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eBay picture policy: text, borders and watermarks

Short answer: eBay's picture policy rules out added text, artwork and marketing material, watermarks, borders and placeholder images, and it expects a picture of the actual item. There are 4 such rules in our library and all of them need a human eye, because deciding whether text was added takes more than measuring pixels. The checklist for each rule is shown below with its source and verification date.

Drop product images here, or click to choose

No image? Try one of these:

No images yet. Results appear as a platform-by-rule matrix: red for fail, yellow for warning, green for pass, grey for needs a human check.

eBay restricts what may be added to a photo. These rules cannot be judged from pixel measurements, so the checker shows them as human checks with a checklist.

Rules

Rules last verified 2026-10-29. Checked against public rules as of 2026-10-29; this is not a guarantee of acceptance.

  • No added text, artwork or marketing material

    All imagesRequiredHuman checkVerified 2026-10-29

    Human check

    • No added text
    • No added artwork
    • No marketing material

    Why: eBay prohibits added text, artwork or marketing material in photos.

    How to fix: Upload the clean photo; put details in the item description.

    Sources: Official

  • No watermarks of any type

    All imagesRequiredHuman checkVerified 2026-10-29

    Human check

    • No watermark or copyright mark

    Why: eBay prohibits watermarks of any type, including ownership attributions.

    How to fix: Remove the watermark.

    Sources: Official

  • No added borders

    All imagesRequiredHuman checkVerified 2026-10-29

    Human check

    • No border or frame around the image

    Why: eBay prohibits added borders.

    How to fix: Remove the frame or border around the photo.

    Sources: Official

  • Photos must accurately show the item; no message placeholders or stock photos of used items

    All imagesRequiredHuman checkVerified 2026-10-29

    Human check

    • Shows the actual item
    • Not a "photo coming soon" placeholder
    • Used items use own photos

    Why: eBay prohibits photos that do not accurately show the item, placeholder images that convey messages, and stock photos for used, damaged or faulty items.

    How to fix: Take photos of the actual item you are selling.

    Sources: Official

Pricing

Plans

Checking is free. Paid plans repair images in bulk and are billed by successfully delivered SKU.

Yearly billing takes 20% off.

Free

Check images in your browser. No account needed.

$0

  • Unlimited checks against 7 marketplaces
  • 3 free repairs a day: 1000 px, one marketplace, no watermark
  • Sign in with Google: 3 full-quality repairs a month
Open the checker

Starter

For a small catalog.

$228 $182 per year

20 SKUs delivered per month

$0.76 per SKU

  • Cut out the product and place it on a pure white background
  • Output at each marketplace’s size, product share and margin
  • One-click ZIP of every marketplace version per SKU, with XMP and IPTC metadata written
  • A fidelity report attached to every image
Recommended

Pro

For a growing store.

$588 $470 per year

100 SKUs delivered per month

$0.39 per SKU

  • Cut out the product and place it on a pure white background
  • Output at each marketplace’s size, product share and margin
  • One-click ZIP of every marketplace version per SKU, with XMP and IPTC metadata written
  • A fidelity report attached to every image

Agency

For high-volume catalogs.

$1,788 $1,430 per year

500 SKUs delivered per month

$0.24 per SKU

  • Cut out the product and place it on a pure white background
  • Output at each marketplace’s size, product share and margin
  • One-click ZIP of every marketplace version per SKU, with XMP and IPTC metadata written
  • A fidelity report attached to every image

Frequently asked questions

Can I put a watermark on eBay photos?
eBay prohibits watermarks of any type, including ownership attributions.
Are borders allowed on eBay pictures?
eBay prohibits added borders.
Is my image uploaded when I use the checker?
No. The checker runs entirely in your browser. Your images are decoded and measured locally and are never sent to a server.

Not covered by our checker yet: anything not listed in the rules above. Always read the platform's own help page for the full policy.

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