Working with Attribute-Based Features

This chapter (and the next few chapters) describes how to work with eBay's ID-based Attributes API. If you are interested in eBay's new custom Item Specifics API, please see Working with Custom Item Specifics instead.

To make it easier for sellers to use category-specific search keywords (like "Softcover") that buyers will use, eBay provides a special Item Specifics section in the item description. The Item Specifics section contains a set of well-known fields that are common to (or "specific" to) all items in a particular category. For example:

If you are listing in the Fiction & Nonfiction category, Format (e.g., Hardcover or Softcover) and Condition (e.g., New or Used) could be some Item Specifics for a book.
If you are listing in the Event Tickets category, Event (e.g., Concert) and Venue (e.g., Fillmore Theater) could be some Item Specifics for a ticket.

That is, information like "Format=Hardcover" would be specific to book listings, and information like "Venue=Fillmore Theater" would be specific to event ticket listings. But it would make no sense to ask a seller to fill in a "Venue" field for a book listing.

By using Item Specifics, sellers worldwide can describe different kinds of items in a standardized manner for similar categories. For example, all fiction book categories let you specify "Softcover" in a standardized way.

Buyers and sellers can use Item Specifics to find particular types of items more easily when searching eBay. For example, in the browsing flow, buyers use product finders to filter search results according to Item Specifics. Item Specifics also help buyers ascertain the details of items more easily when viewing items. Thus, items that are listed with Item Specifics are more likely to be sold and typically are sold more quickly than items that do not include Item Specifics.

In this manual, the terms Item Specifics and attributes are both commonly used. Item Specifics is the name of an eBay feature, and it is a term buyers and sellers would see on the US eBay Web site UI. Attribute is a term developers would see in the API code. This chapter provides definitions of these terms and other terms that you should understand when working with Item Specifics and other features that are implemented with attributes.

Note: If you are using the SDK, we suggest you use the Attributes Library to manage the process of listing with Item Specifics and catalog data. The Attributes Library wraps the Item Specifics classes, and makes supporting Item Specifics easier for developers. To learn more, read the equivalent chapter for the SDK you are using. (You do not need to read this chapter, as all of the relevant content from this chapter is also in the equivalent SDK chapter.) eBay SDK for .NET Attribute Library http://developer.ebay.com/DevZone/WindowsSDK/docs/Concepts/AttributeLibrary/AttrCatlgOverview-.html eBay SDK for Java Attribute Library http://developer.ebay.com/DevZone/JavaSDK/docs/Concepts/AttributeLibrary/AttrCatlgOverview-.html

This chapter summarizes how to use the API to support the following attribute-based features in your application:

Item Specifics (including item condition)
Product details (based on eBay catalog products)
Return policies

It also summarizes how to determine the attributes that are available in each category, how to find catalog products that are similar to your item, and how to specify that you want to include that information in your listing description. Later chapters provide more detailed descriptions of how to execute calls that support these features.

Overview of Implementing eBay Listing Options

The Attributes (Item Specifics) API

The Catalog Product (Product Details) API

User-Contributed Notes