eBay listing checklist: optimize each listing before you publish

Before you start

In shortCheck that the checklist fits your business, then get the item, a camera and sold prices ready.

Worked example: one weak listing, fixed

In shortCompare the before and after columns, then fix the same parts on your own listing.

The eBay listing checklist: 9 checks before you publish

1. Step 1 of 9: Check that you can sell the item

   In shortLook up the item on eBay’s prohibited items list, and use only your own photos and words.

   eBay bans some items. It allows others only under extra rules. Check eBay’s prohibited and restricted items list first.

   Next, think about the brand. Rights owners can report listings through eBay’s Verified Rights Owner program (VeRO). eBay may then remove the listing.

   Use your own photos and your own words. eBay asks for this in its images, videos and text policy. Do not copy them from another seller.

   Result: The item is allowed, and the photos and words are your own.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Pick the right category

2. Step 2 of 9: Pick the right category

   In shortType the barcode first, and accept eBay’s catalog match only when it is the exact same product.

   Buyers browse and search by category. eBay also uses the category to choose the condition options and item specifics you fill in.

   Have the barcode number (UPC) or another product code? Type it in first. If the item is in the eBay catalog, eBay suggests a match. It then fills in key details for you.

   Only accept a catalog match for the exact same product. A model from another year is a different product. With a wrong match, buyers get the wrong facts and send the item back.

   No match? Start with the category eBay suggests. Then check that it fits your item.

   Result: A category that fits, and a catalog match if one exists.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Write a title buyers search for

3. Step 3 of 9: Write a title buyers search for

   In shortStart with the brand and model, then the item type and key details, within 80 characters.

   The title is the first thing buyers read in search. eBay allows 80 characters. Use them for words a buyer would type.

   Not sure which words? Read the titles of eBay sold listings for the same item: search for it, then turn on the Sold items filter.

   This order works for most items:

   • Brand and model
   • What the item is
   • Key details, like size, color or what comes with it

   Check the spelling. Leave out symbols like *** or !!!. eBay’s item description policy asks for words instead. Also leave out words that do not describe the item.

   Never add other brand names to get more views. eBay’s search manipulation policy bans words that are not about the item.

   The example title uses 74 of 80 characters: “Practice MF-01 Rechargeable Milk Frother with Stand and USB-C Cable, Black”.

   Result: A title of up to 80 characters that starts with the words buyers type.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Add clear photos of the real item

4. Step 4 of 9: Add clear photos of the real item

   In shortShow the whole item from the front first, then every side, flaw and size, with no added text.

   Every listing needs at least one photo. It must be at least 500 pixels on the longest side. eBay suggests about 1600 × 1600 pixels. You can add up to 24 photos for free.

   The first photo is your main photo. It shows next to your title in search results. Show the whole item from the front in the main photo.

   Then add photos of:

   • The other sides, and the details buyers ask about
   • Every flaw or scratch, up close
   • The size, with a ruler or a coin next to the item
   • Everything included, if you sell a set

   Use a plain background. White works for most items. Avoid the flash, because it adds glare. No white wall? In eBay’s photo tool, the Background button turns the background solid white.

   Result: A main photo and detail photos that follow eBay’s rules.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Set the condition and item specifics

5. Step 5 of 9: Set the condition and item specifics

   In shortFill in every required field, and copy product codes from the box instead of choosing “Does not apply”.

   Pick the condition from eBay’s list. The choices depend on the category. Use the same condition in the title, the description and the item specifics.

   Item specifics are facts in eBay’s own fields, like brand, model, size and color. Buyers use them as search filters. If an item specific is empty, your listing can drop out of that filter’s results.

   Fill in every required item specific. Then add the recommended ones you know. Put each fact in its own field. A brand does not go in the size field.

   Most new branded items have product codes on the box. These are the UPC, EAN or ISBN, and the brand with its MPN (the maker’s part number).

   Selling clothes or shoes? Pick the size from eBay’s list. Since August 2026, eBay may hide those listings when the size is missing or unclear.

   Result: One condition used everywhere, every required item specific, and the product codes from the box.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Write a short, honest description

6. Step 6 of 9: Write a short, honest description

   In shortPut the key facts in the first lines, and keep shipping, returns and outside links out of the text.

   Many buyers read your listing on a phone. On a phone, eBay first shows a short version of the description. So put the key facts at the top.

   Cover these points in a few short lines:

   • What the item is, in one sentence
   • What is in the box
   • The condition, with any flaw named
   • The size or measurements, if they matter

   Use short lines and bullet points. Write in the language of the eBay site, like English on eBay.com.

   Put shipping, payment and returns in eBay’s own fields, not in the description. Add photos with eBay’s photo tool, not inside the text.

   Result: A short description a buyer can read on a phone, with no scripts or outside links.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Set the price, shipping and handling time

7. Step 7 of 9: Set the price, shipping and handling time

   In shortPrice from recent sales of the same item, and pick a handling time you can always meet.

   Pick the format first. Buy It Now sells at your fixed price. An auction lets buyers bid, which suits a rare item when you are unsure of its value.

   Selling one item in several sizes or colors? With Buy It Now, put them in one listing with variations. Each size or color gets its own price, quantity and photos.

