Every marketplace has its own requirements for listing data, and your product data doesn't always line up with each one. eBay, for example, caps listing titles at 80 characters. If some of your product titles run longer than that, you'll run into title errors when you try to list to eBay.
You could shorten your product titles directly, but that affects your titles across every channel, not just eBay, and editing them one by one is time-consuming.
A better approach: if your product titles regularly exceed 80 characters, create a separate Custom Product Attribute to hold a shortened title just for eBay, while keeping your original product title intact everywhere else. Below, we'll walk through how to set this up using a CSV file, and how to map this new field so it's automatically used whenever you create eBay listings.
Step 1. Create a Custom Product Attribute
Go to Settings > Custom Product Attributes.
Enter a name for your attribute at the top of the page, then select + Add.
In the example below, the attribute is named eBay Title.
Step 2. Export your product data to a CSV file
Next, add the new custom attribute to your products. The fastest way to do this in bulk is by exporting your products as a CSV file.
Go to Settings > Export Data. In the Products row, select All Data.
A pop-up asks whether you want to filter your export by category or tag. For this export, it's best to skip filtering. Select Export Products.
You'll get a notification once your export is complete. Select the envelope icon to find it, then select Download within the message to download your CSV file.
Step 3. Add the custom product attribute in your CSV file
Open your downloaded CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets. You'll see all your standard product data columns, plus a column for your new custom product attribute. In the example below, that column is labeled "AS," though your column letter may differ depending on whether you already have other custom attributes set up.
Select the custom attribute cell in the fourth row from the top.
Add this formula to the cell:
=LEFT(C4,80).Press Enter.
A shortened version of the product title appears in the cell.
Next, hover over the bottom-right corner of the cell until your cursor turns into a plus sign (+). Select and hold that corner, then drag it down to the bottom of the column so every SKU is included. This applies the formula to every row, giving each product an eBay title truncated to 80 characters or fewer.
Note: Double-check your truncated titles for any that get cut off mid-word or mid-phrase. You may need to manually edit a few titles so they don't end abruptly.
Once you're satisfied with the results, save your CSV file.
Step 4. Import your updated CSV file
Go to Settings > Import Data. In the Products row, select CSV File.
Select Choose File to upload your CSV, then select Upload File. Import time varies depending on your file size and number of SKUs. You'll get a notification once the import finishes.
After the import completes, confirm your custom attribute was added correctly by opening a product and checking the Custom Attributes tab.
Step 5. Map your custom attribute using eBay Templates
Now that your products have a custom eBay title field, you need to map that field into your eBay listing template so it's used automatically.
Go to Settings > Listing Templates & Recipes > eBay.
Edit an existing Title & Description Template, or select + Add New Title & Description Template to create one.
Remove the
{{name}}value currently in the eBay Title field.Select the Insert Product Attribute dropdown, scroll to the Custom Attributes section, and select your custom eBay title attribute.
The title field should now contain {{ebay_title}} , which will map your Custom Product Attribute to this field whenever this Template is used to create eBay listings.
Once you're done, select Save or Save & Close.
Any live listings using this template update automatically. Going forward, you can use this template to create new eBay listings, or to republish drafts that were previously returning title errors.