From collectables to cars, buy and sell all kinds of items on eBay
  Home > HelpSelling & seller fees > Creating effective listings > Tips for using HTML
Help
HTML Tips

Learning a little code can add a lot of polish to your listing.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the simple language used to create Web pages. Now you can use HTML tags to jazz up your listings. Nice.

Here's how:

Paragraphs, Line Breaks, and Horizontal Lines

  • Separate your paragraphs using the  <p>  tag for a new paragraph.
  • The  <br>  tag starts a new line without skipping any space.
  • To draw a line across the screen, use  <hr>  (for "horizontal rule").

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<p> Bid on my item! <p> You'll enjoy it! Bid on my item!

You'll enjoy it!

<br> Bid on my item! <br> You'll enjoy it! Bid on my item!
You'll enjoy it!
<hr> Bid on my item! <hr> You'll enjoy it! Bid on my item!
You'll enjoy it!

Create Titles Six Different Ways!

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<h1></h1> <h1>Bid on my item!</h1>

Bid on my item!

<h2></h2> <h2>Bid on my item!</h2>

Bid on my item!

<h3></h3> <h3>Bid on my item!</h3> Bid on my item!
<h4></h4> <h4>Bid on my item!</h4>

Bid on my item!

<h5></h5> <h5>Bid on my item!</h5>
Bid on my item!
<h6></h6> <h6>Bid on my item!</h6>
Bid on my item!

Emphasise Words Using Bold, Italic, and Underline

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<b></b> <b>Bid on my item!</b> Bid on my item!
<i></i> <i>Bid on my item!</i> Bid on my item!
<u></u> <u>Bid on my item!</u> Bid on my item!

Increase or Decrease Your Font One Size at a Time Using  <big>  and  <small>  Tags

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<big>
</big>
Bid <big>right away</big> for a great deal <big>and you</big> may win! Bid right away for a great deal and you may win!
<small>
</small>
Bid now! <small>Before it's all over!</small> Bid now! Before it's all over!

Use Colour
Liven type up with built-in colours like aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, gray, green, lime, maroon, navy, olive, purple, red, silver, teal, yellow or white.

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<font color=
colour> </font>
Bid <font color=green>
now</font> and you may win!
Bid now and you may win!
<font color=
colour> </font>
Bid <font color=blue>
now</font> and you may win!
Bid now and you may win!

Center Your Text

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<center>
</center>
<center>Bid now!</center>
Bid now!

Create Lists with Bullets or Numbers

  • Begin your list with  <ol>  for an ordered, or numbered, list.
  • Start the list with  <ul>  for a bulleted list.
  • Each item in the list should have an  <li>  tag at the beginning and  </li>  at the end.
TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<ul>
</ul>
My item is:
<ul>
  <li>New</li>
  <li>In excellent condition</li>
</ul>
My item is:
  • New
  • In excellent condition
<ol>
</ol>
My item is:
<ol>
  <li>New</li>
  <li>In excellent condition</li>
</ol>
My item is:
  1. New
  2. In excellent condition

Attach a Picture to Your Listing
Use the  <img>  tag and indicate the Web address for the picture.

TagHow to use itWhat it looks like
<img> <img src="http://
www.yourdomain.
com/images/
yourpicture
.jpg">
Your picture will appear in the Web browser at the spot where your tag is listed.

To get exactly the effect you want—just combine tags. For example, if you want bidders to see:

Bid now!

Your HTML should say:

 <b><i><center>Bid now! </center></i></b> 

Experiment and have fun!

Contact Customer Support

If you're looking for more help or have a question to ask, contact us.

Contact us

Have a question? We can help.

Ask eBay members

Get help from other eBay members. Visit the Answer Centre to post a question.


About eBay | Announcements | Safety Centre | Partner Centre | VeRO: Protecting Intellectual Property | Policies | Feedback Forum | Site Map | Help
Copyright © 1995-2009 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time