eBay listing title format: the order that works, with examples

eBay buyers search with very specific words. They don't type "nice jacket". They type the brand, the model and the size. eBay's own seller guide puts it simply: when a buyer searches, eBay's system finds the listing titles that closely match (eBay UK Seller Centre).

So the format of your title decides which searches you can appear in. This guide gives you a simple eBay listing title format, built from eBay's own guidance, and shows it working for different kinds of items.

The eBay listing title format

eBay gives you 80 characters and says to use as many as you can. Include the brand, model or type, colour, style and even the model number, and avoid special characters or irrelevant words.

Put those pieces in this order:

1. 1Brand. Many buyers start their search with it.
2. 2Model or product line. The name printed on the item or box.
3. 3What the item is. Jacket, headphones, brake pads, teapot.
4. 4Key details. Size, colour, material, style, capacity.
5. 5Model or part number, if there is one.
6. 6Condition words, only if they add something, such as "New with tags" or "Boxed".

Brand, model, item, details, number. That one line covers most eBay titles, and every word in it is something a buyer might type.

eBay's own examples

eBay's seller guide gives two example titles:

• Ann Taylor Women's Sweater 100% Cotton Black Yellow Sleeves Size 6
• Nike Boys Blue Lace-Up Sneakers Size 3 AB0011-234

Neither reads like a sentence. Both are full of words someone would search, and the second ends with a model number, which is often what a buyer who's ready to buy types.

eBay listing title character limit

The limit is 80 characters. eBay's Best Match help says to write a clear and concise title with correct spelling and no more than 80 characters (eBay help: Best Match).

"Clear and concise" and "use as many as you can" fit together. Every word should be accurate and useful, and you keep adding useful words until you run out of them or out of space.

Examples by type of item

These are made-up brands and items to show the format. None of them are real products.

Notice how the order shifts a little by item. It's the same order YelloShelf follows when it drafts an eBay title. For parts, the part number matters most, because buyers often search it directly. For vintage items, "Vintage" goes first because it's how buyers start that search. For handmade items with no brand, the material and design do the brand's job.

eBay listing title tips

• Use the words on the label. Model numbers, style codes and product line names cost nothing and match exact searches.
• Check sold listings. Search for your item, tick Sold items in the filters, and look at the words that keep appearing in titles that sold.
• Use eBay's search suggestions. Start typing your item in the search bar and note the phrases it offers.
• Spell everything correctly. eBay's Best Match advice asks for correct spelling, and a misspelled brand can miss the searches you want.
• Say each word once. Repeating "jacket" doesn't help, and it takes space from a word that could.

A YelloShelf draft can help with the first pass, since it writes the eBay title from your product photo based on what's already selling. You still check it against the label and the sold listings.

What to leave out

Whether you write the title yourself or start from a YelloShelf draft, cut these:

• Special characters, which eBay advises against.
• Irrelevant words, like "WOW", "L@@K" or "Must See". Nobody searches for them.
• Brands you're not selling. "Like Nike" or "not Gucci" don't describe your item.
• Shipping and price. Buyers see those elsewhere in the listing.

The title and item specifics work together

The title gets you matched to a search. Item specifics help you stay in the results when a buyer starts filtering. eBay's Seller Centre says completed item specifics are essential for being found on eBay and external search engines, and they're required in a number of categories, including Fashion, Home and Garden, Toys and Games, and Vehicle Parts and Accessories (eBay UK: item specifics).

So once your title is set, fill in the matching specifics: brand, size, colour, style, model. If the title says "Blue L", the Colour and Size fields should say the same.

A worked rewrite

A made-up item to show the process.

Before (38 characters): Mens Rain Jacket Blue Large L@@K Great

That leaves 42 characters unused and spends 10 on words that match nothing.

After (77 characters): Northpeak Stormline Mens Waterproof Rain Jacket Hooded Packable Blue L NP2231

The new title adds the brand, the product line, two features buyers search for and the style code from the label. Each of those is another search the item can appear in. If you write titles for a lot of items, YelloShelf can draft them in this format for you to edit.

Quick checklist

• Starts with the brand, then the model or line, then what the item is.
• Includes size, colour and other key details.
• Ends with a model or part number, if there is one.
• Close to 80 characters, all of them useful.
• No special characters, irrelevant words or other brands.
• Item specifics filled in to match.

If your titles are fine but listings still get few views, see why your eBay items aren't getting views.

Write eBay titles with YelloShelf

YelloShelf writes eBay titles and descriptions from your product photo, with a suggested price, based on research into what's already selling. It also writes listings for the other marketplaces it supports and makes listing images sized for each one. It doesn't publish anything, so you check the draft and paste it in yourself.

It can also make social posts for the same item, with captions and hashtags for Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook and X.

No subscription or free trial. Pay as you go credit packs from $10, with a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase.