How to write an eBay title that ranks
eBay's search rewards precision over persuasion. Every character spent on adjectives is a character not spent on a model number.
Updated 10 August 2026
Eighty characters of facts
eBay titles allow 80 characters, and unlike Etsy there is very little reward for readability flourishes. Buyers on eBay generally know what they want and search accordingly, often with a model number.
Brand, model, size or capacity, colour, and condition will fill most of the 80 characters on their own. That is the correct use of the space.
Words that waste the space
"L@@K", "RARE", "WOW", "FREE SHIPPING" and rows of asterisks are the classic eBay title padding. Nobody searches them, they take characters from terms that are searched, and they read as low quality.
The same applies to "NEW" unless the item genuinely is. Condition is a structured field, and duplicating it only helps when it is also a search term buyers use.
Item specifics carry more weight than sellers expect
eBay's structured item specifics feed both search and the filters down the left of the results page. An item missing its specifics can be excluded from filtered browsing entirely, no matter how good the title is.
Fill every specific eBay offers for your category, even the ones that feel redundant. It is unglamorous work that does more for visibility than another round of title tweaking.
eBay titles that use all 80 characters
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Common questions
How many characters is an eBay title?
80. Unlike some marketplaces there is little benefit to leaving space, because eBay buyers search with specific terms and each one you omit is a search you miss.
Do keywords in an eBay title affect ranking?
Yes. Title terms are a primary input to eBay's search. But relevance and sales history matter too, so a stuffed title on a listing nobody buys will not hold position.
Should I repeat words in an eBay title?
No. Repetition wastes characters without improving matching. Use the space for a different attribute instead.
Selling on eBay? → ebay listing generator.