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Operating an application in the Sandbox is essentially the same as operating it in the Production environment. The main difference is that the application needs to be pointed to the Sandbox environment instead of the Production environment. Before you begin working with the eBay API, and before you attempt to connect to the Sandbox, make sure all the tools in your local development environment work properly.

See the documentation for the API you're using for more information on how to point an application to either the Production or the Sandbox environment. For an example, see the Resource URI for information on which paths to use for the createOrReplaceInventoryItem method. For more information, see Learn more about the Sandbox.

You must generate Sandbox application keys before you can make API calls in the sandbox environment. Production application keys will not work in the Sandbox. See Learn how to generate Sandbox application keys.

Sandbox benefits

The Sandbox duplicates much of the functionality that is on the eBay Web site. It processes API calls in exactly the same manner as does the Production environment, and it includes a subset of the eBay site's Web pages. The difference is that all the users are test users (created by developers like you) and all the money exchanged is test money.

  • The Sandbox duplicates much of the functionality that is on the eBay Web site. It processes API calls in exactly the same manner as does the Production environment, and it includes a subset of the eBay site's Web pages. The difference is that all the users are test users (created by developers like you) and all the money exchanged is test money.
  • Use the Sandbox to experiment with function calls, to prototype new routines, to test your application's business logic, and to make sure your application adheres to eBay's Application Growth Check Requirements before you actually apply for the Application Growth Check.
  • Great for testing Buying, Selling, and After Sale flows. You will not incur production charges by purchasing and selling items in the Sandbox. We recommend the production for testing searching capabilities.

Create test users

Complete this form to create test users for the Sandbox. For further instructions, see Create a test Sandbox user in the Get Started with eBay APIs guide.

Reset test user password

Once logged into your eBay developer account, use the Reset Sandbox User Password page to reset the password of your Sandbox test user account. You can navigate to this page from the page header by selecting Develop > Tools > eBay Sandbox > Reset Password. 

To reset the password, enter the username for your Test User whose password you are trying to reset (prefixed with TESTUSER_). Then, enter the new password. Select the Save Password button under these fields to save your changes.

Test My API Requests

The API explorer is a tool that lets you run sample calls for most eBay API methods in the Sandbox and Production environments and can be used to test requests. For more information, see Use the API Explorer to try out APIs.

Additional resources

The following list contains references related to the eBay Sandbox API.