Amazon, Etsy and eBay character limits in 2026: Amazon titles are capped at 200 characters including spaces in most categories, Etsy titles at 140 with 13 tags of up to 20 characters each, and eBay titles at 80 with an optional 55-character subtitle. Amazon backend search terms are counted in bytes, with about 250 as the cap.
Hitting a limit usually means one of two things: the field silently cuts your text off, or the listing won't save. Either way the keyword you put last is the one that disappears. This guide lists every field that matters on each marketplace, separates official limits from commonly quoted ones, and shows how to fit more meaning into fewer characters.
- Amazon: title 200 characters (most categories), 5 bullets of roughly 500 characters, description around 2,000, search terms under 250 bytes.
- Etsy: title 140 characters, 13 tags of 20 characters, and no tight description limit to worry about.
- eBay: title 80 characters, subtitle 55 (paid), item specific values 65, description up to 500,000 characters including HTML.
- Spaces count as characters everywhere. Accented letters and emoji take extra bytes in byte-limited fields.
- Front-load: the first 60–80 characters of a title are what most shoppers see on a phone.
Amazon, Etsy and eBay character limits at a glance
This table covers the fields sellers fill in on every listing. "Official" means the marketplace publishes the number; "common" means it's the widely used figure that we couldn't confirm on an official page, so check your listing form.
| Field | Amazon | Etsy | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | 200 characters incl. spaces, most categories (official) | 140 characters (official) | 80 characters (official) |
| Subtitle | – | – | 55 characters, paid upgrade (official) |
| Bullet points | 5 bullets, about 500 characters each (common) | – | – |
| Description | About 2,000 characters (common) | No tight limit published | 500,000 characters incl. HTML (official, API docs) |
| Tags / keywords | Search terms: under 250 bytes (common) | 13 tags, 20 characters each (official) | – (item specifics do this job) |
| Item specifics / attributes | Varies by attribute | Set attributes from lists | Values up to 65 characters (official, API docs) |
| SKU | 40 characters (common) | Optional, private | 50 characters (official, API docs) |
Amazon, Etsy and eBay character limits were checked in October 2026. Marketplaces change their rules, so confirm the current requirements in your seller dashboard before you upload a large batch.
To check a draft against these limits, paste it into our free listing character counter. Pick Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Shopify or Walmart and it counts characters, UTF-8 bytes and words against that marketplace's limits, checks each tag's length and the tag count, and flags repeated title words, ALL-CAPS and characters Amazon or Etsy reject in titles. Every limit is editable, and your text stays in your browser.
What are Amazon's character limits?
Amazon titles can be up to 200 characters including spaces in most categories, under rules that took effect on January 21, 2025. Some categories set lower caps, so the listing form for your category has the final word.
| Amazon field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product title | 200 characters incl. spaces | Lower in some categories; no word more than twice (except prepositions, articles, conjunctions) |
| Banned title characters | ! $ ? _ { } ^ ¬ ¦ | Allowed only when part of the brand name |
| Bullet points | Up to 5, about 500 characters each | Commonly quoted; some categories show more or fewer |
| Product description | About 2,000 characters | Brand-registered sellers usually replace it with A+ content |
| Search terms (backend) | Under 250 bytes | Counted in bytes; text over the limit may not be indexed |
Why are Amazon search terms counted in bytes?
Amazon's backend search terms field is measured in bytes, not characters. Plain English letters, numbers and spaces take 1 byte each, but an accented letter like é takes 2 and most emoji take 4. So a field can look under the limit by character count and still be over in bytes. Amazon has said text beyond the limit may not be indexed, so the safe target is 249 bytes or fewer.
- Separate words with spaces. No commas needed.
- Don't repeat words already in your title or bullets.
- Skip brand names (yours or competitors'), ASINs and claims like “best”.
- Include synonyms, spelling variants and other-language terms your buyers use.
What are Etsy's character limits?
Etsy titles can be up to 140 characters, and each listing can have up to 13 tags of up to 20 characters each. Etsy publishes both on its Help Center.
| Etsy field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 140 characters | Etsy's current guidance favors short, clear titles over keyword lists |
| Tags | 13 tags, 20 characters each | Letters, numbers, spaces; hyphen or apostrophe only inside a word |
| Title special characters | %, :, & and + once each | ™ © ® allowed (from Etsy's API docs) |
| Description | No tight limit published | The first sentence or two show in Google results |
| Attributes | Chosen from lists | Act like tags in search, so don't repeat them as tags |
Etsy's newer title guidance says the title doesn't need to carry every keyword, since search also reads tags, attributes and categories. Name the item clearly, add the top two or three descriptors and move the rest into tags. Our Etsy tags guide covers how to fill all 13 tags.
