eBay store categories that help buyers browse: planning, naming and assigning them in Seller Hub

What are eBay store categories?

eBay store categories are the custom menu on your eBay shop page that lets a buyer browse only your listings by type. eBay UK calls them shop categories; eBay US calls them store categories. They are separate from the eBay category you choose when you create a listing. That eBay category decides where the listing sits in eBay's own browse structure and which item specifics it asks for. Your store categories only organise your shop.

Done well, they turn a buyer who arrived for one item into a buyer who browses three more. Done badly, they are a long list of half-empty folders that send buyers back to the search box. This guide covers the limits, how to plan a structure, naming, assigning listings and keeping it tidy.

What are the limits on shop categories?

eBay's managing your eBay shop page sets out the UK rules:

• You can create up to 300 unique shop categories.
• You can add up to 5 categories at a time.
• Each item can sit in two shop categories at once, at no extra charge.
• You can feature up to 6 categories on your shopfront, with an image; eBay suggests a square 300 x 300 pixel image.
• A category needs at least one active listing to be displayed on the shopfront.
• You cannot create subcategories under a category that already contains listings.

Shop categories come with an eBay shop subscription. If you are deciding whether one is worth it, our guide to whether an eBay shop subscription is worth it runs the numbers. US sellers should check eBay.com's help pages for any differences.

How should you plan your store categories?

Start from how your buyers look for things, not from how your supplier lists them or how you store them. Ask: if a buyer lands on your shop, what is the first choice they want to make?

Common ways to organise

Pick one main way and stick to it at the top level. Mixing ways, such as "Kettles", "Gifts for Him" and "Brand A" side by side, makes buyers guess which folder their item is in.

How many categories?

eBay's own advice is not to create categories with only a few listings, because too many categories make a poor buyer experience. A practical rule is that a buyer should see your whole top level without scrolling, and each category should hold enough items to be worth clicking. For most stores that means somewhere between five and fifteen top-level categories, with subcategories only where a category grows too big to scan.

Two example structures

A clothing store might use top-level categories by garment, such as Dresses, Tops, Knitwear, Coats and Accessories, with subcategories only under the biggest one, for example Dresses split into Day, Evening and Maxi. Size belongs in item specifics, where buyers filter by it, not in the category menu.

A store selling hobby supplies might organise by hobby instead: Knitting, Sewing, Painting, Model Making. A buyer who knits rarely wants to browse paint, so the first click takes them straight to their part of the shop. If one hobby dominates the range, split it by product type underneath, such as Yarn, Needles and Patterns.

In both cases, the menu answers the buyer's first question in one click and the second question in two.

How do you name categories so buyers understand them?

• Use buyers' words. "Phone Cases" rather than "Mobile Protective Accessories".
• Be specific. "Vacuum Filters" is better than "Spares".
• Keep names short. Long names wrap and are hard to scan on a phone.
• Avoid internal codes. Supplier codes or warehouse names mean nothing to a buyer.
• Use a few special categories sparingly. eBay suggests themed categories such as "Featured Items" to draw attention. One "New In" or "Clearance" category can help; five such categories hide your real range.

How do you create and assign shop categories?

Creating them

1. In Seller Hub, open the Shop tab and choose Shop Categories.
2. Select Add Categories, enter up to five names and save.
3. To add subcategories, select Edit next to a category on the Manage Shop Categories page. Do this before you assign listings, because you cannot add subcategories under a category that already holds listings.
4. Use Edit next to a category to rename or delete it.

Assigning listings

1. Go to Listings, then Active, in Seller Hub.
2. Select the listings, choose Edit, and pick the shop category under listing details.
3. For many listings at once, select them, choose Edit, then Edit all listings.

Since each item can sit in two shop categories at no charge, use the second slot where it really helps, such as a product type plus "New In", not to place every item twice.

Featuring categories on the shopfront

In the Shop tab, find Featured categories, choose an eBay or shop category, add an image, then preview and publish. Feature the categories most buyers want, not the ones with the most stock you want to move.

A worked example

Example: suppose a store sells 400 listings of replacement parts for vacuum cleaners, all in one shop category called "Other". A buyer with one brand of vacuum must scroll through parts for every brand. Reorganised by compatible brand at the top level, with subcategories by part type only for the three biggest brands, the shop has eight top-level categories and twelve subcategories. A buyer can reach "For Brand A, Filters" in two clicks. The numbers are hypothetical, but this is the shape most parts stores end up with.

How do you keep store categories tidy?

• Check for unassigned listings each month. Listings created without a shop category, or through a bulk file that leaves the field blank, can end up in Other.
• Merge thin categories. If a category falls to a couple of items, fold it into its neighbour.
• Split crowded ones. When a category grows past what a buyer can scan, plan subcategories before adding more listings to it.
• Set the category in your templates or bulk files, so new listings arrive in the right place.
• Review after a season. Seasonal categories such as "Christmas" should be emptied and removed afterwards.

Remember that shop categories do not replace the eBay category and item specifics. Buyers who find you through search see your listing because of those, so fill them in carefully as well. Our guide to eBay item specifics covers that side, and our eBay shop setup guide covers the rest of the shop.

What mistakes make store categories hard to use?

• Copying eBay's category tree. eBay's structure is built for millions of sellers. Your shop needs a simpler one built for your range.
• One category per product. A menu of forty single-item categories is a list of listings, not a way to browse.
• A huge Other category. If Other is your biggest category, buyers learn that the menu does not help.
• Categories named by margin or stock status, such as "High Profit" or "Old Stock". Buyers see those names.
• Featuring empty or seasonal categories out of season. A featured category needs an active listing to show, and an old Christmas banner in March looks abandoned.
• Changing the structure every month. Returning buyers remember where things were. Restructure once, carefully, then make small changes.

Do categories help search?

Shop categories help the buyer who is already in your shop. They are not one of the factors eBay names in its Best Match guidance, which lists relevance to the search terms, popularity, price, listing quality and completeness, listing terms such as returns and handling time, and the seller's track record. So treat categories as a way to sell a second item to a buyer you already have, and put the effort for search into titles, item specifics and photos.

A store categories checklist

1. Choose one main way to organise: type, model, use, size or brand.
2. Draft five to fifteen top-level categories in buyers' words.
3. Create subcategories before assigning listings to their parents.
4. Bulk assign every listing; leave none in Other.
5. Feature up to six categories with clear square images.
6. Check monthly for unassigned, thin or crowded categories.

A clear menu costs an afternoon to set up and makes every visit to your shop more likely to turn into more than one sale.