eBay item specifics: what to fill in and why
Item specifics are the dull boxes under your title. They are also how buyers filter eBay's results, so an empty one can quietly hide your listing from the people looking for it.
What item specifics are
Item specifics are the structured details of your listing: brand, size, colour, material, style, model and so on. eBay shows a different set depending on the category you choose, and marks some as required and others as recommended.
They matter because of filters. When a buyer searches "dress" and then ticks size 12, blue and midi in the sidebar, eBay shows only listings whose specifics say size 12, blue and midi. If yours says nothing, it does not appear, however good your title is.
Clothes: the ones that count
- Brand, exactly as the brand writes it.
- Size and size type (regular, petite, tall, plus).
- Department (women, men, girls, boys, unisex).
- Colour and pattern.
- Material, from the care label.
- Style, fit, sleeve length, neckline, dress length where they apply.
- Occasion and season.
Electronics and everything else
For tech, the specifics that matter most are brand, model, MPN (manufacturer part number), storage capacity, colour, connectivity and whether it is unlocked (for phones). For collectables and media, fill in the edition, platform, format and year.
If the item has a barcode (EAN or ISBN), eBay can often fill in the product details for you from its catalogue.
Common mistakes
- Leaving recommended specifics blank because they are "optional".
- Writing "see description" in a specific. Filters cannot read your description.
- Choosing "Unbranded" when the brand is on the label.
- Using a size from a different system (US or EU) without saying so.
- Putting the wrong category first, which gives you the wrong set of specifics.
How Snappy helps
Every eBay description Snappy writes starts with an item specifics block, one field per line (brand, type, department, size, colour, material, style, fit and the rest that apply), worked out from your photos and labels. You copy them straight across. The free Snappy Chrome extension can also fill eBay's sell form for you on a computer; you check it and press list yourself.
The boring part, already done
Snappy opens every eBay description with the item specifics, read from your photos and labels. Try it with 3 free listings.
Try Snappy free → 3 free listings · no card neededFAQ
Some are required for each category and must be filled in before you can list. Many more are recommended. Fill in both: recommended ones feed buyers' filters too.
They decide whether you appear in filtered searches at all, and complete, accurate listings tend to do better in eBay's results.
Check the care label. If there isn't one, leave it blank rather than guessing, and mention it in the description.
Yes. You can revise a live listing and add or correct specifics at any time.