Photobucket
Photobucket is an image and video hosting and storage service founded in 2003. For many years eBay sellers used it to host photos embedded in listing descriptions.
Photobucket is an image and video hosting and storage service founded in 2003. For many years eBay sellers used it to host photos embedded in listing descriptions. In late June 2017 Photobucket stopped allowing free third-party hosting, and images embedded on eBay and other sites were replaced with a placeholder asking owners to upgrade. The company later added lower priced plans that include hosting. Today Photobucket focuses on photo storage, backup and private group sharing, with a limited free tier for new users and paid subscriptions. eBay lets sellers upload listing photos directly to eBay, so most sellers no longer need an outside host. Sellers who still embed Photobucket images in descriptions need a plan that includes hosting links, and the image URLs must use HTTPS.
Key features
- Photo and video storage and backup
- Hosting links (HTML and IMG codes) to show images on sites like eBay, on plans that include hosting
- Private and group album sharing
- Mobile apps for uploading photos
- Limited free tier for new users
FAQ
In late June 2017 Photobucket changed its terms so free accounts could no longer use third-party hosting, which means showing images on other websites. Photos embedded in eBay and Amazon listings were replaced with a placeholder asking the owner to upgrade. At the time, third-party hosting required the Plus 500 plan at $399.99 per year. Many sellers moved their photos to eBay's own photo uploads or to other hosts.
They can. Photobucket offers hosting links that let images display on sites such as eBay without viewers visiting Photobucket. Its help center says hosting is only available on Hosting, Legacy Premium and Plus plans. If your plan does not include hosting, or your subscription lapses, embedded images will not show. eBay also requires every image embedded in a listing description to load over HTTPS, so old HTTP links will not work.
Photobucket does not show plan prices in a form that could be read automatically. Third-party software directories list a free tier and paid plans starting at $5.99 per month, with larger plans at about $7.99 and $12.99 per month, and annual billing options. The 2017 price of $399.99 per year for hosting no longer applies. Since 2018 Photobucket has sold cheaper plans that include third-party hosting. Check the current price on photobucket.com before buying.
Photobucket launched a free plan for new users in early 2026, with limited features. Third-party listings describe it as covering a small number of images, around 250. Photobucket's help center says hosting links for sites like eBay are only included on Hosting, Legacy Premium and Plus plans, so the free tier may not be suitable for eBay listing images. A free trial on paid plans could not be confirmed on Photobucket's own site.
Go to My Account > Membership > Cancel Membership > Continue Cancellation, click 'Continue to Cancel', then 'Cancel Subscription' in the new window. Your plan stays active until the end of the paid period. Check the Membership page: if it still shows a renewal date, the cancellation did not go through. Older PayPal subscriptions may need to be cancelled in PayPal. If you cannot log in, submit a request to the help team.
Log in to your account first. Photobucket's help center says that when a subscription expires, the account is deactivated and access to the account and its images is restricted until a subscription is activated again. If you forgot your login or cannot reach your account, submit a request to the Photobucket help team. Reviewers on software directories often mention difficulty retrieving stored photos without paying.
Since 2017 eBay has required all resources embedded in a listing description, including images, to use the secure HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP. Externally hosted images are still allowed if the server supports HTTPS. eBay also removed active content such as JavaScript, Flash, plug-ins and form actions from listings, and does not allow it in new listings. Images you use must not infringe anyone else's rights.
On December 11, 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the United States alleging that Photobucket changed its privacy policy to allow it to sell users' photos to companies that train AI models, without proper consent. These are allegations in a lawsuit, not court findings. Users who are concerned should read Photobucket's current privacy policy and account settings, or delete photos they do not want stored.
Photobucket support runs through its help center at support.photobucket.com. It has sections for billing and subscriptions, and users can submit a request to the help team from there. The help center says users who cannot log in must submit a request to cancel a subscription. No support phone number or live chat is listed. Refund questions are covered in the help center's refund policy article.
The simplest option is uploading photos directly to your eBay listing, which does not need an outside host. For photo hosting and sharing, other services include Flickr and SmugMug. Some image hosts started advertising themselves as Photobucket alternatives after the 2017 change. If you embed images from any outside host in an eBay description, make sure the links use HTTPS and your plan allows hotlinking.
Use 3Dsellers instead
3Dsellers is a listing, order and customer service platform for eBay and other marketplaces.
eBay AI tools
Write eBay titles, descriptions and item specifics with AI, for one listing or many.
Learn more ->
eBay listing software
Create, edit and bulk update eBay listings, apply listing templates and upload CSV files.
Learn more ->
Claude MCP
Connect 3Dsellers to Claude and manage products, listings and orders by asking in plain language.
Learn more ->
Ready to scale your eBay business? Start a Free Trial
No credit card required, cancel any time.
