eBay vs Etsy Photo Requirements: A Side-by-Side Guide (2026)
eBay and Etsy sell very different things to very different buyers, and their photo rules reflect that. eBay leans practical and forgiving; Etsy leans visual and craft-focused. Here's how they compare — and where each differs sharply from Amazon's strict main-image standard.
Side-by-side comparison
Minimum image size
- eBay: at least 500px on the longest side; about 1600×1600px recommended; up to 12MB per file.
- Etsy: at least 2000px wide and tall recommended; the first photo should be at least 635px each way to avoid ranking lower in searches.
Background
- eBay: white is generally best and an uncluttered neutral backdrop is preferred, but pure white is not required. eBay also has its own tool that swaps in a solid white background.
- Etsy: no background requirement at all. Lifestyle and styled shots are actively encouraged — showing the item in context is part of Etsy's appeal.
Shape and cropping
- eBay: no strict aspect ratio; eBay says 1:1 or 16:9 images look best.
- Etsy: make the first photo horizontal (landscape) or square. Etsy crops thumbnails to square, portrait and landscape views, so leave space around the product and use the thumbnail adjustment tool. Etsy advises avoiding square crops.
Text, borders, and watermarks
- eBay: no added borders, text, artwork or marketing, and no watermarks of any type (including ownership attribution). See eBay's picture policy.
- Etsy: graphics and text on later images are common for shops, but keep your first image clean — it's your thumbnail and your storefront's first impression.
- File types: eBay accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, WEBP, HEIC and AVIF. Etsy accepts .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg and .heic only — WebP is not supported.
Number of photos
- eBay: up to 24 photos per listing — use them for angles, flaws, and scale, especially for used items where buyers want to see condition.
- Etsy: up to 20 photos. Using more of them helps tell the product story.
How this differs from Amazon
If you're cross-listing, the big adjustment is the main image. Amazon requires a pure-white (255,255,255) background, the product shown at about 85% of the image, and only the product (no added graphics) — a much stricter bar than either eBay or Etsy. A photo that's perfect for Etsy's lifestyle grid will often be rejected as an Amazon main image, and vice versa. See Amazon product image requirements for that full standard.
Practical advice for cross-listing
- Shoot high-resolution once. A 2000px+ original exceeds eBay's and Etsy's recommendations and gives you room to crop for each marketplace.
- Keep one clean, plain-background hero shot. It satisfies eBay, can work for Etsy if you leave space around the product for its thumbnail crops, and — if the background is genuinely white — can become your Amazon main image.
- Save the styling for secondary images. Lifestyle and infographic shots are welcome on all three platforms as additional photos, just not as an Amazon main image.
Check any photo in seconds
ListingLint lets you pick the marketplace — Amazon, eBay, or Etsy — and checks your image against that platform's rules right in your browser, with nothing uploaded. It measures dimensions, background, and framing, and flags the exact issue for the marketplace you're selling on.
Frequently asked questions
Does eBay require a white background?
No. eBay says white backgrounds are generally best, but pure white isn't mandatory the way it is for an Amazon main image.
Why does Etsy crop my photos?
Etsy crops thumbnails to square, portrait and landscape views, which can cut off edges of a tightly framed product. Leaving space around the product keeps your composition intact in all three.
Can I reuse the same photos across eBay, Etsy, and Amazon?
Your lifestyle and detail shots, yes. Your main/hero image often needs adjusting for Amazon specifically, because of its pure-white and 85%-fill rules. A single high-resolution original with space around the product, plus a clean white hero shot, covers all three.
This guide summarises eBay's and Etsy's published photo guidance for general information; both platforms can change their policies at any time and some categories have specific rules. Always confirm against eBay and Etsy directly. ListingLint is not affiliated with either.