Using Multi-Variation Listings
Multi-variation listings contain multiple items that are essentially the same product, but that vary in their manufacturing details or packaging.
T-Shirt Variations
For example, a particular brand and style of shirt could be available in different sizes and colors, such as "large blue" and "medium black".
The eBay web site online help provides additional information:
Multi-Quantity Fixed Price Listings with Variations (US)
https://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/sellingresources/multiplevariations.html
This feature depends on using custom item specifics and multi-quantity fixed-price listing formats. See Working with Custom Item Specifics and Listing Types (Formats).
Variations are supported across many areas of eBay, such as listing, buying, My eBay, search, and order management.
AddItem, ReviseItem, RelistItem, and VerifyAddItem do not support multi-variation listings. Instead, you use the fixed-price versions of these calls, which also support inventory tracking by the seller's SKU: AddFixedPriceItem, ReviseFixedPriceItem, RelistFixedPriceItem, and VerifyFixedPriceItem.
Subtopics
Qualifications for Listing with Variations
Configuring Variations for a Listing
Revising and Relisting with Variations
Retrieving a Listing's Variations
Buying Items in Multi-Variation Listings
Retrieving Order Line Items with Variations
Identifying Variations in Member Messages
Overview
Multi-variation listings give you a structured way to differentiate between similar (but not identical) items in a multi-quantity, fixed-price listing. Below are some examples:
- A single listing that sells women's shirts could contain multiple items of the same brand and style that vary by size and color (like "Large, Blue" and "Medium, Black").
- A single listing that sells window treatments (curtains) could contain multiple items of the same brand that vary by color, length, and width.
- A single listing that sells golf clubs could contain multiple items of the same brand and model that vary by dexterity, shaft material, shaft flex, and loft.
The figure below shows an example of eBay's View Item page with a shirt variations.
Multi-Variation Listing (Buyer View)
eBay offers this feature in categories where sellers tend to list very similar items, such as Clothing, Shoes & Accessories. Check VariationsEnabled in GetCategoryFeatures to determine which categories support multi-variation listings. A summary of supported categories is also available in the eBay online help.
What Categories Can Have Variations? (US)
https://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/listing-variations.html#categories
What Categories Can Have Variations? (UK)
https://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/listing-variations.html#categories
Bei welchen Kategorien können Sie Variante einstellen? (DE)
https://pages.ebay.de/help/sell/listing-variations.html#categories
The figure below shows one way an application could present sellers with options to include variations in a single listing.
Multi-Variation Listing (Seller View)
eBay's multi-variation listing feature provides several benefits for sellers:
- Instead of separately listing similar items with different quantities (such as 10 small, 8 medium, and 5 large pink shirts), all the items can be consolidated into a single listing.
- Each variation can have its own quantity, price, and an optional SKU.
- The listing can specify shared custom item specifics (such as Brand), and each variation can also have its own variation-level custom item specifics (also referred to as "variation details" on the eBay Web site) that distinguish each variation in View Item and in search results.
- There is no additional fee for listing with variations. The fee is the same as the standard fee for any fixed-price listing. In fact, as you can create one listing instead of creating multiple similar listings, you are likely to experience an overall reduction in insertion fees.
- In almost any category at no cost, sellers can include up to 24 pictures in one listing. In addition to the standard set of pictures for the listing, you can include pictures for each variation.
- For multiple-variation listings, a maximum of 12 pictures may be used per variation.
- The total picture fees, including upgrades such as Picture Pack, are based on the largest set of pictures in the listing. This could be the standard (shared) set of pictures or a set of pictures associated with one of the variations. The set with the most pictures determines the fees.
- Smaller sets of pictures (associated with the other variations in the listing) incur no additional fees.
Selling multiple variations from the same listing is the same as selling multiple items from any other fixed-price listing.
Qualifications for Listing with Variations
For a listing with variations to be accepted by eBay, the seller and the listing must meet some basic qualifications.
See the eBay online help for details about item and seller qualifications. If you search for "variations" in your site's language, you will find help links similar to these:
Creating a Listing with Variations (US)
https://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/listing-variations.html
Listing Items with Variations (UK)
https://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/listing-variations.html
Angebote mit mehreren Varianten einstellen (DE)
https://pages.ebay.de/help/sell/listing-variations.html
If a seller becomes ineligible to create multi-variation listings, they can't create new listings with variations. However, their existing listings with variations can continue (and be revised) until the next "Good 'Til Cancelled" (GTC) renewal or until ended by other means (such as items sold out or end time reached).
In the rare case that a category stops supporting multi-variation listings, existing listings with variations can continue (and be revised) until their next GTC renewal or until ended by other means (such as items sold out or end time reached).