   Set the price from what the same item sold for. Learn how to see what items sold for on eBay.

   Decide your lowest price before you list, with eBay’s selling fees counted in. The guide to eBay repricing rules shows how to set one that keeps your profit. Turn on Best Offer? Then set the Minimum offer amount at that price. eBay declines lower offers for you.

   Show the full shipping cost. Buyers compare the total price, with shipping.

   Weigh and measure the packed parcel, and round up. The shipping charge uses the scale weight or a weight worked out from the size, whichever is greater. eBay’s packaging guide shows how to measure.

   Handling time is the number of days from payment to the carrier’s scan. With 1-day handling, the carrier must scan the parcel by 11:59 p.m. on the next business day, in your time zone. Choose the fastest handling time you can always meet. eBay’s handling time guide explains why.

   Set the item location to where the item ships from: the ZIP code, city and country.

   Result: A price based on sales, the full shipping cost, a handling time you can meet and the right item location.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Choose returns and business policies

8. Step 8 of 9: Choose returns and business policies

   In shortSave your payment, shipping and return details once, and pick a return window you can honor.

   Every listing needs payment, shipping and return details. With business policies, you save these details once and reuse them on every listing. If you change a policy, eBay updates every listing that uses it.

   For returns, choose no returns, 30 days or 60 days. With 30 or 60 days, you also choose who pays for return shipping: the buyer, or you (free returns).

   “No returns” does not stop every return. Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee, a buyer can still return an item that does not match the listing.

   Same-day or 1-day handling plus returns of at least 30 days can help you qualify for Top Rated Plus. It brings a discount and a seal on your listings.

   Result: Business policies set, with a return policy you can honor.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Check it all, then publish

9. Step 9 of 9: Check it all, then publish

   In shortRead the preview as a buyer would, on your phone too, and save a draft if anything is missing.

   2Home & Garden › Kitchen, Dining & Bar › Small Kitchen Appliances

   4

   3Practice MF-01 Rechargeable Milk Frother with Stand and USB-C Cable, Black

   7

   $50.00

   Free shipping · Ships within 1 business day

   830-day returns · Buyer pays return shipping

   Buy It Now

   5

   Condition

   New

   Brand

   Practice

   Model

   MF-01

   Type

   Milk frother

   Color

   Black

   Power source

   Rechargeable battery

   UPC

   From the box

   6New Practice MF-01 milk frother. In the box: the frother, a stand and a USB-C cable.

   1. 2Step 2: Category (not checked yet)
   2. 3Step 3: Title (not checked yet)
   3. 4Step 4: Photos (not checked yet)
   4. 5Step 5: Condition and item specifics (not checked yet)
   5. 6Step 6: Description (not checked yet)
   6. 7Step 7: Price, shipping and handling time (not checked yet)
   7. 8Step 8: Returns and policies (not checked yet)

   A drawing, not eBay’s screen. The item is made up.

   Open the preview and read the listing as a buyer would. Then look at it on your phone.

   Before you publish, check that:

   • The title, photos and item specifics describe the same item
   • The condition is the same everywhere
   • The price, quantity and shipping cost are right
   • The handling time and returns are ones you can honor

   Not ready yet? Save it as a draft. eBay keeps drafts for 75 days after your last edit.

   A new listing should show in eBay search within 24 hours. After that, you can start to read its numbers.

   Result: A listing that passes every check, published or saved as a draft.

   Mark this step as doneNext: After you publish

After you publish: read the numbers

In shortWait a week or two, check impressions and page views in Seller Hub, then change one thing at a time.

Common questions about eBay listing optimization

How Productivo helps with eBay listing optimization

In shortProductivo can do parts of steps 1 to 6 for many Amazon products, and you check each result.

Everything above is eBay listing optimization with eBay’s own tools. This part is about Productivo, the app behind this guide.

Guide step	What Productivo does
Step 1	Blacklist rules keep the brands, keywords and ASINs you choose off eBay. Productivo never publishes a product that matches. It takes down a live listing that starts to match.
Step 2	Category matching uses AI to pick one eBay category for each Amazon category, once. Every product in it then lists there, in every store. Productivo does not publish a product with no match.
Steps 3 to 5	For Amazon products, the Listing Optimizer rewrites the title from Amazon’s facts and drops any claim they do not support. Moderate and Expert also order the photos and add missing ones, up to eBay’s 24. Expert fills item specifics, starting with eBay’s search filters.
Step 6	The Optimizer rewrites the description the same way. A listing template puts every description in one design. You preview it on desktop and mobile, and can set a design per eBay category.
After you publish	The Optimizer reads each listing’s last 30 days from your Seller Hub traffic report. It names the problem: buyers do not see the listing, do not open it or do not buy.

The Listing Optimizer is part of the Pro and Scale plans. It never changes your price. Category matching and listing templates come with every plan.

Every change, checked before it goes to eBay

The Optimizer writes two drafts of the title and description. It checks each claim against the product’s facts and keeps the better draft, or your own copy. You can review each change, before and after, and apply it to eBay yourself.

Open the full desktop screenshot (new tab)

Productivo also has pages for Amazon to eBay dropshipping, wholesale stock, second-hand goods and handmade products.