canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/ebay.com/ebay-commerce-catalog

# Ebay Catalog API

Look up and search eBay's product catalog to find exact matches for items sellers want to list. Listing against a catalog product auto-fills titles, descriptions, item specifics, and stock images - reducing listing creation time and ensuring data accuracy across millions of product entries.

## For AI agents

Search eBay's product catalog by keyword or retrieve product details by ePID. Returns structured product data including titles, images, and item specifics for listing creation.

## Scope

Does not handle listing creation, order management, or payment processing - use for product catalog lookup and matching only.

## Capabilities

- Search eBay's product catalog by keyword, GTIN, or category to find matching products
- Retrieve complete product details by ePID including aspects, images, and item specifics
- Match seller inventory to eBay catalog entries for pre-filled listing creation
- Filter catalog search results by category, aspect refinements, and product identifiers
- Access standardized product attributes that auto-populate listing fields

## Use cases

### AI Agent Catalog Matching

AI agents use the eBay Catalog API through Jentic to automatically match seller inventory to eBay's product catalog. When a seller provides a UPC, ISBN, or product title, the agent searches the catalog, identifies the exact product match, and retrieves all structured attributes needed to create a pre-filled listing - eliminating manual data entry for item specifics, titles, and images.

Example prompt: Search the eBay catalog for products matching UPC 194252056227 and retrieve the top match's ePID, title, and item specifics

### Bulk Listing Data Enrichment

Enrich bulk product feeds with eBay catalog data before creating listings. For each item in a seller's inventory file, search the catalog by GTIN or keyword to find the matching ePID, then retrieve standardized titles, descriptions, images, and aspect values. This ensures all listings have complete, accurate information that complies with eBay's structured data requirements.

Example prompt: For a product with title 'Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation', search the catalog to find the matching ePID and retrieve all available item specifics

### Category and Aspect Discovery

Discover valid eBay categories and their required aspects before listing products. The catalog search endpoint returns aspect refinements that indicate which product attributes are available for filtering. Use this to build category-aware listing tools that prompt sellers for the right item specifics based on their product type.

Example prompt: Search the catalog for 'wireless headphones' and retrieve the available aspect refinements including brand, connectivity, and color options

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | /product/{epid} | Get product details by eBay Product ID |
| GET | /product_summary/search | Search catalog products by keyword, GTIN, or category |

## Key resources

- **Product** — Retrieve detailed product information by ePID including aspects, images, and identifiers
- **Product Summary** — Search and filter catalog products with aspect refinements and category narrowing

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the eBay Catalog API by hand means running the OAuth 2.0 flow, caching and refreshing the token, and setting marketplace headers on each product lookup. Through Jentic you install once, import the Catalog API from the API Directory, store the client credentials once, and your agent calls it while Jentic handles the token exchange.
- **Permission scoping:** The Catalog API puts the product id in the URL path (/product/{epid}), so a rule can pin your agent to product lookup and matching: it reads catalog products and nothing else. Since these are read-only operations, the agent's reach stays limited to the lookups you allow.
- **Credential handling:** Your eBay OAuth credentials are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance, which exchanges them for a token and injects it at execution time. The raw client secret never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'find eBay catalog product by UPC', and Jentic returns the matching Catalog API operation with its parameter schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Shopify REST Admin API** — Manage product catalogs on Shopify storefronts to sync with eBay listings
- **eBay Trading API** — Create and manage eBay listings after finding catalog matches
- **Magento REST API** — Source product data from Magento catalogs for eBay cross-listing

## FAQ

### What authentication does the eBay Catalog API use?

The eBay Catalog API requires OAuth 2.0 bearer tokens with the commerce.catalog.readonly scope. Through Jentic, your OAuth tokens are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance - agents receive pre-authenticated requests without handling the OAuth flow or token refresh directly.

### Can I search the eBay catalog by UPC or ISBN?

Yes. The GET /product_summary/search endpoint accepts a gtin filter parameter for UPC, EAN, and ISBN lookups. Pass the barcode value and the API returns matching catalog products with their ePIDs, titles, and images. This is the fastest path to an exact product match.

### What are the rate limits for the eBay Catalog API?

The Catalog API follows eBay's standard rate limits of 5000 calls per day per application for the product_summary/search endpoint and 5000 calls per day for the product/{epid} endpoint. Rate limit headers (X-EBAY-C-MARKETPLACE-ID) are returned with each response.

### How do I retrieve product details for listing creation through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'look up eBay catalog product by ID' to discover the GET /product/{epid} operation. Pass the ePID and receive structured JSON with the product title, description, images, and all item specifics. These fields map directly to eBay listing creation parameters.

### What data does the catalog product response include?

A product response includes the ePID, title, description, primary and additional images, product identifiers (UPC, ISBN, ePID), aspect values (brand, model, color, size), and the eBay category assignment. This pre-fills most required listing fields automatically.

### Is the eBay Catalog API available in all marketplaces?

The Catalog API supports eBay's major marketplaces including US (EBAY_US), UK (EBAY_GB), Germany (EBAY_DE), and Australia (EBAY_AU). Set the X-EBAY-C-MARKETPLACE-ID header to target a specific marketplace. Product catalog coverage varies by marketplace.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the eBay Catalog API?

Yes. Because you self-host Jentic One, your own rules decide which of the eBay Catalog operations the agent may call, so you can allow it to search products with GET /product_summary/search and read details with GET /product/{epid} while blocking everything else. Both operations are read-only and put the product id in the URL path, so a rule can pin the agent to catalog lookup and matching and nothing more. Jentic One also holds your eBay OAuth credentials and injects the token at execution time, so the agent never sees the raw client secret and stays inside the scope you define.