Every marketplace publishes its own rules for product photos, and they disagree on almost everything: the size, the shape, the background, how many photos a listing can have and, more and more, what to do with images made by AI. This page puts the rules of nine platforms side by side: Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Walmart, Zalando, Trendyol, Google Merchant Center and Meta's catalogs for Facebook and Instagram.
Every row was read on the platform's own help, policy or developer page on 18 October 2026, and links that page. Rules change without notice, so check the linked page before a large upload. For how to make one set of photos that serves every channel, see Amazon, Shopify and Etsy product image requirements.
The short answer
- Strictest main photo: Amazon and Walmart both ask for a pure white background, RGB 255, 255, 255, and Amazon wants the product to fill 85% of the image (Amazon · checked 2026-10-18; Walmart · checked 2026-10-18).
- Portrait, not square: Zalando wants a 1:1.44 portrait, and Trendyol 1,200 × 1,800 px (Zalando · checked 2026-10-18; Trendyol · checked 2026-10-18).
- Largest files: Shopify and Zalando accept files up to 20 MB, Walmart only up to 5 MB (Shopify · checked 2026-10-18; Zalando · checked 2026-10-18; Walmart · checked 2026-10-18).
- AI-made images: Amazon asks for a metadata tag on images of photorealistic AI-generated people, Google for metadata on every image made with generative AI, and Zalando for identifying data in AI images by December 2026. Etsy asks for original photos of the actual item, not renderings (Amazon, Google, Zalando, Etsy · checked 2026-10-18).
Sizes and files
| Platform | Minimum size | Recommended size | Shape | File formats | Largest file | Photos per listing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 500 px on the longest side | 1,000 px or more on the longest side, which turns on zoom; 10,000 px at most | Not fixed; the product fills 85% of the main image | JPEG (recommended), TIFF, PNG, non-animated GIF | Not stated on the page | 1 main image required; at least 6 more and a video recommended | Amazon · checked 2026-10-18 |
| eBay | 500 × 500 px; the picture policy says 500 px on the longest side | About 1,600 × 1,600 px | 1:1 or 16:9 look best | JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, WEBP, HEIC, AVIF | 12 MB | At least 1, up to 24 | eBay, picture policy · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Etsy | 635 px wide and high for the first photo, or the listing can show up lower in search | 2,000 px or more on each side | First photo landscape or square | JPG, GIF, PNG, SVG, HEIC; no animated GIF or transparent PNG | Files over 1 MB may not finish uploading on a slow connection | Up to 20 photos and 2 videos | Etsy, listing form · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Shopify | None stated | 2,048 × 2,048 px for square images | Keep one ratio for main images | PNG and JPEG first; also TIFF, BMP, GIF, SVG, HEIC, WebP | 20 MB, and 5,000 × 5,000 px or 25 megapixels | Up to 250 images, videos or 3D models | Shopify, adding media · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Walmart | 1,500 × 1,500 px for zoom | 2,200 × 2,200 px | 1:1 square | JPEG, JPG, PNG, BMP; no GIF | 5 MB | At least 4 recommended | Walmart · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Zalando | 762 × 1,100 px; 1,800 × 2,600 px for designer brands | 1,801 × 2,600 px | Portrait, 1:1.44 | JPG or JPEG only | 20 MB | 3 for clothing, accessories and shoes; 1 or 2 in other categories | Zalando · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Trendyol | 1,200 × 1,800 px at 96 dpi, the size its developer docs require | The same | Portrait, 2:3 | Not stated in the public docs | Not stated | Up to 8 per barcode | Trendyol · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Google Merchant Center | 500 × 500 px, applied to all products from 31 January 2027 | About 1,500 × 1,500 px or more | Not fixed; the product fills between three quarters and nine tenths of the image | JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF | 16 MB, and 64 megapixels | 1 main image, more as additional images | Google · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Meta | 500 × 500 px | 1,024 × 1,024 px | Square in shops; keep one ratio, 1:1 or 4:5 | JPEG or PNG | 8 MB | 1 required, up to 20 more; 4 or more recommended | Meta, catalog fields · checked 2026-10-18 |
The main photo: background and what it may show
