Product Image Requirements for Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Walmart: A Seller Checklist

You shoot a product once, upload it to 4 marketplaces, and 1 of them rejects it. Usually the photo isn’t the problem. The rules are. Amazon wants a white background and a product that fills the frame. Etsy wants real photos and a different crop. eBay bans watermarks outright. Walmart wants a bigger square than anyone else.

A suppressed listing costs you sales every hour it sits in limbo, so it pays to know the rules before you shoot. This checklist covers the 4 marketplaces most US sellers use. It lists the dimensions, background rules and banned elements for each one, then gives you a single “master spec” you can shoot to so 1 photo set works everywhere.

Marketplaces update their image rules without much fanfare. Treat the numbers here as a starting point and confirm them in each seller help center before a big shoot.

Why marketplaces are so strict about photos

Marketplace search pages are a grid of thumbnails. When every main image sits on the same white background at the same scale, shoppers can compare products quickly and the page looks trustworthy. That is why main images get the strictest rules, while secondary images get more freedom.

Accuracy is the second reason. Etsy’s House Rules say sellers must use original photos of the actual item the buyer will receive, not renderings or stock photos, with narrow exceptions. eBay’s picture policy bans photos that don’t accurately show the item. Misleading images drive returns, complaints and chargebacks, so platforms enforce these rules with listing removals and account warnings.

Key takeaway: The main image is a compliance asset, not a creative one. Keep it plain, white, large and accurate. Save lifestyle shots, text callouts and infographics for the secondary image slots where the marketplace allows them.

Amazon image requirements

Amazon has the most detailed rules, and the main image is where most sellers get flagged. According to an Amazon staff post in the Seller Central forums, the main image should:

• Sit on a pure white background, RGB 255, 255, 255. Off-white and light gray can get flagged.
• Show the product filling 85% or more of the frame.
• Be at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side, which enables the zoom feature. Many sellers shoot 1,600 pixels or larger for sharper zoom.
• Show the actual product, not an illustration, mockup or placeholder.
• Leave out text, graphics, logos, watermarks and inset images.
• Leave out props or accessories that aren’t included in the purchase.
• Be a JPEG, TIFF or PNG file in RGB or CMYK color.

Amazon also generally doesn’t allow a lifestyle scene as the main image. Secondary images can show the product in use, close-ups, scale and infographics with text, as long as they stay accurate and relevant.

Some categories have their own rules. Books, music and video, for example, use the cover filling the frame. Check the category style guide in Seller Central before you list in apparel, jewelry or other categories with extra requirements. For more on making the rest of the page work, see our guide to writing an Amazon listing that ranks.

Etsy image requirements

Etsy is looser on backgrounds and stricter on authenticity. Its help center recommends listing photos that are at least 2,000 pixels on the shortest side at 72 PPI. Your first photo should be at least 635 pixels wide and tall, or it can show up lower in search. Etsy also notes that files over 1 MB may not finish uploading on a slow connection.

Key Etsy rules:

• Real photos of the real item. Renderings and stock photos aren’t allowed except in specific cases.
• Custom items need a finished first image. A blank product or a mockup with placeholder text can’t be the main photo.
• Print-on-demand mockups are a narrow exception. An original design printed on a base item, such as a T-shirt or mug, can use a mockup. A unique item made by a production partner needs a photo of the physical product.
• Crop for the grid. Etsy suggests photos that still work when cropped to different shapes, such as square or rectangle. Keep the product centered with breathing room so thumbnails don’t cut it off.
• Photos and video. Etsy’s listing help allows up to 20 photos and up to 2 short videos, 5 to 15 seconds long, per listing. Videos play without sound.

Unlike Amazon, Etsy doesn’t require a white background. Styled photos on wood, linen or a neutral backdrop are common and fit buyer expectations for handmade goods. If you are deciding between platforms, our comparison of Shopify vs Etsy for new sellers covers the bigger tradeoffs.

eBay image requirements

eBay’s picture policy is short, but it is enforced. Every listing needs at least 1 photo that is at least 500 pixels on the longest side. Larger photos give buyers a better zoom, and multiple photos improve your odds of a sale.

