How long can an eBay title be?

Up to 80 characters. Use most of them, with real search words rather than filler.

Should I put the brand in the title?

Only when the item is genuinely that brand. For an unbranded product, set the brand item specific to Unbranded and leave brand names out of the title.

Does changing a title hurt a listing?

Improving the title of a listing that is not selling can only help. On a listing that sells well, change it with care: its sales history is part of why it ranks.

Do keywords in the description help eBay search?

eBay’s default search looks at titles and item specifics. Descriptions are searched only when a buyer chooses to include them, so write the description for the buyer.

Guides 6 min readUpdated 10 October 2026

Writing an eBay title that gets found

In short

An eBay title has 80 characters and should be made of the words a buyer types: what the item is, the brand if it has one, then the details that separate it from others, such as size, colour, material and quantity. Put the most important words first, leave out filler and punctuation, and put everything else in the item specifics, which eBay also searches.

A supplier’s title is written for the supplier’s marketplace. It is long, repeats itself, and leads with words nobody on eBay types.

Rewriting it is the single edit most worth making on an imported product.

How eBay’s search reads a listing

eBay matches the buyer’s words against your title and your item specifics, then orders the matches by how well listings like yours have sold and how the listing and seller perform.

So a title has two jobs: contain the words buyers type, and be clear enough that the right buyer clicks. A title that attracts clicks from the wrong buyers gets views without sales, which works against it.

What goes in, and in what order

Position	What	Example
First	What the item is, in the buyer’s words	Mens Waterproof Hiking Boots
Next	Brand, if it is genuinely that brand	(omit for unbranded)
Then	The features people filter by	Leather Ankle Lace Up
Last	Size range, colour, quantity	Size 7-12 Brown

What to cut from a supplier’s title

Years and seasons: “2026 New Summer Fashion”
Words nobody searches: “Hot Sale”, “High Quality”, “Free Shipping”
Repeats of the same word in different forms
Other brands’ names used to attract searches, which is keyword spam and against eBay’s rules
Symbols, asterisks and words in capitals

Let the item specifics carry the rest

eBay searches item specifics as well as titles, and buyers narrow results with them. A size or colour in the specifics is found by a filter even when it is not in the title.

This is why a listing with eight sizes does not need eight sizes in its title. Name the range, and let each variation carry its own value.

A worked example

	Title
From the supplier	2026 New Fashion Men Shoes High Quality Outdoor Waterproof Non-slip Hiking Boots Hot Sale Big Size
For eBay	Mens Waterproof Hiking Boots Leather Ankle Lace Up Outdoor Walking Size 7-12

The second is 77 characters, starts with what the item is, and every word is one a buyer might type.

Questions

How long can an eBay title be?: Up to 80 characters. Use most of them, with real search words rather than filler.
Should I put the brand in the title?: Only when the item is genuinely that brand. For an unbranded product, set the brand item specific to Unbranded and leave brand names out of the title.
Does changing a title hurt a listing?: Improving the title of a listing that is not selling can only help. On a listing that sells well, change it with care: its sales history is part of why it ranks.
Do keywords in the description help eBay search?: eBay’s default search looks at titles and item specifics. Descriptions are searched only when a buyer chooses to include them, so write the description for the buyer.