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Adding product entries to the eBay Catalog

Each product in the eBay Catalog is identi ed by an eBay Product ID, or "ePID" value for short. When yo
new product entry in the Catalog, eBay issues a new ePID value for your product. Once issued, you can u
to reference the Catalog entry in any of your items.

Tying an item to a product entry in the Catalog streamlines the listing process and if the product you're
eBay doesn't have an entry in the Catalog, you should add the product to the Catalog!

This topic o ers basic guidelines and troubleshooting tips for how to create new product entries in the e

For more, see the FAQ on Creating and Updating product entries in the eBay Catalog.

Referencing Catalog entries

To refresh, Catalog entries are referenced by ePID values.

When you create a new item listing using the eBay web ow, you can enter an ePID value in the ow to
the product you're listing. If the ePID points to a product that's in the Catalog, the product entry is disp
your item.

If you enter an ePID value that doesn't return a result, try searching the Catalog using product identi er
the UPC, EAN, and ISBN), brand names and the associated MPN numbers, and product titles. If you're co
product doesn't exist in the Catalog, add a new one.

Avoiding duplicate product entries

In the Catalog, multiple entries for the same product add confusion to buyers and sellers alike. There sh
more than a single entry for any one product in the Catalog, and we keep product entries accurate by ma
single source for each one.

When you add a new Catalog entry, eBay searches the Catalog to see if an entry already exists for the pr
creating. The main review criteria includes product identi ers (such as the UPC, EAN, and ISBN), brand n
the associated MPN numbers, and product titles.

If you attempt to create a new Catalog entry for a product that already exists in the Catalog, your reques
the new entry will be denied. But eBay sends you the ePID value for the existing product entry, and you
value to reference the product entry in the items you create.

Accounting for product variations

Every di erent product variation leads to a separate catalog entry and therefore you must issue a separa
creation request for each variation you plan to reference. In other words, with multi-SKU listings, every
your listing must be associated with a separate Catalog entry and ePID value.

Note that product-creation requests are not accepted for mixed aspects, such as a request with four di
variations or a request with several di erent sizes for the same product.
Choosing the right category for a new product
A product entry in the Catalog is directly linked to a speci c eBay category.

When creating a new Catalog entry, you must choose the correct category for the product you are creati
don't specify a valid category for the product, your request to create the new product entry will fail. For
cannot list parts for an appliance in the appliance’s main category; the parts must be listed in the releva
Accessories category.

To illustrate this guideline, if you are selling a refrigerator door seal, the product must be listed under th
refrigerator Parts & Accessories category, and not under the general refrigerator category. Likewise, if yo
cellphone covers, the covers must be listed under cellphone accessories category and not under the gene
category.

Note that you can reference a non-Parts & Accessories category when creating a new entry for a part or
only when there is no relevant Parts & Accessories category for the product you are referencing. In this c
entry for the product part or accessory can be created in the main category associated with the item.

Product title guidelines

Titles should describe the product's top features while being as short as possible. Our guidelines on title

Titles should not exceed 80 characters in length.

Titles should not include:

Superlative adjectives
Promotional text
Conditions
Prices
Shipping options
Multiple synonyms
Abbreviations
Irrelevant search keywords

For more details, see Title guidelines.

Titles for Parts & Accessories products

Parts & Accessories products commonly have multiple brands and identi ers in their titles.

We allow you to include up to three brands names or MPNs in the title. The rst name must be the nam
manufacturer of the part or accessory, and the two more brands are allowed to indicate the brands the t
replaces, or brand to which it is compatible.

For example, the following title correctly includes three brands:

Whirlpool Refrigerator Shelf (WH432) for Kenmore (KM765) LG (LG987)

All brands, models, MPNs, and replacements should be manually added to the product under the relevan
listed below:

Compatible Brand
Compatible Model
Compatible MPN
l
 Replaces
Compatible With

Writing product descriptions

Product descriptions o er a high-level summary of the product and should include only factual informa
to the product being described. Our guidelines on product descriptions include:

Product descriptions are limited to 2000 characters

Descriptions cannot contain HTML or scripting

Descriptions serve to clarify the product aspects through plain text

Descriptions must not include promotional or seller related text

For more on descriptions, see Description guidelines.

Including images
Experience has taught us that a good image positively a ects a buyer's rst impression of a product, an
is important to select an image that best represents the product for the catalog entry.

Good images clearly depict the product as the buyer will view it and the best product images have simpl
backgrounds. For clarity, add secondary images to more fully display the product features.

Don't include images of seller logos or photos that contain item or commercial related text, copyright m
watermarks, or placeholder images.

For more details on using product images in catalog entries, see Image guidelines.

Using ePID values in API requests

You can use ePID values to reference Catalog entries in your API requests. Consider the following code sn
the Trading API, where an ePID value is supplied in the ProductReferenceID eld:

<ProductListingDetails>
<IncludeeBayProductDetails>true</IncludeeBayProductDetails>
<IncludeStockPhotoURL>true</IncludeStockPhotoURL>
<ProductReferenceID>1234567</ProductReferenceID>
</ProductListingDetails>

See the following page for a description on how to use ePID values in the RESTful Inventory API: product.

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