I've sold on eBay for 25 years, and this new AI-powered listing tool is a game-changer

eBay / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Selling something on eBay just got a whole lot easier.

I'm far from a power seller, but I usually list a couple of items a month on the site -- either clearing out some clutter, getting some cash for some old tech I've upgraded, or flipping something I found at a thrift store.

One of the biggest reasons I don't sell more is that it's a chore slogging through all the details of creating a listing -- something you need to do if you want to get the most money for your item.

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A new AI-powered tool is making that slog a lot faster and might just encourage me to empty out that eBay box in my garage.

AI is streamlining the listing process

Back in 2023, the site launched a new "magical listing" tool that uses AI to create a full product description from a single photo. Now, eBay is streamlining the entire listing process with AI.

Previously, when you wanted to sell something, you could either start with a completely blank slate and build your listing totally from scratch or use a text search to find your item and build your listing using the details from that one. It wasn't until you uploaded a photo that the "magic" happened.

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With the new tool, AI optimizes your listing title, fills in item specifics, and creates a description, significantly cutting down on the steps and time it takes to get something listed (a 50% reduction, according to eBay).

How eBay's new AI tool works

In a demo video from eBay, a user lists a vinyl record -- Hello, Dolly! by Louis Armstrong. After uploading a photo and entering a title, eBay automatically fills in the category and then offers several existing listings to choose from, asking "Are any of these your item?" eBay then suggests a new, optimized title and fills in the listing details -- in this case, material, genre, release title, record label, record size, release year, condition, and more.

The description field is next, where you can write your own or let AI do it. In the demo video, a single tap created a lengthy, compelling description in just a few seconds. After finalizing shipping options, the item is listed. The process took 51 seconds from start to finish.

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This new tool is in addition to existing ones that let you create multiple listings at once with AI by uploading bulk photos (you can do "hundreds at once," eBay says) and use AI to enhance your photo backgrounds.

If you're a seasoned seller or a newbie just trying to clear some junk out of your garage, this tool takes the hassle out of listing. I've sold things on eBay for 25 years now, and I've always taken a little pride in making sure my listings were perfect -- especially the descriptions. I'll certainly take advantage of this new tool, though -- and maybe finally get through that box that's been sitting for months.
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