eBay listing template

What eBay allows in a description now

HTML is still allowed, and every tag counts toward the 500,000-character limit.

Active content is not. Between them, eBay’s JavaScript policy and its mobile-friendly guide ban:

• JavaScript and Flash
• Plug-ins and form actions
• 3D models, music, tabs and counters

Watch outPaste any of it into a new listing and eBay shows the error “Disallowed JavaScript/HTML Syntax” and won’t publish until you take it out. eBay can also remove listings, issue warnings, restrict selling or suspend accounts over it.

What phone buyers see

On phones, buyers see a shorter version of the description that eBay calls the mobile description summary. eBay’s developer guide says the 800 characters it shows are not necessarily the first 800 of your description.

If your description runs longer, write your own summary with the code further down this page. Under 800 characters, you don’t need one.

eBay’s formatting advice

• Use a base font size of 16 pixels, stick to one or two font sizes, and never go below 12 pixels.
• Use black text on a white background, with bullet points that are easy to scan.
• Put photos in eBay’s photo uploader, not inside the description, because buyers may not scroll down to them.
• Put shipping, payment and return details in the listing’s own fields, not the description.

TipYou don’t need an HTML template at all. A plain-text description with short lines and dashes for bullets reads well on a phone and can’t trip the active content filter.

eBay’s listing form also has an AI tool that can suggest a description for you to use or edit.

eBay title formula

eBay’s Seller Center says to include the brand, the model or type, the color, the style and the model number, and to avoid special characters and irrelevant words. Use as much of the 80-character limit as you can.

In that order, the formula is:

[Brand] [Model or product line] [Item type] [Size, capacity or fit] [Color] [Style or key feature] [Model number]

These titles follow it. The first three are examples from eBay’s own Seller Center pages.

Our guide to eBay SEO goes further into which words to put first.

General item description template

Use this for anything that isn’t clothing or electronics, such as housewares, tools, toys, collectibles and books. Replace everything in brackets and delete any line that doesn’t apply.

[Brand] [Item name] [Model number, if any]

What you get:
- [Item], [quantity]
- [Any accessories, lids, parts or manuals included]
- Not included: [anything a buyer might expect that isn't there]

Condition:
- [Used / new / vintage] in [overall condition] condition
- [Each flaw, with where it is and how big: "1/2 inch chip on the rim, shown in photo 6"]
- [Smells, smoke or pet exposure, or "From a smoke-free home"]

Details:
- Size: [height x width x depth, in inches]
- Weight: [weight]
- Material: [material]
- Color or pattern: [color]
- Made in: [country], [year or era, if known]

Everything shown in the photos is what you will receive.

Clothing description template

eBay’s guide to selling clothes asks for:

• The condition, size, color, material and brand
• The percentage of each fiber in a blend
• Measurements in inches, centimeters or both

It measures chest from armpit to armpit and sleeves from the center of the neck to the end of the cuff, and this template does the same.

[Brand] [Item type], [Men's / Women's / Kids'] Size [tag size]

Condition: [New with tags / New without tags / Pre-owned]
- [Each flaw: "small pull near left cuff, photo 5", or "No stains, holes or pilling"]

Measurements, taken flat:
- Chest, armpit to armpit: [__] in / [__] cm
- Length, top of shoulder to hem: [__] in / [__] cm
- Sleeve, center of neck to end of cuff: [__] in / [__] cm
- Waist, straight across: [__] in   (pants)
- Inseam: [__] in   (pants)

Material: [100% cotton / 80% cotton, 20% polyester]
Color: [color]
Fit and style: [slim / relaxed / cropped, crew neck, button front]

Please compare these measurements to a piece you own, because sizes vary by brand.

Electronics description template

eBay’s listing advice for electronics comes down to three rules:

• Include as much detail about the item as you can.
• Use product identifiers that match the exact product.
• Don’t choose a similar but wrong version, such as a model from a different year.

[Brand] [Model name] [Model number] [Capacity or size] [Color]

Tested and working: [Yes / Partly / No]
- How it was tested: [powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, played a disc, charged to 100%]
- What works: [list]
- What doesn't work: [list, or "Nothing found"]

Condition:
- Screen: [no scratches / light scratches visible only with the screen off]
- Body: [scuffs, dents or cracks, with photo numbers]
- Battery: [health percentage if the device shows it]
- Lock status: [unlocked / carrier name], [signed out of all accounts and reset]

What's included:
- [Device]
- [Charger and cable: original or third party]
- [Box, manual, remote, cables]
- Not included: [anything missing]

Model number from the label: [exact model number]

Mobile description summary code

If your description is longer than 800 characters, paste this at the top of it in the HTML view of eBay’s description editor. eBay shows the text inside the span on phones.

• Keep it under 800 characters, counting the tags.
• Each line break counts as 50 characters.
• Inside the span, eBay supports only lists (ol, ul and li), line breaks and non-breaking spaces.
• eBay’s developer guide says it works on eBay’s US, UK, Australian, French, German, Italian and Spanish sites and on eBay Motors.

<div vocab="https://schema.org/" typeof="Product">
  <span property="description">
    [Brand] [item], [size or model]. [Condition in one sentence].
    Includes [what's in the box]. [The one flaw a buyer must know about].
  </span>
</div>
[Your full description goes here]

By default the summary also appears at the top of the full description on a computer. To hide it there, add style="display:none" to the div.

Where the rest of the listing goes

The description doesn’t need to repeat everything. eBay’s developer guide says it should cover the most important things about the product, while the other details belong in the item specifics, which buyers use to filter search results.

Our eBay item specifics guide explains which ones your category requires, and how to list on eBay walks through photos, pricing, shipping and returns.

If you’re pricing the item at the same time, the eBay fee calculator shows what eBay keeps from the sale.