Multi-Channel eBay sellers – API & Incomplete EndItem
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Incomplete EndItem – An Unsolvable Problem With eBay’s API
This affects all multi-channel eBay sellers. For years we’ve had customers complain about this problem and, unfortunate, there is no technical solution at this time. As a long-time designer and builder of advanced automation products, it’s always been my goal to remove as much manual effort as possible for the end user. Otherwise, what is the point of good automation? But, sometimes, you run into a wall and there’s not much that can be done….and that’s, unfortunately, what we have happening with the current eBay API.
Sold Items
A sale on your Shopify, Bigcommerce, or Etsy shop is a good thing right? It should be. And it happens a lot for top multi-channel eBay sellers. If you see under the Auto Run screen (pictured below) we have an option to handle this called “Delete eBay Sold items from the store?”. This options help handle sold items. If set to “No”, nothing happens after a sale. If set to “Yes”, Sold items are deleted off the website and Etsy. And if Sold outside of eBay, the matching eBay Item is ended.
The EndItem API Call & Items Sold Outside eBay
Now listen up multi-channel eBay sellers, because this can affect you. When an eBay item is ended, a reason must be given. “Sold outside of eBay” is not an available option, though, which presents a problem. As the Item is ended, and there is no eBay sale, it’s considered “Unsold” even though you’ve sold the item elsewhere. Since eBay considers it “Unsold”, the item is placed into the Unsold items category. This alone is not a problem but, for those people using automatic listing tools, it means the item is eligible to be re-listed for sale on eBay again. This now turns a small problem into a much larger one. Sellers who resell items that cannot be delivered get a black mark on their accounts. Too many marks and your discounts and other perks can be taken away. Not good, so be careful.
The eBay Developer message board post below suggests that has been a thorny issue for quite some time:
A Request To eBay For An API Fix
We suggest if after an item is ended by an App, that the App is able to mark that item deleted from the Unsold Items list just like a regular user is able to. This would prevent accidental re-listings.
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