Amazon's image rules are enforced automatically, and a non-compliant main image gets a listing suppressed rather than warned. These are the specifications that matter, and the ones that quietly cost sellers the zoom function.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size | 1000 px on the longest side | Below this the image may be rejected at upload. |
| Recommended | 1600 px+ on the longest side | This is the threshold that switches on zoom. 2000–3000 px is the practical sweet spot. |
| Maximum | 10,000 px on either side | Larger files are rejected during upload. |
| Maximum file size | 10 MB | |
| Formats | JPEG (.jpg) preferred; TIFF, PNG, GIF accepted | JPEG is the safest choice for photography. |
| Colour space | sRGB | CMYK causes colour shifts. |
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Pure white — RGB 255, 255, 255 | Not light grey (240,240,240), not off-white (250,250,250), not transparent. |
| Product coverage | ≥ 85% of the frame | |
| Content | The actual product only | No illustrations, renders presented as photos, placeholders or mockups. |
| Prohibited | Text, logos, watermarks, inset images, borders, props | On the main image specifically. |
Amazon states 1000 px as the minimum, and most sellers stop reading there. But 1000 px only gets the image accepted — it does not switch on the zoom function on the product detail page.
Zoom requires 1600 px or more on the longest side. For apparel, where shoppers want to inspect fabric texture, stitching and drape before buying, losing zoom is a direct conversion cost that no dashboard reports as an error. The listing looks fine. It simply converts worse.
Practical setting
Produce at 2000 × 2000 px. It clears the zoom threshold comfortably, stays well under the 10 MB cap as a quality-85 JPEG, and gives you headroom for future display sizes.
The pure white background requirement applies to the main image only.
Additional images are where the selling actually happens, and there the rules relax considerably: lifestyle scenes, darker backgrounds, on-model shots, scale references, detail crops and infographics are all permitted. Sellers who apply main-image rules to their whole gallery leave most of the persuasion on the table.
Clothing is the category where Amazon's rules diverge most from the general standard:
Amazon's image checks are automated, and the usual failure mode is silent suppression rather than an explanatory error:
If a listing goes quiet without explanation, the main image is the first thing to check.
The minimum is 1000 px on the longest side. To enable zoom on the product detail page you need at least 1600 px on the longest side. The practical recommendation is 2000 × 2000 px, which clears the zoom threshold and stays under the 10 MB file cap. The maximum accepted is 10,000 px on either side.
Pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255. Light grey, off-white and transparent backgrounds are all non-compliant and can trigger automatic suppression of the listing.
The product must occupy at least 85% of the frame on the main image.
Yes. The pure white requirement applies only to the main image. Additional images may use lifestyle scenes, coloured or dark backgrounds, on-model shots, detail crops and infographics.
Mannequins are not permitted on main images in most categories, though some apparel categories are exempt. Check the rules for your specific category before producing a full range.
We produce on-model and packshot imagery to marketplace specification — correct ratio, correct background, consistent across every SKU. Send one flat product photo and see a finished frame before you commit.
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