HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, which is a code that defines the structure and appearance of web pages. HTML tags are keywords or symbols that are enclosed in angle brackets, such as <tag>. They are used to format text, images, links, tables, and other elements on a web page.

eBay allows sellers to use some HTML tags in their item descriptions to make them more attractive and informative. However, not all HTML tags are supported by eBay, and some of them may cause errors or display issues. Therefore, it is important to follow eBay's guidelines and best practices when using HTML tags in your descriptions.

In the listing description, sellers are only allowed to provide links to product videos, freight shipping services, or other legally required information, and when providing these links in the listing description, the secure 'https' protocol must be used instead of 'http'. In addition, any valid links to sites outside of eBay should use the target="_blank" attribute in the a href tag so a new browser window will be loaded when the link is clicked instead of buyers being redirected off of eBay. For more information on using links in the listing description, see eBay's Links policy.

According to eBay's help page, the following HTML tags are allowed in the description on LitCommerce:

- <a> for creating hyperlinks
- <b> for making text bold (Max length: 500000 (some sites may allow more, but the exact number may vary))
- <br> for inserting line breaks
- <center> for centering text or images
- <div> for defining a section or division
- <em> for emphasizing text
- <font> for changing the font size, color, or face
- <h1> to <h6> for creating headings
- <hr> for inserting horizontal lines
- <i> for making text italic
- <img> for inserting images
- <li> for creating list items
- <ol> for creating ordered lists
- <p> for creating paragraphs
- <span> for applying styles to a part of text
- <strong> for making text strong
- <sub> for creating subscript text
- <sup> for creating superscript text
- <table> for creating tables
- <tbody> for grouping table rows
- <td> for creating table cells
- <tfoot> for defining table footers
- <th> for creating table headers
- <thead> for defining table headers
- <tr> for creating table rows
- <u> for underlining text
- <ul> for creating unordered lists

The following HTML tags are not allowed in the description on LitCommerce:

- Any tag that starts with <!DOCTYPE>
- Any tag that starts with <?xml>
- Any tag that contains JavaScript, VBScript, or other scripting languages
- Any tag that contains CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) or style attributes
- Any tag that contains Flash, Java, ActiveX, or other plug-ins or applets
- Any tag that contains iframes, frames, or frame sets
- Any tag that contains forms, input fields, buttons, or other interactive elements


If you use any of these unsupported tags in your description, eBay may remove them or display a warning message to buyers. This may affect your listing's visibility and performance. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid using these tags and stick to the ones that are allowed by eBay.

Here is the guideline for adding the HTML tags in the description field on LitCommerce:

You can click on the “<>” icon in the Description field directly in the editing page of the listing or in the Title and Description template.



A Source Code will be shown up and you can add the HTML tags on that.



After editing the Source Code, you can click on Save and then click on Save & Publish to eBay for updating the changes to your online store.



In case you are using the Title & Description Template, you can select all the listings, then click on Update to eBay for the adjustment updated to your online store.

Updated on: 30/09/2023