AI Image Detector For Marketplace Sellers

For sellers on Amazon, Etsy, eBay and similar marketplaces, AI images raise two questions: are your supplier's photos real, and are your own AI-assisted photos within the rules?

Vetting supplier and manufacturer photos

• Order a sample before listing, and photograph it yourself.
• Read the file's metadata. AI Image Detector (made by Patrick Bushe, who runs this site) reads it in Chrome when you right-click an image, flagging AI generator names, AI tags and Content Credentials. Camera details suggest a real photo. Images sent through messaging apps or re-saved often have no metadata, which is inconclusive.
• Reverse image search with Google Lens to see whether the same photos appear on many listings.
• Look for clues: garbled text on packaging, impossible construction, details that change between photos.

Marketplace rules

• Etsy: its creativity standards allow items designed with AI tools by the seller, but ask sellers to disclose AI use in the listing.
• Amazon: offers sellers AI tools to generate backgrounds and lifestyle scenes; product images must still accurately show the product.
• All marketplaces: images that misrepresent the item can lead to returns, claims and account problems.

Rules change, so check your marketplace's current policies.

Using AI images well

• Use AI for backgrounds and scenes, not to change the product itself.
• Keep at least one plain, unedited photo of the real item.
• Show true colors, sizes and finishes.
• Keep original files as proof of what you photographed.

Answering buyer questions

If a buyer asks whether a photo is real, answer plainly: say which images are photographs of the item and which use AI backgrounds or scenes. Honest answers prevent disputes and build repeat customers.

Protecting your own photos

Competitors sometimes copy sellers' photos. Reverse image searches help you find copies, and keeping originals with camera metadata helps you show they're yours when filing a takedown.

See verifying images for ecommerce and spotting AI product photos.