Marketplace Product Photo Rules for Sellers

What the official pages say

eBay's picture policy says photos must be at least 500 pixels on the longest side and must accurately reflect the item. It prohibits added borders, added text, artwork or marketing material, and watermarks of any type, including those used for ownership attribution. It also says stock photos cannot be used for used, damaged or defective items, and placeholder images used to convey messages are not allowed.

Google's Merchant Center help page for the image_link attribute asks for an unobstructed, clean view of the item for sale. It lists overlays and watermarks such as stock photo watermarks, copyright symbols and graphic stamps as things to avoid, along with promotional text, calls to action, barcodes, post-production logos and borders. It also says not to submit a single-colour image that is only a square of colour.

Amazon publishes detailed product image requirements in Seller Central help, including a page at sellercentral.amazon.com (G75PWC4THA8J269P). That page requires sign-in or did not load its content for us while writing this guide, so we do not quote its numbers or wording here. Sellers commonly follow a white background and a product that fills the frame for Amazon main images, but read the page yourself in Seller Central before you rely on any figure.

The main image checklist

Across the stores we checked and the general practice most sellers follow, a safe main image has these features. Where a rule is from an official page above, it is noted.

• Plain white or very light background. Many marketplaces ask for pure white on the main image. Google does not set a background colour on the page we read, but asks for a clean, unobstructed view.
• The product fills most of the frame, centred, with a small even margin so thumbnails do not cut it.
• No added text, badges, prices or calls to action (eBay and Google prohibit these).
• No watermarks, copyright symbols, borders or frames (eBay and Google).
• The real item, shown as the buyer will receive it. eBay requires photos that accurately reflect the item.
• Only what is included in the sale. Props, extra colours or accessories that are not in the box belong out of the main image.
• A sharp image large enough to zoom. See our product image sizes guide for minimums.

Main image versus secondary images

The strict rules are mostly about the first image. The rest of the gallery is where you show the product in use, on a model, with scale references, from other angles and in styled scenes. Store rules still apply to these images in many places, so keep watermarks and fake claims out of them too, but a lifestyle background or a close-up crop is normal here.

Our white background prompts are written for the main slot. For the rest, try the lifestyle product prompts, the AI model prompts or the product background ideas.

Honesty when you edit product photos with AI

AI editing is useful for removing a messy background, fixing a colour cast from shop lights and placing a product in a clean scene. The risk is that the app also changes the product. It may smooth a seam, add a pocket, make a stone sparkle, turn plated metal into solid gold or redraw a logo. Each of these changes what the buyer thinks they are buying.

A simple test helps: if the buyer held the real item next to your image, would they say it is the same thing? Same shape, colour, material, size, number of pieces and markings. If not, reject the image, however good it looks. Every prompt on our product pages includes a lock line asking the app to keep the product exactly as in the uploaded photo and add or remove nothing, but you still need to check the output, because results vary between attempts.

• Start from your own real photo of the item, not an image found online.
• Correct light and background; do not upgrade the product.
• Count small parts in the result: stones, buttons, pockets, pieces in a set.
• Check colour against the real item in daylight, since colour is a common return reason.
• If the picture shows a model or a scene, make sure nothing in it suggests the items are included when they are not.

How edited images affect returns and reviews

Returns are the hidden cost of an over-edited photo. A buyer who receives a bag that is smaller than the image suggested, or a kurta in a duller shade, will often return it and may leave a poor review. Marketplaces track returns and complaints, and a pattern of 'item not as described' can hurt a seller account more than a plain photo ever would.

Plain, accurate images also help you answer questions. When a buyer messages to ask whether the strap is adjustable or the shoe has a padded insole, you can point to the image that shows it. Add a scale image and a detail close-up to every listing you can.

Logos, brands and other people's images

Do not ask an AI app to add a brand name or logo that is not on your product, and do not ask it to make a copy look like a branded original. Doing so can break store rules and trademark law. If your product carries its own real logo, keep it as it is rather than asking the app to sharpen or redraw it, since a redrawn logo can come out wrong.

Use only photos you took or have the right to use. Taking another seller's product photo, a brand's catalogue image or a model photo from the internet and editing it with AI does not make it yours. eBay's policy also limits stock photos for used and defective items, which shows how much stores care that the photo matches the actual item. For models, use AI-generated adults or people who have agreed to appear, never a real person's photo without consent.