Where to Draw the Line with AI

Updated October 2026

A buyer can't hold your item. The photos are the item, as far as they know. That's why AI edits are fine on the background and a problem the moment they touch the thing you're selling.

What eBay's rules say

eBay's picture policy is short. You need at least one photo that's 500 pixels or more on the longest side, and these aren't allowed:

• Photos that don't accurately represent the item
• Stock photos for used, damaged or defective items
• Added borders, text, artwork or marketing material
• Watermarks of any kind

There's no rule against AI as such. eBay builds AI tools into its own listing flow. But its User Agreement is clear that you're responsible for what's in your listing, including anything made with eBay's own image editing and generative AI tools or someone else's. When eBay launched its AI backgrounds, it said it added reminders for sellers to check that edited photos stay accurate. "The app did it" won't help you in a dispute.

Background: usually fine. Item: hands off.

Here's how we sort it.

Things we're comfortable doing: swapping the background for white, erasing lint or clutter around the item, cropping, straightening, and correcting brightness and white balance so the color matches what's in front of you.

Things we won't do:

• Erase scratches, chips, stains, pilling, dents or wear
• "Enhance" or upscale a photo with AI. These tools redraw detail, and they're known for inventing text on labels and serial numbers.
• Fill in a missing part, a cracked corner or a faded logo
• Push the color so a faded item looks new, or a navy shirt looks black
• Use an AI scene that changes how big the item looks, or puts it next to props a buyer could think are included

The test we use is simple. If the buyer opens the box and puts the item next to your photo, would they notice a difference? If so, don't use the photo.

Why it comes back to you

Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee, a buyer can return an item that doesn't match the listing even if you said no returns. You pay the return shipping, and the buyer generally has 30 days after delivery to open the request. If you don't respond, eBay can step in, refund the buyer and charge you for the return label. Cases eBay has to close for the buyer also count against your seller performance.

So a retouched scratch doesn't save a sale. It turns one into a return you pay for both ways, sometimes with negative feedback attached. We've always found it cheaper to show the flaw, mention it, and price for it.

A few habits that keep you covered

Keep at least one unedited photo of every side. If you used an AI background on the main photo, the rest of the gallery shows the real thing. Some sellers add a line to the description, something like "Main photo background replaced; all other photos unedited." It costs nothing, and buyers seem to like it.

Save your original photos until the return window closes. If a buyer claims the item arrived with damage, your untouched originals are your evidence.

And write the description yourself, or at least check every line of it. Our AI listing workflow has the checklist we use. For the regular, non-AI edits that are fine to make, see editing basics.