| Platform | Background | Not allowed | People, mannequins and children | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255; a limited number of product types may use a lifestyle image | Text, logos, badges, props or accessories that are not included, packaging unless it is part of the product, more than one view of the product | No part of a mannequin; adult clothing on a standing model; one shoe, facing left at 45 degrees; children's underwear and swimwear photographed flat, without a model | Amazon · checked 2026-10-18 |
| eBay | White is generally best; a darker one can suit shiny items such as jewellery | Borders, added text, artwork or marketing, watermarks of any kind, placeholder images; stock photos for used items | Not covered on the pages we read | eBay, picture policy · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Etsy | No rule | Renderings or stock photos; for personalised items, a blank product or a "Your Text Here" mockup as the first photo | Not covered on the pages we read | Etsy · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Shopify | No rule; your theme decides | No rule | No rule | Shopify · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Walmart | Seamless white, RGB 255, 255, 255 | Watermarks, Walmart's or other retailers' logos and names, promotional claims, accessories that are not included, text in languages other than English | Not covered on the page we read | Walmart · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Zalando | Plain, lifestyle or ambient settings; Zalando turns white packshot backgrounds light grey | Duplicate images, non-English text on primary views, unrelated products | No visible mannequins in mandatory packshots and model views; no child models for nightwear, underwear or beachwear | Zalando · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Trendyol | Not stated in the public developer docs | Not stated | Not stated | Trendyol · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Google Merchant Center | No rule on the page | Promotional overlays, calls to action, prices, watermarks, added logos, borders, placeholder images | Not covered on the page | Google · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Meta | White recommended | Text over the product, calls to action, promo codes, watermarks, time-limited prices | Lifestyle photos of people wearing the product suggested as extra images | Meta · checked 2026-10-18 |
AI-made images: what each platform asks
| Platform | Rule for images made or edited with AI | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | If a photo shows photorealistic people generated entirely by AI, add the keyword contains-synthetic-performer to the image's dc:subject (XMP) field with an IPTC metadata editor before uploading. Real people edited with AI tools do not need it | Amazon · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Google Merchant Center | Every image made with generative AI must carry metadata that says so, such as the IPTC DigitalSourceType value TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, and that metadata must not be removed | Google · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Zalando | AI images that look unnatural or misrepresent the product can be rejected; from August 2026 no visible AI labels or watermarks, and no content the law would require to be visibly labelled, such as deepfakes; by December 2026, identifying data in the metadata or an invisible watermark | Zalando · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Walmart | Images generated by AI must be truthful, accurate and not misleading | Walmart · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Etsy | Listing photos must be original photos of the actual item, not renderings or stock photos; computer-made mockups only as extra images of personalised items, and stock mockups for designs printed by a production partner; items made with AI must be disclosed in the listing | Etsy, seller policy · checked 2026-10-18 |
| eBay | No AI-specific rule on the pages we read; photos must represent the item accurately, and eBay's own photo editor offers AI-generated backgrounds | eBay, picture policy · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Meta | No AI-specific rule on the catalog pages we read; images must accurately represent the product for sale | Meta · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Shopify | No AI-specific rule for product media on the pages we read | Shopify · checked 2026-10-18 |
| Trendyol | Nothing on AI in the public developer docs | Trendyol · checked 2026-10-18 |
What this means if you make photos with AI
- Keep the product exactly as it is. Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, Zalando and Meta all ask for photos that represent the item accurately, so an AI image that changes a garment's colour, print or shape breaks the rules on all of them, not only on the strictest.
