Formatting eBay listing descriptions with HTML

Overview

eBay listing descriptions support basic HTML formatting. Frooition templates include a description area that displays your listing content. This article explains common formatting questions and how to avoid issues.

Why is raw HTML code showing in my listing?

If you can see HTML tags (such as <p>, <br>, or <table>) in your live listing description rather than formatted text, it means the HTML is not being interpreted by eBay. This can happen if:

• The description was pasted as plain text from a word processor, which may include hidden formatting characters
• The HTML was entered in a field that does not support it
• Special characters in the original content have been encoded incorrectly

Corrupted or strange characters in descriptions

This is a common issue when descriptions are copied from Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors. These tools use ‘smart quotes’ and special characters that can appear as garbled text (e.g. ’ instead of an apostrophe) when pasted into an eBay listing or Frooition system.

To fix this: raise a support ticket, share an example listing URL where the issue appears, and describe what changes were recently made. The team can identify the affected listings and fix the encoding.

Description not updating after Bulk Revision

eBay sometimes blocks bulk updates to individual listings for internal reasons. If you run a description update and some listings do not change, the team can provide a log file showing which listings were not updated. These may need to be updated manually in eBay Seller Hub.

Frooition description guidelines

When the Frooition team writes or reviews listing descriptions, we follow these guidelines:

• Remove all seller information, history, guarantees, satisfaction claims, contact details, and business background from the body description
• Do not include subjective claims such as “you won’t be able to tell the difference”
• Keep descriptions factual, clear, and relevant to the item
• Use concise paragraphs and avoid large blocks of unbroken text

If you would like to amend these guidelines for your account, send revised guidelines with your ticket and the team will apply them going forward.

Getting a custom description written

If you need descriptions written or rewritten for your listings, raise a support ticket with the listing URLs and any specific requirements. For large batches, the team will typically complete a small sample first for your approval before proceeding with the full set, or charge a custom amount.