The eBay platform offers an unprecedented opportunity to build a new eBay business or expand your current business, reach new customers, and create a potential new stream of revenue. Leverage the resources of the eBay Developers Program to tap into the eBay Marketplace with millions of active users globally, with tools and services that meet the diverse needs of buyers and sellers.

The Opportunity For Developers

The eBay Developers Program was founded in 2000 and third-party software applications account for over 25% of eBay.com listings. eBay developers can use program resources to build and offer any of the following tools or services:

  • Selling and buying – manage listing, bidding, checkout and shipping tasks
  • Searching – customized interfaces for searching the eBay marketplace
  • Affiliate – tools to drive buyers to eBay
  • Customer service functionality – feedback, customer communications
  • Merchandising - content and listing design
  • Wireless – mobile applications for searching and re-bidding on eBay
  • Interactive television – delivering the eBay experience to the set-top box

 

For more information about the potential opportunities available to developers building on eBay, look here.

Program and Privacy Policies

The eBay Developers Program supports any application or service that complies with eBay policies. 

In rare cases, a developer may build an application which 1) does not comply with general site policies, 2) facilitates eBay users to not comply with policies or 3) due to automation of a site function, has a severe negative impact on the marketplace requiring us to limit its automated use. Violations or facilitation of violations of eBay policies may result in a range of actions, including:

  • Listing cancellation
  • Limits on user account privileges
  • User account suspension
  • Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
  • Loss of user's Powerseller status
  • Suspension of developer's access to the eBay Web Services
  • Termination of developer's eBay Developers Program membership

 

In order to align eBay's developer community with eBay policies and ensure violations (and resulting eBay actions) do not occur, developers should pay close attention to the following guidelines and eBay policies.

 

Membership

eBay Developers Program membership is free, and you can use virtually any programming language to interface with eBay Web Services. We provide XML- and SOAP-based APIs as well as Software Development Kits (SDKs) for Windows and Java. Program in C#, Java, Perl, PHP, Visual Basic or another language, and tap into the comprehensive technical documentation and extensive sample code.

Comments Are Welcomed

Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the eBay Developers Program? Talk to us today!