Amazon product videos: requirements, length and what to show first

An Amazon product video sits in the image block beside your images, and Amazon recommends one on every listing: "We recommend having at least six images and one video of the product." Show the product whole in the first second, then its size and its main use, with words on screen large enough to read on a phone with the sound off, and leave out prices, guarantees and claims you cannot prove. Amazon's exact file limits sit behind a seller login and third-party guides disagree, so export MP4 at 1080p and check your upload screen.

A product video shows what photos cannot: how a bag opens, how a fabric moves, how a gadget switches on, how big something really is in a hand.

This guide covers where videos appear, what the marketplaces say about uploading them, what to show in the first seconds, how to keep words on screen readable, and what never to say on video. It also covers making one with a phone, in an afternoon.

Where do product videos appear on Amazon, eBay and Etsy?

Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Shopify each show a product video in or beside the listing's gallery:

What are Amazon's product video requirements?

Amazon's product video requirements sit behind a seller login, and third-party guides do not agree on the details. One guide, dated September 2026, describes MP4 or MOV files of up to 5 GB, at up to 1080p, and says the limits depend on where the video will show. Another describes MP4 or MOV, 5 GB at most, and a minimum of 1280 by 720 pixels. The guides also differ on whether Brand Registry is required to upload to a product page.

So work to the file every marketplace takes:

• Export in MP4 with the common H.264 video format, at 1080p, in a landscape or square frame. That is the safest file for every marketplace.
• Check the upload screen in your Seller Central account for the exact limits and whether your account can upload to the product page.
• Keep a short version and a longer one, so you have a file that suits Etsy's short clips and Amazon's longer ones.

What should a product video show first?

A product video should show the product whole in the first second, then its size, then its use. Plan for a shopper who gives the video a few seconds before scrolling on, and who may have the sound off. The opening has to work silently:

1. Second one: the product, whole and clear. No logo animation, no title card, no slow fade from black.
2. Next: its size. In a hand, on a table, beside something familiar.
3. Then: its use. The one thing it does that a photo cannot show: opening, folding, pouring, lighting up, fitting.

After that, show the details a shopper checks before buying: the material up close, the parts, what is in the box.

A useful plan for a 30 to 60 second video:

Shorter is fine. On Etsy, the whole video is the first few seconds.

What kinds of product video are there?

The five most useful kinds of product video are the demonstration, the walk-round, the unboxing, the how-to and the range:

• The demonstration. The product doing its main job, in real time. Best for anything with a mechanism, a motion or a result: a blender, a folding chair, a lamp.
• The walk-round. The product turned slowly, or the camera moving round it, showing every side. Best for bags, shoes, furniture and anything where the back and sides matter.
• The unboxing. What arrives, piece by piece. Best for sets, kits and gifts, where the contents are part of the sale.
• The how-to. Set-up or use in a few clear steps. Best for products that need assembly or a technique.
• The range. Your sizes or colours side by side. Best when shoppers have to choose between versions.

Choose one kind per video. A video that tries to do all five ends up doing none well.

Do product videos need sound?

No. Treat sound in a product video as a bonus, not the message. Music should be licensed for commercial use. A voice explaining the product helps shoppers who listen, but the same points must be on screen for those who do not. Etsy, as relayed, plays listing videos without sound at all, so a video made for Etsy should say everything in images and on-screen words.

How big should words on screen be in a product video?

Words on screen in a product video should be large enough to read on a phone, because many shoppers watch silently and the words carry the message:

• Few words, large type. Three to six words on screen at once, big enough to read on a phone.
• On screen long enough to read twice. Two to three seconds for a short line.
• Strong contrast, placed over a calm part of the frame, never over the product.
• The same style as your images, so the listing feels like one brand.

Write the words as you would a bullet: one fact each. "Fits a 15-inch laptop" helps. "Amazing quality" does not.

What should a product video never say?

