Developers Program

Replying member messages with AddMemberMessageRTQ Trading API

Published: February 24 2009, 12:19:00 PMยทUpdated: September 05 2022, 8:20:27 AM

Products

Question

What API should I use to reply eBay member messages?

Answer

Summary

By going to one of the URLs as below, an eBay member can send a message to another eBay user.

Contact Member for communicating with any eBay member: http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ContactUserNextGen&recipient=={MemberUserID}

Ask Seller a Question for an active listing: http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ShowCoreAskSellerQuestion&Mode=1&redirect=0&iid={ItemID}&requested={SellerUserID}

Trading API AddMemberMessageRTQ call enables a seller to reply to an Ask Seller a Question type message or Contact Member message.


Detailed Description

To anwser such messages, one needs to:

  • call GetMyMessages API as below to retrieve Sender, ExternalMessageID, MessageID, ResponseEnabled and ItemID
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetMyMessagesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
<Version>1267</Version>
<DetailLevel>ReturnHeaders</DetailLevel>
<RequesterCredentials>
xxx </RequesterCredentials>
</GetMyMessagesRequest>
  • Exam each Message container, if Message.ResponseDetails.ResponseEnabled flag is true and Message.Replied is false , then make another GetMyMessage call with the Message.MessageID and <DetailLevel>ReturnMessages</DetailLevel> to obtain the complete message for the Message.MessageID in question.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetMyMessagesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
<Version>1267</Version>
<DetailLevel>ReturnMessages</DetailLevel>
<RequesterCredentials>
<eBayAuthToken>AgAAAA** ....</eBayAuthToken>
</RequesterCredentials>
<MessageIDs>
<MessageID>2908767529</MessageID>
</MessageIDs>
</GetMyMessagesRequest>
  • Pass the data obtained in the step1 and your answer into AddMemberMessageRTQ as below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<AddMemberMessageRTQRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">

<Version>1267</Version>
<MemberMessage>
<Body>YOUR ANSWER</Body>

<ItemID>{GetMyMessagesResponse.Messages.Message.ItemID}</ItemID> <--- only if it is returned in the step 1 !!!! -->
<ParentMessageID>{GetMyMessagesResponse.Messages.Message.ExternalMessageID}</ParentMessageID>
<RecipientID>{GetMyMessagesResponse.Messages.Message.Sender}</RecipientID>
</MemberMessage>
<RequesterCredentials>
xxxx </RequesterCredentials>
</AddMemberMessageRTQRequest>

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