How to create an eBay listing, step by step.

eBay says most listing removals trace back to two policies: its rules for sellers and its prohibited and restricted items list. Read both before you list something you are unsure about.¹ A listing that is removed after you spend an hour on it is the most avoidable kind of lost time.

Also have the item in hand, cleaned, with its model or brand details visible. Most of the form is faster when you can read a tag or label instead of guessing.

eBay describes three tools on its Creating a listing page.¹

If you list occasionally, the quick tool is the gentler start. If you list regularly, the advanced tool in Seller Hub is where eBay puts its fuller feature set. The steps below apply to both, because they cover the same fields.

A listing needs at least one picture, and you can add up to 24. The first picture is the main photo and the one that shows next to your title in search results.³

1. In the Photos & Video section, drag and drop a file or select Upload from computer.³
2. Choose your files. Each can be up to 12MB, and you can reorder them once they are uploaded.³
3. Use the edit screen to crop, rotate, change the background, or adjust brightness and contrast, then select Save.³

If your photos are on your phone, the listing form has an Upload photos from mobile option. eBay sends a notification to your phone so you can add photos to the draft from your library, files or camera.³ eBay recommends images of at least 500 x 500 pixels and suggests about 1600 x 1600, and it recommends a variety of angles plus close-ups of any flaws.³ One more rule worth knowing: you cannot use a catalog or stock photo when you list an item as used.³

The form asks for a handful of things that matter more than the rest. eBay's summary of a good listing is a clear description of the item, accurate photos, and the right format, price, shipping and return options.¹ Taking each in turn:

1. Title and category. Write the title buyers will search for and confirm the category fits. Our guide to writing an eBay title covers the wording.
2. Item specifics. These are the structured details such as brand, size and material. eBay says they help buyers find and compare your listing, and that many branded items carry identifiers like a GTIN or MPN on their packaging.¹ See item specifics for resellers.
3. Condition. eBay asks you to be honest about condition and to keep your description consistent with it. It also has a page listing what each condition option means by category.¹ Our item condition guide goes deeper.
4. Description. Mention key selling points and what is included, with correct spelling and grammar.¹ See how to write an eBay listing description.
5. Format and price. Choose an auction or a fixed price. For a starting point on price, eBay suggests looking at similar products on eBay to see what other sellers are charging.¹ Before you commit to a number, run it through the eBay fee calculator to see what is left after fees.
6. Shipping and returns. Choose your shipping method and return terms. If you reuse the same settings, business policies save you re-entering them. Estimate packing costs with our shipping supplies guide.

If you are interrupted, save the listing as a draft and finish later. You can find drafts in My eBay or under Manage drafts in Seller Hub. eBay lets you save up to 250 drafts with the quick listing tool, or 5,000 through Seller Hub's bulk tools, and drafts expire 75 days after their last edit.¹ That makes a draft a poor place to park items for months.

When every section is filled in and you have reviewed the preview, publish. eBay's Scan to list help says you are responsible for the details in your listing and should review them before you publish. The same habit applies to any tool, so read it as a buyer would.² For a final tick list, use the eBay listing checklist.

The app uses the same fields. eBay's own help for the Scan to list tool says to go to Selling and tap List an item, then follow the prompts.² The app also has a background tool on photos: you can replace a background with solid white, or pick from AI-generated backgrounds.³ Screens change over time, so follow the option names on your own device and use the steps above as the order of work.

• Skipping item specifics, then fixing them one at a time later. eBay describes a bulk route for missing specifics in its help, so check there if you have many.¹
• Using a condition that does not match the photos or description.
• Adding badges, logos or watermarks to photos. eBay advises against graphics on images because they can affect placement in search results.³
• Not checking whether the listing went live. If a listing is missing, eBay's page points to reasons it may have been removed or hidden.¹

If you want the speed side of this, such as templates and reuse, read how to list faster on eBay. This page is only the walk through the form.

Strooply builds an eBay draft from your photos: vision AI suggests the product identity, and the draft can include a title, description, category, condition guidance, pricing context and item specifics. The draft stays editable and nothing publishes until you review and confirm it. Publishing needs an eBay connection; before that you can research and save drafts. Strooply does not skip eBay's rules, so the policy checks above still apply to you. See how Strooply works and the AI eBay listing generator.