eBay as a Channel

June 26, 2026

Summary

eBay is Flxpoint's current-generation marketplace integration, connecting over OAuth2 and eBay's Inventory API to publish listings, sync price and quantity, import orders, and send tracking back to eBay. It runs separately from eBay Legacy (Auth Token + Trading API): listings created through one cannot be managed by the other, so create a new eBay channel and run it in parallel while you migrate.

What this integration does

Publish Listings

Publishes mapped Flxpoint product data as new eBay listings via the Inventory API

Sync & Link Listings

Pushes price and quantity and links existing eBay listings to Flxpoint products by SKU, UPC or MPN

Get Orders

Imports new eBay orders into Flxpoint for processing and fulfillment

Sync Orders

Sends shipment confirmations, carrier and tracking numbers back to eBay

Filter listings by source

You can now use the Source Name quick filter within the Listings grid UI to isolate products by their inventory origin. This allows you to quickly view and manage eBay listings based on which specific source is supplying the inventory, providing better visibility into your multi-source fulfillment strategy.

How to connect: credentials you need

Add a new channel, choose eBay (not eBay Legacy), name it, then click Get Started to launch the setup wizard and authenticate. Business Policy IDs and the Merchant Location Key are entered later in the wizard's publishing step.

Field	What to enter
eBay Account Connection (OAuth2)Required	The wizard authenticates over OAuth2: click Get Started and sign in to your eBay account to authorize Flxpoint. There is no manual token or key to paste in. Have your eBay account credentials ready before starting. If auth later fails or returns 401/403, reconnect via the Connect Channel flow to regenerate the OAuth token: tokens expire and need periodic renewal.
Return Policy IDSetting	Your eBay return handling business policy ID. Required before any listing can be published. Click View Policies to pull your available policies from eBay. Open eBay Seller Hub
Fulfillment Policy IDSetting	Your eBay shipping options and timeframes business policy ID. Required for publishing. Created and managed in your eBay Seller Hub.
Payment Policy IDSetting	Your eBay payment business policy ID. Required for publishing. Created and managed in your eBay Seller Hub.
Merchant Location KeySetting	Identifies where you ship from. Click View Merchant Locations to see options pulled from eBay. If it is missing, Flxpoint attempts to auto-create it. eBay Motors sellers also need at least Country + Postal Code (or Country + State/Province). A misconfigured Merchant Location Key can make publish fail with a 500 or null-pointer error.

Policy fields empty? Confirm the policies exist in your eBay Seller Hub, then regenerate your Refresh Token to fetch the latest data. Connection test failing or 401/403 errors? Reconnect via Connect Channel to regenerate the OAuth token; if you suspect rate limiting, wait 15–30 minutes and reduce scheduled job frequency.

Important: read before configuring

The new eBay integration can only manage Inventory API listings

eBay uses the Inventory API exclusively. Listings created manually in Seller Hub or via the Trading API (Legacy) cannot be linked or synced through the new channel: they must be re-published through Flxpoint's new eBay channel to be managed going forward. Import Listings is not supported on the new eBay channel; use Sync & Link Listings instead.

Do not replace eBay Legacy before you fully migrate

Run the new eBay channel in parallel with Legacy while testing. Keep Legacy active until all open orders have tracking synced back to eBay and all live listings are re-linked in the new channel. Removing Legacy prematurely loses tracking history for open orders.

Category ID must be a leaf (terminal) category

eBay requires the Category ID to be the most specific subcategory with no children: a parent category ID causes publish failures. Download the site-specific category file (US, CA, GB or AU) to validate IDs before publishing, and re-download if you hit unexpected category errors, since eBay updates categories periodically.

Business policies and a Merchant Location are required to Publish

The new eBay integration requires valid Return, Fulfillment and Payment policy IDs plus a Merchant Location Key before any listing can be published. If the Merchant Location Key is missing, Flxpoint tries to auto-create it, but if it is misconfigured, publish fails with a 500 or null-pointer error.

Syncing listings automatically unpauses items

When you click Start Syncing Listings, Flxpoint now automatically unpauses all listings before the sync job begins. This ensures that your updates are pushed to eBay without requiring manual status changes first.

Inventory audit completion notifications

You will receive an email notification once an inventory audit job completes. This email includes a direct link to the onboarding guide to help you navigate next steps in your channel setup.

