eBay cannot read a WebP image

Why you are getting WebP without asking for it

Image services pick a format based on what the requester appears to support, and WebP is smaller than JPEG, so it is served by default. AliExpress does this, which means a copied image URL frequently points at a WebP file even when a JPEG exists.

The easy fix

Most image services will hand over the same picture as a JPEG if asked. The address usually carries the format in it, and changing that part is enough — no download, no conversion, no quality lost twice.

Where that is not possible, converting the file to JPEG before sending it works and costs one step.

Avoid converting twice

Decoding WebP and re-encoding as JPEG loses quality both ways. Asking for the JPEG the service already holds avoids that, and is faster.

Questions

Does eBay ever accept WebP?

Support differs between parts of eBay. If a message names the MIME type, that part does not accept it — send JPEG.

Will converting make the image too small?

Converting does not change the dimensions. If it was under 500 pixels it still is, which is a separate problem.

Can I just link to the image instead?

You can, but a linked image breaks when the supplier page changes. Sending a copy to eBay is safer.

Read next

• eBay says your picture is too small

  Why eBay refuses images under 500 pixels on the longest side, why supplier description images so often fail it, and what to do instead of dropping them.

• eBay photo requirements

  The 500 pixel minimum, how many photos a listing takes, what eBay does not allow on an image, and why supplier photos so often fail.

• How to import an AliExpress product to eBay

  What has to move from an AliExpress page to an eBay listing — photos, description, variations, item specifics — and what goes wrong doing it by hand.