Characteristics make it easier for buyers to find similar items, or to find the exact item they are looking for.
When you select the Category for your listing, you can enter characteristics to more precisely and clearly describe the item. For example, if you select the category Rifles, you can specify the manufacturer, caliber, barrel length and capacity. Certain characteristics are required, based upon the category.
Not all categories support characteristics, and items listed via different methods have different access to listing characteristics.