Mapping: fields to know

Publish Listings Sync & Link Listings Get Orders Sync Orders

Publishes mapped Flxpoint product data as new eBay listings via the Inventory API

Field	Maps To: Notes
Title	Map using Field. Product name displayed on eBay.
Description	Map using Field. Product details on the listing page.
Subtitle	Set to Don't Map to avoid the per-listing subtitle fee.
UPC	Map using Field. Required for many eBay categories.
VAT Percentage	Set using a static Value (e.g., `20`) for regions that require tax compliance.
eBay Plus If Eligible	Optional eBay Plus enrollment (boolean): map or leave as Don't Map.

Up to 10 Category Aspects (sub-aspects per category) can also be mapped in the template. Publishing requires valid leaf numeric Category IDs, all three business policy IDs, and a Merchant Location Key. Publish Listings can be scheduled or run manually.

Pushes price and quantity and links existing eBay listings to Flxpoint products by SKU, UPC or MPN

Field	Maps To: Notes
SKU	→ eBay Product SKU (Legacy) / eBay V2 Variant Link SKU (new eBay). Required: primary linking identifier. Using the Legacy field on a new eBay channel makes linking fail silently.
Price	→ eBay Listing Price. Required. Sets the listing price on eBay.
Quantity	→ eBay Available Quantity. Required. Subject to the Maximum Quantity display cap.
UPC	No mapping available on Sync & Link Listings.
MPN	No mapping available on Sync & Link Listings.

Always run Link Listings before Sync Listings on first setup, and set the sync direction to Flxpoint → eBay. Only listings originally created through the Inventory API flow can be linked on the new eBay channel.

Imports new eBay orders into Flxpoint for processing and fulfillment

Field	Maps To: Notes
Order ID	→ Order: External Order ID. Required. Uniquely identifies the eBay order.
Full Name	→ Shipping Address: Full Name. Required.
Address Line 1	→ Shipping Address: Street Address 1. Required.
Address Line 2	→ Shipping Address: Street Address 2. Optional.
City	→ Shipping Address: City. Required.
State or Province	→ Shipping Address: State Code. Required.
Postal Code	→ Shipping Address: Post Code. Required.
Country Code	→ Shipping Address: Country. Required.
Phone	→ Shipping Address: Phone. Optional.
Email	→ Billing Address: Email. Optional.
Total	→ Order: Total. Required. Order total amount.
Tax Total	→ Order: Tax Total. Optional. Summed from each line item's tax.
Shipping Total	→ Order: Shipping Total. Optional.
Status	→ Order: Status. Required. Tracks the order fulfillment status.
Order Item SKU	→ Order Item: SKU. Required.
Order Item Quantity	→ Order Item: Quantity. Required.
Order Item Price	→ Order Item: Price. Required. Price per line item.
Payment Method	No mapping available on Get Orders.

At least one Fulfillment Status must be selected or the job will not run. Confirm the Fetch Last X Days window covers the order dates you expect.

Sends shipment confirmations, carrier and tracking numbers back to eBay

Field	Maps To: Notes
Carrier Name	→ eBay: Carrier. Required. Must match eBay's accepted carrier codes exactly (e.g., `FedEx`, not `FedEx Ground`).
Tracking Number	→ eBay: Tracking Number. Required.
Shipping Method	→ eBay: Method. Optional (e.g., Ground).
Shipped At	→ eBay: Shipped At. Recommended. Records the shipment date.
Note	→ eBay: Note. Optional custom text sent with the tracking info: a single field; Note Header and Note Footer are not separately mappable.
Tracking URL	→ eBay: Tracking URL. Optional link to the tracking page.

eBay requires both Carrier Name and Tracking Number to display tracking. For partial shipments, also map Shipment Item SKU and Quantity.

Common issues

Products stuck in "Pending Publish": job finishes but shows no products to list

Usually a mapping-template issue. Verify the Category ID is a valid leaf numeric ID for your target eBay site, that all required fields (Title, UPC, Description) are mapped, and that all three business policy IDs plus a Merchant Location Key are configured. Test with a single SKU first to isolate the cause before re-running the full job.