What are eBay's character limits?
eBay titles can be up to 80 characters, and an optional subtitle, which costs extra, adds 55 more. Item specifics carry the rest of the searchable detail.
| eBay field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 80 characters | Use most of it; eBay search leans heavily on the title |
| Subtitle | 55 characters | Paid upgrade shown under the title in search results |
| Item specific value | 65 characters | A few specifics allow more; the form shows when |
| Description | 500,000 characters | Includes any HTML; eBay's mobile view summary is 800 characters |
| Custom label (SKU) | 50 characters | Private, for your inventory |
With only 80 characters, eBay titles work best as a dense list of searchable facts: brand, model, product type, key spec, size, color, condition. Skip words like “L@@K”, “wow” or “rare” unless they're true and searchable.
Have the facts but not the words? Draft titles, bullets and descriptions for Amazon, Etsy or eBay from your product details, then trim them to fit.
Write listing copy7 days free · 50 credits · No credit cardWhat about Shopify and Walmart?
Your own store has looser limits, but search engines still cut things off. Shopify's Help Center gives up to 70 characters for the SEO page title, suggests 60 or fewer so Google doesn't shorten it, and recommends 160 characters for the meta description. Walmart's commonly quoted product name limit is 150 characters with category-specific rules, so check Seller Center for your category.
How do you fit more into a character limit?
Cut words that don't help a shopper decide or a search engine match. Most titles can lose 15 to 25 percent of their length without losing a single keyword.
- Delete filler: “high quality”, “perfect for”, “amazing”, “brand new” (use the condition field instead).
- Remove repeats: say “mug” once, not “coffee mug, tea mug, mug gift”.
- Use numerals and standard units: “12 oz” not “twelve ounce”, “2-pack” not “set of two”.
- Move details to the right field: materials and sizes into item specifics or attributes, extra keywords into tags or search terms.
- Put the most important words first so a cut-off title still makes sense.
- Count before you publish with a character counter, especially for byte-limited fields.
Amazon (121): Trailmate Insulated Water Bottle 750 ml, Leak-Proof Stainless Steel, Keeps Drinks Cold 24 Hours, BPA-Free Lid, Sage Green
Etsy (49): Insulated Steel Water Bottle 750 ml in Sage Green
eBay (76): Trailmate Insulated Water Bottle 750ml Stainless Steel Leak Proof Sage Green
For title formulas by marketplace, see how to write product titles; for descriptions that fit, see our product description examples.
Common character limit mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pasting from Word or Google Docs | Curly quotes and hidden characters add bytes | Paste as plain text first |
| Emoji in titles | Rejected on some marketplaces; 4 bytes each | Leave them out of titles |
| Same keyword in title, bullets and search terms | Wasted space on Amazon | Use each word once across fields |
| Ignoring category limits | Listing errors on bulk upload | Check the category template first |
| Writing to the max | Truncated on mobile | Make the first 60–80 characters complete |
Frequently asked questions
What is the character limit for Amazon titles?
Amazon allows up to 200 characters including spaces in most categories, under title rules that took effect on January 21, 2025. Some categories are lower, and no word can appear more than twice except small words like “and” or “the”.
How many characters can an Etsy title have?
Etsy titles can have up to 140 characters. Etsy's current guidance recommends shorter, clearer titles and putting extra keywords in tags and attributes instead.
What is the eBay title character limit?
eBay titles can have up to 80 characters. You can add a subtitle of up to 55 characters for an extra fee, but most search matching is done on the title and item specifics.
How many tags can you have on Etsy?
Up to 13 tags per listing, each up to 20 characters including spaces. Multi-word phrases count as one tag, so “linen napkins” uses one slot.
How many bytes are Amazon search terms?
Amazon's backend search terms are commonly limited to under 250 bytes, and text beyond the limit may not be indexed. Plain letters are 1 byte each, while accented letters and emoji take 2 to 4.
Do spaces count in character limits?
Yes. Spaces and punctuation count as characters on Amazon, Etsy and eBay. A 200-character Amazon title includes every space.
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