Does this use a different engine from the root collage tool?
No. It is the same client-side collage builder, but opened with eBay-oriented defaults and page copy.
Can I still switch to another layout?
Yes. The practical multi-panel layout is just the starting point. The editor still lets you change to the other supported layouts.
Does it stay local?
Yes. Upload, arrangement, preview, and export all stay in the browser, and the saved file is rebuilt through canvas so common metadata is stripped on save.
Does eBay allow collage images in listing photos?
eBay's picture policy prohibits pictures with added borders, text or artwork, and it is written broadly enough to cover composed multi-panel images. The dependable place for a collage is the listing description, not the photo slots.
Then why would I build one for eBay?
For the description block, for a cross-posted listing on another marketplace, or for a before and after on a refurbished item where the transformation is the selling point and the description is the right place to show it.
What size does the collage export at?
The four-grid layout this page opens on exports at 1600 x 1600, which matches eBay's recommended 1600 pixel long edge. Two-up, three-grid, six-grid and before/after export at 1600 x 1200.
Can I add text like item condition to the panels?
No, other than the before and after labels. Condition detail belongs in the listing description and the item specifics anyway, where eBay's buyer protection process can actually see it.
How many photos should an eBay listing have instead?
Use the slots. eBay gives 24 free photos, and individual shots of every angle, mark and serial number do more to prevent a not-as-described case than a single collage ever will.