This topic discusses how eBay Catalog products are associated to special listings such as bundles, lots, modified products, and foreign products.
Table of Contents
- Creating/Revising bundle listings
- Creating/revising lot listings
- Creating/revising items with aftermarket modifications
- Listing foreign products in Phase 2
Creating/revising bundle listings
Listings for bundles will still require association with a catalog product if the listing's category/brand is part of the PBSE mandate. The process for creating bundle listings the correct way is covered in the next two sections.
Creating/revising bundle listings in Phase 1
Bundles come in two flavors: manufacturer bundles and seller-created.
Manufacturer bundles are combinations of multiple products that are pre-packaged by manufacturers/brands and sold as separate products of their own (e.g., The Nintendo Wii Sport Pack, which includes a console, two controllers, and five games, but is sold as one box). Manufacturer bundles typically have a distinct GTIN of their own, separate from the GTINs of their component products. In the above example, the sports pack will have its own GTIN, while the console, controller and the games will have their own separate GTINs. In the context of PBSE, manufacturer bundles are treated as separate products of their own by eBay. So, from a seller perspective, manufacturer bundles can be treated as listing a single product, and the seller will just have to find the appropriate EPID for the manufacturer bundle in the eBay catalog, and list against it.
Seller-created bundles are custom combinations of products put together by sellers. Therefore, they are typically unique to each seller. In theory, sellers can combine any kind of products in one listing and call it a bundle (e.g., a bottle of shampoo and a pair of shoes), but a seller typically creates a bundle of complimentary items (e.g., Camera + lens + memory card), or similar items, such as a collection of assorted DVDs. Seller-created bundles often have a clear primary product (e.g., camera is the primary product in the camera bundle example), but sometimes there is no clear primary product, such as in a collection of DVDs. The process to create/revise both of these cases of seller-created bundles is basically the same. For the bundle that has the clear primary product, the ePID for this product is passed in, and for the bundle that has no clear primary product, just pass in the ePID for the product that you believe to be the most popular among the items in the bundle.
In Phase 1 of PBSE, in addition to following the standard processes to create or revise a listing using the Inventory API or Trading API, the following steps are required to create/revise bundle listings:
- For bundle listings, pass in the ePID for the catalog product that matches the primary product. For instructions on how to do this using the Inventory API, see the Phase 1 recommended workflows using REST APIs page. For instructions on how to do this using the Trading API, see the Phase 1 recommended workflows using Trading API page.
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By successfully associating a catalog product to a bundle listing, that listing will automatically pick up the product details of that catalog product (including product aspects), but the seller will still need to indicate that the listing is for a bundle through item specifics. To do this with the createOrReplaceInventoryItem operation of the Inventory API, the seller will use the following syntax in the product.aspects container to designate the listing as a bundle listing:
"aspects": {
"Bundle Listing": ["Yes"],
}To do this with the Add/Revise call of the Trading API, the seller will use the following syntax in an ItemSpecifics.NameValueList container to designate the listing as a bundle listing:
<ItemSpecifics>
<NameValueList>
<Name>BundleListing</Name>
<Value>Yes</Value>
</NameValueList>
...
</ItemSpecifics> - By successfully associating a catalog product to a bundle listing, that listing will automatically pick up the product details of that catalog product (including the product description), but the seller may need to provide more details about the bundle in a customized item description. To do this with the createOrReplaceInventoryItem operation of the Inventory API, the seller will use the product.description field. To do this with the Add/Revise call of the Trading API, the seller will use the Item.Description field.
Creating/revising bundle listings in Phase 2
In Phase 2 of PBSE, in addition to the boolean 'bundle listing' item specific, a new text field called 'bundle details' will be added as an item specific. This new field will let the seller fully describe the bundle, avoiding the need to put this information into the listing description field. The seller will still use the product.aspects container in Inventory API and the ItemSpecifics.NameValueList container in Trading API to indicate that a listing is a 'bundle listing', and will fully describe the details of the bundle through the 'bundle details' item specific. To see more information about the new bundle details item specific field (as well as the new 'max value length' field), see the Product aspects vs. item specifics topic.
In the product-based shopping experience, eBay will start surfacing bundle listings to buyers in Search Results Pages and Product Pages. Additionally, the buyers will be able to use filters to view only bundle listings.
