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Marketplace Product Image Guidelines

This blog was originally published on Jan 18, 2019, and has been updated in August 2025

We all know the drill—Google Shopping, Amazon, eBay, Etsy. The UX is familiar, the layout predictable, and in a comforting way. From the homepage to PDP, marketplaces have trained us to navigate online shopping in a very specific pattern.

And when you land on a product page, one element can make or break the conversion: the imagery.

Marketplace product photos aren’t just clean and consistent for aesthetic reasons—they’re standardized because it works. Clear backgrounds, consistent angles, and uniform lighting remove distractions, making it easier for shoppers to evaluate the product and decide to buy.

So what exactly are these standards? And why do they work so well across every marketplace? Let’s break down the non-negotiables for product images that convert.

Meet the Specs or Miss the Sale

No matter which marketplace you’re using, one thing’s for sure: marketplaces are giving a lot of love (and strict rules) to listing images. It’s make-or-break. If you don’t follow the guidelines, your product doesn’t show up, and you won’t be able to sell, it’s as simple as that.

Why the hard stance? Because they’ve got the data to back it up. There’s a direct link between high-quality product photos, a smooth shopping experience, and actual conversions. Put simply: better images, better customer experience, more sales.

Design for the Scroll

For most shoppers, the phone isn’t just the first screen; it’s the only screen that matters. That means images and content need to be designed with small screens, fast scrolls, and multi-channel touchpoints in mind. From PDPs to TikTok to Instagram Shops, brands win when their visuals are optimized to look seamless, engaging, and shoppable anywhere the customer is.

  • As of the first quarter of 2025, smartphones constituted around 77% of retail site traffic globally, responsible for generating 68% of online shopping orders (Source: Statista, 2025).
  • One-third of online consumers opted for online marketplaces over all other digital channels (Source: Statista, 2025).
  • Online Marketplaces also ranked as the e-commerce channel delivering the best customer experience in 2023 (Source: Statista, 2023).
  • Amazon is still the world’s most popular marketplace, grabbing a hefty 37.8% of online sales (Source: Channel Engine 2024).
  • Counting all of Amazon's country-specific domains, it gets over 2.8 billion views annually and eBay gets 872 million (Source: Forbes 2024).
  • New sales models such as TikTok Shop and other “social commerce” channels are also gaining popularity. These are estimated to be growing at a rate of 31% each year (Source: Forbes 2024).

At the end of the day, if your images are subpar, you will struggle to attract both the buyer’s attention and the sale.

This is reinforced by the image-focused search and navigation provided by Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, and Etsy. Shoppers now instinctively look at the product image first and foremost, and any additional information second.

This is why it’s important to make sure you use high quality images that meet (and preferably exceed) the channel’s specified guidelines.

Amazon, Ebay, Google Shopping, and Etsy Guidelines

Marketplace Product image requirements for Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, and Etsy.

Marketplace Product image requirements for Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, and Etsy.

Marketplace Product image requirements for Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, and Etsy.

Follow the current trend calling for large and clean images.

For the best display across devices, make sure your product fills at least 85% of the image frame. No one wants to see a tiny item lost in a sea of white space—especially on a phone screen. Aim for images that are at least 1,600 pixels on the longest side to unlock zoom and enlarge features on most marketplaces. While Amazon (the largest marketplace) requires a minimum of 1000 pixels, think of that as the bare minimum. For consistently sharp, high-impact visuals across any product category, go big: 1,600 pixels or more on the longest side.

White backgrounds are the industry standard.

A completely white background (Hex #FFFFFF or RGB 255-255-255) is required for all Amazon main images so that they blend in seamlessly with the search and item detail pages. While not a requirement for additional images on Amazon, and not a requirement on the other marketplaces mentioned here, it is nonetheless highly recommended by each of them. Using a white background has many advantages, from better display on mobile devices to smaller file size. It’s a format customers are used to and comfortable with on all channels and is mainly considered a best practice.

Your images represent your brand.

However, you choose to style your product images, keep them consistent. Consistency reinforces your brand identity, showcases professionalism, and communicates confidence in your products. When shoppers see a cohesive look across your listings, it builds trust and makes your brand feel reliable. Over time, that trust translates into loyalty, and loyal customers are the ones who return again and again.

 Examples of PDP Photography from Pixelz

Examples of PDP Photography from Pixelz

Examples of PDP Photography from Pixelz

Examples of PDP Photography from Pixelz

Final Thoughts

When it comes to online shopping, images aren’t just decoration—they’re essential. High-quality product photos build trust, enhance the customer experience, and ultimately boost conversions. The more time and care you put into creating great images, the higher your return on investment will be.

Different marketplaces come with different image requirements, but meeting them doesn’t have to be complicated.

With Pixelz, you can apply predefined editing specifications for platforms like Google Shopping, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart, Zalando, ASOS, and many more, all with a single click. And if you need help inside Pixelz Platform, checkout our help article here. This streamlines your content production, ensuring your images are compliant across channels and ready to help you expand your reach.

In turn, you have faster compliance, fewer headaches, and more time to focus on what matters.

So, if you’re looking to sell across multiple platforms, following each marketplace’s product image guidelines is key. Pair that with the right tools, and you’ll not only meet requirements, you’ll also deliver a better shopping experience for your customers.