A product video is advertising, and the words in it, spoken or on screen, are held to the same standards as the rest of the listing:

• Prices, discounts and shipping promises. They change, and Amazon's A+ guidelines rule them out of designed content.
• Guarantees. Amazon restricts refund-related guarantees in bullets. Leave them out of video too.
• Claims you cannot prove. "Best", "number one", "lasts forever", health claims, and certifications you do not hold.
• Comparisons with other brands. A side-by-side with a named competitor makes a claim about their product.
• Links and contact details, spoken or shown.
• A different product. The product in the video must be the product in the box: same colour, same size, same parts.

If the video shows a person made with AI, Amazon's notice of 22 July 2026 asks for a metadata tag on videos with photorealistic AI-generated people, as it does for images. Our guide to the AI people tag explains it.

When is a product video worth making?

A product video earns its time when movement or sound shows something an image cannot. That covers most products with a mechanism, a texture, a fit or a result. It covers fewer products that are flat and still: a poster, a sticker, a book. For those, a short walk-round can still help, but the images do most of the work.

If you can only make one video, make it for your best-selling product, on the marketplace where it sells most, and shoot it so a shorter cut works on Etsy and a longer one on Amazon. A good video on one listing teaches you what works before you make ten.

How do you plan a product video shoot?

Plan a product video shoot as a simple list of shots, one line each, written before you film:

1. Product on the table, whole, front on.
2. Hand picks it up; shows it from the side.
3. The main action, start to finish.
4. Close-up of the material.
5. Close-up of the detail that matters most.
6. Everything in the box, laid out.
7. Product back on the table.

Film each line as a separate short clip, in order, and you have the video before you start editing. The list also keeps the video short: if a shot is not on the list, it is not in the video.

Can you make a product video with a phone?

Yes. A phone, steady hands and the same light you use for photos are enough to make a product video:

• Shoot in landscape or square, at 1080p and 30 frames per second.
• Use a tripod or prop the phone on a stack of books for steady shots.
• Use window light, as for your photos, with a white card to fill shadows.
• Shoot each step as a separate short clip, then join them. It is easier to get five good five-second clips than one good minute.
• Keep the background tidy and the product the subject of every frame.
• Record a little before and after each action, so you can trim cleanly.

Free editing apps on any phone can join clips, add words on screen and export an MP4.

What are the most common product video mistakes?

A long logo intro, shaky footage and small words on screen are the most common product video mistakes:

A product video checklist

1. The product, whole and clear, in the first second.
2. Size shown in a hand or in place.
3. The main use shown in real time.
4. Words on screen large, short and readable without sound.
5. No prices, guarantees, links or unprovable claims.
6. The real product, matching the box.
7. MP4, 1080p; limits checked on your upload screen.
8. AI-made people tagged for Amazon.

Should a video's facts also be in the listing text?

Yes. Everything a shopper learns from the video should also be somewhere they can read it: the size in the bullets, what is in the box in the description, the material in Item highlights. Some shoppers never start the video, and search reads words, not video. The video shows; the listing confirms.

How Commicorn helps

Commicorn does not make product videos yet. It makes the images that sit beside your video:

• A main image on pure white from your photo, with your product's pixels never redrawn.
• Lifestyle, callout, Dimensions, What's in the set and Size chart images, so your video can focus on movement and use while the images carry the facts.
• The AI people tag on any Amazon image with an AI-drawn person.

Make the images that go beside your video, from your photos. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

Does Amazon require a product video?

No, but Amazon recommends one: "We recommend having at least six images and one video of the product."

How long should an Amazon product video be?

A 30 to 60 second plan suits most products, with the product shown in the first second, and shorter is fine. For Etsy, keep a video to about 5 to 15 seconds.

What file format should a product video be?

MP4 with H.264 video at 1080p is the safest file for every marketplace. Check the upload screen in Seller Central for Amazon's exact limits, because third-party guides disagree.

Do AI-generated people in a product video need a tag on Amazon?

Yes. Amazon's notice of 22 July 2026 asks for a metadata tag on videos with photorealistic AI-generated people, as it does for images.

Where does a product video appear on eBay?

In the second position in the listing's photo gallery, eBay says.