advice.

Checklist before you list

The ecomDNAI Marketplace Content Creator produces an eBay title of at most 80 characters and a description in the language of the eBay site, based on a real product photo; a check shows before export what is still missing. The Marketplace Optimizer scores existing listings against its own eBay rule book with measured checks.