eBay Concepts
eBay Web Services enable developers to create an applications that perform many of the same operations as the eBay site. The information in this document is intended to help a developer become familiar with the core concepts and terminology related to selling items and searching for items on eBay. It is organized into these sections:
-
Basic Building Blocks—The API functionality is built around a set of fundamental concepts that
the developer must know before creating robust and feature-rich applications using eBay Web
Services.
-
eBay User Roles—The users who participate in activities on eBay, whether through the site or an
application, do so in a variety of roles. Each has a place in the overall workings of eBay.
-
eBay Sites and Special Areas—In addition to the basic building blocks, there are a number of
special aspects to the eBay business. eBay is not one homogeneous site, but rather an integrated
collection of sites and special areas. These sites and special areas work together seamlessly to
enable sellers and buyers to conduct their business, from listing an item to selling and shipping
an item. These bear mentioning as there are some nuances and differences operating with these
sites and special areas that a developer must consider when composing an application.
-
Affiliate Tracking Concepts—If you use affiliate-related fields, it is possible to obtain affiliate
commissions based on calls made by your application.