More information on the new method for creating bundle listings will be made available to sellers and developers in the near future.
Creating/revising lot listings
Lots refers to offers for multiple quantities of a given product (e.g., a set of 4 car tires). Listings for lots will still require association with a catalog product if the listing category/brand is a part of the PBSE requirement. The process for creating lot listings the correct way in Phase 1 and Phase 2 is covered in this section.
Lot listings can be used for both single-packs (e.g., a set of 4 Nest Thermostats) or a multiple-packs (e.g., 75 packages of 12-pack AA batteries). Multiple-packs usually have a dedicated GTIN associated with them and should be found in the eBay Catalog if the product is subject to the PBSE requirement. If the appropriate product is not found, the seller should make a request to eBay to add the product to the catalog.
In addition to following the standard processes to create or revise a listing using the Inventory API or Trading API, the following steps are required to create/revise lot listings:
- Pass in the ePID for the catalog product. For instructions on how to do this using the Inventory API, see the Phase 1 recommended workflows using REST APIs page. For instructions on how to do this using the Trading API, see the Phase 1 recommended workflows using Trading API page.
- In the Inventory API, set the quantity of the lot through the lotSize field, and in the Trading API, set the quantity of the lot through the Item.LotSize field. If you are selling a single-pack product with a quantity of 4, set this value to ‘4’. If your lot listing contains 75 multiple packs, set this value to ‘75’.
In the product-based shopping experience, eBay will start providing special treatment for lot listings to buyers in Search Results Pages and Product Pages. Additionally, the buyers will be able to use filters to view only lot listings.
Creating/revising items with aftermarket modifications
A “modified” product is any product that has been modified from its original state after it came out of the factory. It is possible to have a modified product in any condition, including new, used, or refurbished. Examples of modified products might include a laptop with upgraded RAM capacity, or a gold-plated iPhone.
In Phase 1 of PBSE, adopting a catalog product to create a modified product listing requires the same steps as a non-modified product listing with the following exceptions:
- The seller is expected to provide details on the item’s modifications, but currently, there is no great way to do this. The seller is not allowed to override any of the catalog data. Therefore, the seller should also describe any and all modifications to the product through the listing description.
- In addition to the catalog product’s stock photo, the seller is expected to provide one or more photos of the actual item, and ideally, one or more photos showcasing any and all modifications that the item has, as this might help sellers avoid SNAD-related returns.
In Phase 2 of PBSE, the following two new item specifics will be added to help sellers describe aftermarket modifications, avoiding the need to put such information in the generic listing description field.
- A boolean field to indicate that the listing is for a product that has been modified
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A free-form text field to describe the details of modifications
The seller will still use the product.aspects container in the Inventory API or the ItemSpecifics.NameValueList container in the Trading API to indicate that a listing is for a modified product, and to provide the modification details. To see more information about the new modified product item specific fields (as well as the new 'max value length' field), see the Product aspects vs. item specifics topic.
In the product-based shopping experience, eBay will start surfacing modified product listings to buyers in Search Results Pages and Product Pages. Additionally, the buyers will be able to use filters to view only modified product listings.
More information on the new method for creating modified product listings will be made available to sellers and developers in the near future.
Listing foreign products in Phase 2
Foreign products refer to the scenario of listing certain products that are not meant to function in the market where the listing is created, but only elsewhere in the world (e.g., a listing for a UK version of the iPhone on the US site, which plugs into a UK-style electrical outlet, and is locked to the Vodafone network).
In Phase 1, the eBay catalog will include “proxy” foreign products for all iPhones and iPads (e.g., EPID 242877288 in the US catalog, which is for a non-US version of the iPad2). Sellers should list against the appropriate foreign product in the catalog for iPhones and iPads.
In Phase 2, eBay will enable sellers to offer foreign products themselves. So, if a seller wants to list a UK version of the Nest thermostat on the US site and the US catalog does not contain any such product, the seller can create a new product in the US catalog for “Non-US” versions of the Nest, and then list against it.
In the product creation flow, eBay will be introducing two new product aspects: one that will allow sellers to mark their products as being foreign; and another to describe all the regions where the product is applicable for. To see more information about the new foreign product item specific fields (as well as the new 'max value length' field), see the Product aspects vs. item specifics topic.