The Metadata API lets you retrieve eBay category policies and information on sales tax jurisdictions.
Category policies are the eBay policies and guidelines for how you must list you must list certain items in specific categories across the different eBay marketplaces. For example, if you are listing items with variations, you'll want to know the best categories in which to list your items, and how to list them across the different eBay marketplaces.
Several countries have sales tax jurisdictions where the tax rates across the different jurisdiction may vary, and you can use the Metadata API to retrieve the lists of tax jurisdictions, which you can use to set up sales tax tables.
This overview covers the following Metadata API topics:
Technical overview
The Metadata API contains methods in the following resources:
- country
- marketplace
The methods in these resources let you retrieve configuration details that pertain to the different eBay marketplaces, as well as get information about the areas into which you sell.
Business use cases
The Metadata API supports the use cases outlined below.
Retrieve the eBay listing policies for an eBay marketplace and category ID
Each eBay marketplace has policies that govern how you can list items in different eBay categories. The marketplace resource contains several GET methods that let you retrieve the following listing policies for specific marketplace categories:
- Policies that define how you must list automotive parts compatibility items in different categories (getAutomotivePartsCompatibilityPolicies)
- Policies that define how to specify the condition of the items you list (getItemConditionPolicies)
- Policies that define which categories support listings with item variations (getListingStructurePolicies)
- Policies that define which negotiated price (best offer) features are available for a specific category (getNegotiatedPricePolicies)
- Policies that define which categories require you to supply an ePID number from the eBay Catalog for the items you list (getProductAdoptionPolicies)
- Policies that define the categories that require listings have item return policies, plus the guidelines for configuring domestic and international return policies (getReturnPolicies)
Important! The listing policies are specific to an eBay marketplace and category ID. Be sure to use the policies that match the categories into which you list items.
Retrieve sales tax jurisdictions
Canada (CA), India (IN), and the United States (US) all define different sales tax jurisdictions for the different regions in their countries. Seller can ease the process of calculating the final value of the items they sell by setting up tax tables for the tax jurisdictions where they must charge sales tax.
Use getSalesTaxJurisdictions to retrieve details on a county's different sales tax jurisdictions, then use the sales_tax resource of the Accounts API to set up and manage your sales tax tables.
Metadata API requirements and restrictions
The getSalesTaxJurisdictions method returns data for only the countries that designate different sales tax jurisdictions. These countries are currently limited to Canada (CA), India (IN), and the United States (US).
The methods in the marketplace resource return data for only the eBay marketplaces in the following list:
|
Marketplace |
Identifier |
|---|---|
| eBay Australia (ebay.com/au) | EBAY_AU
|
| eBay Austria (ebay.at) | EBAY_AT
|
| eBay Canada (English) (ebay.ca) | EBAY_CA
|
| eBay France (ebay.fr) | EBAY_FR
|
| eBay Germany (ebay.de) | EBAY_DE
|
| eBay Hong Kong (ebay.com.hk) | EBAY_HK
|
| eBay India (ebay.in) | EBAY_IN
|
| eBay Ireland (ebay.ie) | EBAY_IE
|
| eBay Italy (ebay.it) | EBAY_IT
|
| eBay Malaysia (ebay.com/my) | EBAY_MY
|
| eBay Motors US (ebay.com/motors) | EBAY_MOTORS_US
|
| eBay Netherlands (ebay.nl) | EBAY_NL
|
| eBay Philippines (ebay.ph) | EBAY_PH
|
| eBay Poland (ebay.pl) | EBAY_PL
|
| eBay Russia (ebay.com/sch/Russia) | EBAY_RU
|
| eBay Singapore (ebay.com/sg) | EBAY_SG
|
| eBay Spain (ebay.es) | EBAY_ES
|
| eBay Switzerland (ebay.ch) | EBAY_CH
|
| eBay UK (ebay.co.uk) | EBAY_GB
|
| eBay US (ebay.com) | EBAY_US
|