"Could not find any products eligible to be linked" when running Link Listings on new eBay

Three common causes: the mapping uses eBay Product SKU (Legacy) instead of eBay V2 Variant Link SKU; the listing is still linked to the Legacy channel and must be unlinked first; or the listing was not created through the Inventory API flow and must be re-published through Flxpoint before it can be managed.

Price and quantity not updating on eBay despite the sync job completing successfully

Run Link Listings before Sync Listings on first setup: sync cannot update listings that are not yet linked. Confirm the Price and Quantity fields are explicitly mapped in the Sync Listings template (unmapped fields are skipped silently), and that sync direction is Flxpoint → eBay, not the reverse.

Tracking not updating on eBay from dropship sources

Confirm the Sync Orders template maps both Carrier Name and Tracking Number: eBay requires both. Ensure the carrier name matches eBay's accepted carrier codes exactly (use FedEx, not FedEx Ground). For partial shipments also map Shipment Item SKU and Quantity, and check the Sync Orders logs for carrier-mismatch errors.

"Exceeding 255 variants" error on a product with fewer than 255 actual variants

eBay counts variation combinations across all option dimensions, not just active SKUs. With multiple option types (e.g., size and color) the total permutations can exceed 255. Reduce the number of option values or split the listing into multiple separate products.

Connection test failing or integration returning 401/403 authentication errors

For the new eBay channel, reconnect via the Connect Channel flow to regenerate the OAuth token: tokens expire and need periodic renewal. For eBay Legacy, generate a new Auth Token in your eBay Developer account and update it in the connection settings. If you suspect rate limiting, wait 15–30 minutes and reduce scheduled job frequency.

Publish fails or shows incorrect categories despite mapping?

Verify your category data for hidden or invisible characters (like trailing spaces or non-printing characters) which can cause mapping failures. You can also use Mapping Sets to explicitly assign eBay Category IDs to Category 1 and Category 2 fields. If a publish fails, check the logs for the specific mapped category ID to ensure it matches a valid leaf category from the eBay category reference document, then retry the publish after cleaning the data.

Error: Invalid data in the Inventory Item Group. Missing name in the variation specifics or variation specifics set.

This error occurs when the product variation structure or option names (like Size or Color) are modified after an initial attempt to publish to eBay. Flxpoint may attempt to reuse existing option sets that no longer match the new structure. To resolve this, unpublish or delist the product from the eBay channel, ensure the outdated Inventory Item Groups are cleared in Flxpoint, and then republish the listing with the updated option names.

FAQs

Should I migrate from eBay Legacy to the new eBay integration?

Yes: the new eBay integration is the recommended path going forward because it uses eBay's latest APIs. Create the new channel alongside Legacy rather than replacing it: run both in parallel, verify publishing and sync on a small batch, then re-link your existing listings to the new channel. Only retire Legacy after all open orders are fully tracked and all live listings are confirmed in the new channel.

Why is Import Listings not available on my new eBay channel?

Import Listings is only supported on the eBay Legacy connection type. The new eBay integration does not support Import Listings, instead, use Sync & Link Listings to associate your existing eBay listings to products in Flxpoint. Note that linking only works for listings originally created through the Inventory API flow.

What is the difference between the SKU mapping for Legacy vs. new eBay?

For eBay Legacy, map Listing Variant SKU to eBay Product SKU. For the new eBay integration, map Listing Variant SKU to eBay V2 Variant Link SKU. Using the wrong field is one of the most common reasons linking fails silently when migrating to v2.

What does "existing quantity value is identical" mean during a sync?

It means the quantity Flxpoint sent already matches what is live on eBay, so eBay made no change. Flxpoint now marks those listings as Synced rather than raising an error, so no action is needed: your listings are already up to date.

How does Maximum Quantity work on eBay?

Maximum Quantity caps the quantity displayed on eBay regardless of actual stock. For example, if your inventory is 50 but Maximum Quantity is set to 5, buyers see 5 available. This is useful for high-velocity SKUs where stock fluctuates rapidly and reduces the risk of overselling during demand spikes. Configure it under Pricing and Quantity Rules in the channel settings.

Get Orders is not importing orders: what should I check?

At least one Fulfillment Status must be selected in Get Orders settings: if none is selected, the job will not run. Confirm the Fetch Last X Days window covers the order dates you expect, and verify the mapping template is saved with all required fields (Order ID, SKU, Quantity, Ship To Address) mapped.

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