- Keep or add the metadata. Google wants generative AI images to carry their IPTC marker, Amazon wants a tag on images of AI-generated people, and Zalando asks that the marking survives the upload (Zalando · checked 2026-10-18). Check the file you upload, not only the file your tool exported.
- Make one large master, then crop. A 2:3 portrait of at least 2,200 × 3,300 px can be cropped to a 2,200 px square, which meets every square size recommended in the table above, and cropped or resized to Zalando's 1,801 × 2,600 px and Trendyol's 1,200 × 1,800 px. Leave space around the product so each crop can still meet its framing rule.
- Match the main photo to the strictest channel you sell on. If Amazon is one of them, that means pure white, no mannequin, and adult clothing on a standing model. Where Zalando does not allow child models, it suggests packshots with an invisible mannequin or a flat lay instead, which is what a ghost mannequin photo gives you.
For the numbers behind on-model and try-on images, see virtual try-on statistics.
Details that catch sellers out
- Amazon: without a compliant main image, a listing can be removed from search until one is provided, and Amazon may choose images from several sellers for the same product (Amazon · checked 2026-10-18). For a review checklist, see Amazon product images: an AI review checklist.
- Zalando: the ratio is checked after rounding, so 1.445 counts as 1.45 and is rejected; missing images and visible mannequins have their own rejection codes, 117 and 123 (Zalando · checked 2026-10-18).
- Trendyol: images are sent as links, and each link must be an https address (Trendyol · checked 2026-10-18).
- Google: each variant needs its own image, and Google may test subtle automatic cropping (Google · checked 2026-10-18).
- Meta: a replaced image needs a new URL before the catalog picks it up, so do not upload an "image coming soon" placeholder (Meta · checked 2026-10-18).
- Etsy: transparent parts of a PNG show as black, and colours look right only in sRGB (Etsy · checked 2026-10-18).
- Shopify: the first image is the one shown on collection pages, in the cart and at checkout (Shopify · checked 2026-10-18).
- eBay: the main photo is the one shown next to the title in search results (eBay · checked 2026-10-18).
- Walmart: it recommends the product's 14-digit GTIN as the file name (Walmart · checked 2026-10-18).
How we checked
We read each platform's own help, policy or developer page on 18 October 2026, and every row links the page it came from. Amazon's guide is the one for selling in the United States, as the page itself says. Trendyol's public developer docs give the image size and the number of images; we found no public page with its other visual rules, so those cells say "not stated". Where a page gives a recommendation rather than a rule, the table says so.
Frequently asked questions
What image size works on every marketplace?
No single size meets every recommendation. A 2:3 portrait master of at least 2,200 × 3,300 px can be cropped to a 2,200 px square for Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, eBay, Google, Meta and Amazon, and cropped or resized to Zalando's 1,801 × 2,600 px and Trendyol's 1,200 × 1,800 px.
Does Amazon require a white background?
For the main image, yes: pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255, with the product filling 85% of the image. Only a limited number of product types may use a lifestyle image as the main image. The other images can show the product in use.
Can I use AI-generated product photos on marketplaces?
None of the nine pages we read bans AI-made images by name, but several set conditions. Amazon asks for a metadata tag on images of photorealistic AI-generated people, Google for metadata on every generative AI image, Zalando for identifying data by December 2026, and Walmart for images that are truthful and not misleading. Etsy asks for original photos of the actual item.
How many product photos can a listing have?
eBay allows up to 24, Etsy up to 20 photos and 2 videos, Shopify up to 250 media items, Meta 1 plus up to 20 more, and Trendyol up to 8 per barcode. Amazon recommends a main image plus at least 6 more, and Walmart at least 4.
Which marketplace has the strictest image rules?
For the main photo, Amazon: a pure white background, the product filling 85% of the image, no mannequin, adult clothing on a standing model, and one shoe facing left at 45 degrees. Walmart also asks for seamless white and a 1:1 square, and Zalando checks its 1:1.44 portrait ratio closely enough to reject a rounding error.