Facebook Marketplace photo size is not published: Facebook’s own sell-an-item help article gives no pixel size, file size or photo count, so the safe move is to upload a modest JPEG, around 1600 pixels on the long edge, rather than a raw phone file. Here is what each sender hits and the Smol setting for it.
| What you are sending | The limit you hit | The Smol setting |
|---|---|---|
| Phone photos to Marketplace | No published size; big files upload slowly or fail | Compress, output JPG, quality 75 to 80, maximum dimension 1600 (our starting point) |
| Photos to Craigslist | Up to 24 images; Craigslist says to resize and use .jpg when uploads fail | Compress, output JPG, quality 75, maximum dimension 1600 |
| iPhone HEIC photos | Craigslist advises .jpg; Marketplace publishes no format list | Compress with output JPG (not Convert) |
| A short listing video | No published Marketplace video limit; large clips fail on slow connections | MP4, H.264, reduced resolution, then check the size |
| Location in the photo files | Phone photos can carry GPS coordinates | Images are stripped by default; verify one output |
What is the Facebook Marketplace photo size?
Facebook publishes no Marketplace photo size. Its help article on selling an item walks through adding photos and publishing, and states no pixel dimensions, no file-size cap, no format list and no photo count (Facebook Help, read 11 October 2026). Figures on third-party blogs disagree with each other, so we do not repeat them.
A practical target follows from the screen, not a rule. A listing photo is viewed mostly on a phone screen, so 1600 pixels on the long edge is a sensible cap, far below a 4032-pixel frame. That keeps about 16% of the pixels of a 4032 × 3024 frame (2000 × 1500 is about 25%). Treat 1600 as our starting point, not Facebook’s number.
What is the Craigslist image size limit?
Craigslist states a count, not a size: its image upload takes up to 24 images (Craigslist HTML FAQ, read 11 October 2026). Its image help page publishes no file-size cap, pixel limit or format list either.
What it does say about failures is practical: try resizing the image, use a .jpg file type, and check your connection (Craigslist image help). It also notes images are optional and not offered in every posting type, and the first image you upload is the one shown in search results. Put the best shot first.
| Platform | What the page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Marketplace | No photo size, file size, format, count or video limit stated in the sell-an-item article | Facebook Help |
| Craigslist | Up to 24 images through its image upload | Craigslist FAQ |
| Craigslist | On upload trouble: resize, use .jpg, check your connection | Craigslist help |
| iPhone camera | Most Compatible captures JPEG and H.264 instead of HEIF and HEVC | Apple Support |
Same rule for both sites: when a platform will not tell you a size, a 1600-pixel JPEG at quality 75 to 80 is small enough to load quickly and large enough that buyers can zoom on a scratch.
Why will my photos not upload to Marketplace?
Photos can fail to upload when the files are too big for the connection, the format is one the site does not handle, or the app is stalling. Craigslist’s own advice is to resize, switch to .jpg and check the connection; the same three fixes work on Marketplace.
- File too big. A 4032 × 3024 phone frame is about 12 million pixels. Resize to 1600 on the long edge and compress.
- HEIC. iPhones can capture HEIF, which Apple says offers better compression than JPEG. Switch capture to Most Compatible (Settings, Camera, Formats) or compress to JPG on your Mac (Apple Support).
- Slow or dropped connection. Smaller files help here more than anything, and you should upload a few photos at a time.
- Too many files at once. Add a few photos, then the rest.
If a fix does not work, we cannot say why from outside the app, and Facebook’s help article does not cover it. Try the website on a computer, where you control the files.
Which Smol settings shrink listing photos?
Resize first, then set quality. The numbers below are our starting points, not platform limits; check the largest output file after one run.
| Deliverable | Operation and format | Quality or preset | Maximum dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing photos | Compress, output JPG | Quality 75 to 80 | 1600 |
| iPhone HEIC photos | Compress, output JPG (not Convert) | Quality 75 | 1600 |
| Detail shots for flaws | Compress, output JPG | Quality 80 to 85 | 2000 (the default) |
| Listing video | Compress, MP4, H.264, reduce resolution | Quality "Web" (CRF 28) | Reduce from 4K |
Use Compress with the output set to JPG, not Convert: quality belongs to Compress, and Convert ignores it and writes a large, high-quality JPEG. Keep the resize mode on fit so nothing is cropped. For the matched-quality measurements, see the image benchmark; they come from 24 small photographs, not phone files.
How do I prepare a Marketplace listing from my phone photos?
Do it once per listing, not once per photo. AirDrop the shots to your Mac first.