The policy bans:

• Added borders
• Added text, artwork or marketing material
• Watermarks of any kind, including ownership marks
• Photos that don’t accurately show the item
• Placeholder images that carry messages
• Stock photos for used, damaged or defective items

That last rule matters for resellers. If an item is used, your photos must show its actual condition, including scuffs and flaws. Violations can lead to listing removal, a warning, restricted selling or suspension. Our eBay beginner’s guide covers the rest of the listing process.

Walmart Marketplace image requirements

Walmart’s Marketplace Learn guide sets the highest pixel target of the 4. For US listings it asks for:

• Size: 2,200 x 2,200 pixels, square 1:1 aspect ratio.
• Zoom: at least 1,500 x 1,500 pixels. Some older Walmart pages say 1,000 x 1,000, so shooting at 2,200 clears every version.
• Background: seamless white, RGB 255, 255, 255, for the main image.
• Files: JPEG, JPG, PNG or BMP, RGB color, 5 MB maximum. GIFs aren’t accepted.
• Main image content: no watermarks, no seller name or logo, and no accessories that don’t ship with the item.

Walmart.ca uses different specs, so sellers on the Canadian site should check that guide separately. To get set up first, read how to sell on Walmart Marketplace.

Side-by-side checklist

Here is how the 4 marketplaces compare on the rules that cause the most rejections.

One master spec that works everywhere

You don’t need 4 shoots. Shoot to the strictest rule in each column and resize down:

1. Capture at high resolution. Any recent phone or camera produces files well above 2,200 pixels. Our guide to taking product photos with a phone covers lighting and setup.
2. Shoot the hero on pure white. Use a white sweep or light tent, then clean the background to exactly 255, 255, 255 in editing. This covers Amazon and Walmart, and works fine on Etsy and eBay.
3. Frame square with tight fill. Export a 2,200 x 2,200 master with the product filling about 85% of the frame. That meets Walmart’s square rule and Amazon’s fill rule in one file.
4. Keep a clean original. Never bake text, borders or a watermark into the master. Add infographics only to separate secondary images, and leave those off eBay.
5. Shoot the real item. For Etsy and used goods on eBay, the photo must be the actual piece the buyer gets, flaws included.
6. Make crop-safe versions. Leave margin around the product so Etsy’s grid crops and Amazon thumbnails don’t clip it.
7. Export light files. Save JPEGs in sRGB at a quality setting that keeps each file under 1 MB for Etsy and well under Walmart’s 5 MB cap.

If you use AI tools to remove backgrounds or fix color, keep edits honest. Our guide on editing product photos with AI explains where cleanup ends and misleading edits begin.

Where to start this week

If you already have listings live, audit before you reshoot:

1. Check suppressed or flagged listings first. Amazon and Walmart both show image-related errors in Seller Central and Seller Center. Fix those today.
2. Sample your main images. Open 10 top sellers and check the background with an eyedropper tool. Anything below 255 is a risk on Amazon and Walmart.
3. Measure pixel sizes. Anything under 1,000 pixels won’t zoom on Amazon, and anything under 2,000 is below Etsy’s recommendation.
4. Remove watermarks and borders from eBay photos. This is the most common eBay violation for sellers who reuse photos from their own site.
5. Build the master spec into your workflow. Every new product gets a white square hero, 4 to 6 secondary angles, a scale shot and an in-use shot.

Better photos also cut returns, since shoppers know exactly what they are getting. See how to reduce ecommerce returns for the full playbook.

Conclusion

Marketplace image rules look fussy, but they boil down to 3 ideas: show the real product, keep the main image clean and plain, and give buyers enough resolution to zoom. Shoot 1 high-resolution set on pure white, export a 2,200-pixel square master, and keep text off your hero images. That set will pass on Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Walmart with only minor crops. Recheck each help center at least once a year, because these rules change.

Sources

• Amazon Seller Forums: Product image requirements and best practices (Amazon staff post) — Amazon main image background, 85% fill, 1,000 px zoom, file types and banned elements
• Etsy Help: Requirements and Best Practices for Images in Your Etsy Shop — Etsy recommended size, 635 px first-photo minimum, file size note
• Etsy House Rules: Listing Image Requirements — original photo rule, custom item and mockup exceptions
• Etsy Help: How to Create a Listing — up to 20 photos and 2 videos per listing
• eBay Help: Picture policy — 500 px minimum, banned borders, text, watermarks and stock photos for used items
• Walmart Marketplace Learn: Image guidelines and requirements — 2,200 px square, 1,500 px zoom, white background, file types and 5 MB limit