Copy the photos to a folder on your Mac
AirDrop or Photos export. Smol writes a copy with a
_compressedsuffix and never overwrites by default.Drag the folder into Smol
Photos and a clip can go in together.
Set output to JPG, quality 75 to 80, maximum dimension 1600
Leave the mode on fit. HEIC files come out as JPG.
Compress, then check the largest output
Smol sets quality and pixel size, not bytes, so look at the result in Finder before you upload.
Upload the best photo first
On Craigslist the first image is the one shown in search results.
How big can a Marketplace listing video be?
Facebook’s sell-an-item article does not mention video, so no Marketplace video limit is published there. Shrink the clip anyway: a 4K phone clip is large, and a small MP4 loads sooner for a buyer on mobile data.
In Smol, compress to MP4 with H.264, reduce the resolution from 4K, and use the “Web” quality label (CRF 28). Smol has no “make this 15 MB” control for video, so read the output size. Our video-for-email guide works the bitrate arithmetic, and H.265 vs H.264 explains why H.264 plays everywhere.
How do I remove location from listing photos?
Smol’s image defaults strip metadata, including GPS, EXIF, IPTC and XMP. An iPhone photo can carry up to 15 GPS-related tags, so a photo of an item in your garage can point to your address. See our GPS guide.
- Compress with metadata stripping left on (the default), then open one output in Preview and check Show Location Info.
- Or use Smol’s strip-metadata operation, which does not re-encode the image.
- Do not rely on Convert: in our tests, converting HEIC to JPEG carried GPS through on every route, Smol’s convert included.
- Metadata is not the whole story. A background, a house number or a street in the frame still shows where you are; see what to check before you post a photo and why stripping EXIF is no longer enough.
What do sellers use today, and how does Smol compare?
Free and built-in options first; they are enough for a one-off.
| Option | Cost | Good for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload straight from the phone | Free | One or two photos | Large files; no batch control |
| Preview, Export with a quality slider | Free, built in | A single JPEG | One file at a time |
| sips in Terminal | Free, built in | Scripted batch resize | Command line only; see our sips guide |
| Smol | $29 once | A batch with HEIC, video and metadata in one drop | Not the fastest tool; no free trial |
For method-by-method detail, see every way to compress images on a Mac and the sips command guide.
When is Smol the wrong tool?
Skip it in these cases.
- You sell from your phone only and post one photo: the app’s own upload is enough, and Smol runs on a Mac.
- You need a hard file-size ceiling: Smol sets quality and pixels, so you check the result; only its target-size mode aims for a size, as a band, and it is slow.
- You need to hide a face, plate or street sign: Smol does not redact or blur.
- You run a large store: see e-commerce product images, or eBay listing photos for another marketplace.
- You need pixel-identical optimization: Smol has no lossless mode; ImageOptim does.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Facebook Marketplace photo size?
Facebook does not publish one. Its sell-an-item help article states no pixel size, file size or photo count. We suggest a JPEG about 1600 pixels on the long edge at quality 75 to 80: sharp on a phone screen and a fraction of the size of a raw camera file. That is our starting point, not a Facebook rule.
What is the Craigslist image size limit?
Craigslist publishes a count but no size. Its FAQ says its image upload takes up to 24 images, and its image help page lists no file-size cap, pixel limit or format list. If an upload fails, Craigslist advises resizing the image, using a .jpg and checking your connection. A 1600-pixel JPEG meets all three.
Why do my photos not upload to Marketplace?
Common causes are an oversized file, a format the site may not handle such as HEIC, or a weak connection. Resize the photo, save it as JPG and try again over a stronger connection. Craigslist recommends resizing, .jpg and checking your connection. If the problem remains, Facebook’s help article does not say more, so try posting from a computer.
Can I add a video to a Marketplace listing?
Facebook’s sell-an-item article does not mention video, so we cannot quote a limit. Whatever the allowance, a smaller clip uploads faster. In Smol, compress to MP4 with H.264, reduce the resolution from 4K and use the Web quality label, then check the output size, since Smol has no size target for video.
How do I remove location from listing photos?
Compress them in Smol with metadata stripping on, which is the default for images. It removes GPS, EXIF, IPTC and XMP. Then open one output in Preview, choose Tools, Show Location Info, and confirm nothing remains. Also check the frame itself, because a house number or street sign can give away the address.
Do I need to change my iPhone camera settings?
Not if you compress on a Mac. Apple’s Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible switches new photos to JPEG and H.264 instead of HEIF and HEVC, which are more efficient but less widely accepted. Using Smol’s Compress with JPG output turns existing HEIC files into JPG with your quality and size settings applied.
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