In this article
	What's a variation? Benefits What categories can have variations? Listing your items Viewing and managing listings Revising listings Best practices

What's a variation?

Instead of creating a number of separate listings for a product that has a choice of options, you can create a single multi-quantity fixed price listing that includes all the variations you offer. For example, a T-shirt might come in multiple colors and sizes. Buyers can select which variation they want to purchase from the single listing.

Benefits

By listing only once for all variations, you benefit by:

• Saving time – You list only once instead of multiple times.

• Saving money – You'll pay fewer insertion fees, and get special pricing for pictures with variations.

• Gaining more visibility – As buyers start purchasing from your listings with variations, the listings can appear higher in Best Match search results.

What categories can have variations?

At this time, you can create listings with variations in some eBay and eBay Motors categories.

• Baby (#2984)

• Clothing, Shoes & Accessories (#11450)

• Crafts (#14339)

• Health & Beauty (#26395)

• Home & Garden (most sub-categories)

• Jewelry & Watches (#281)

• Pet Supplies (#1281)

• Sporting Goods (#382)

• eBay Motors Apparel & Merchandise (#6747)

You can use our category look-up tool to find out if listings with variations are available in your category.

Note: Currently, the Best Offer and Lots options aren't available when listing items with variations.

Listing your items

Select the category or categories for your new listing. If variations are supported for those categories, you'll be prompted to choose whether you want to create a listing with variations. Select Yes and click the Continue button.

1.	Tell us about the details of your variations. Variation details describe the differences between your items, such as color or size. To get started, select from the list of variation details provided (if there are any), or find more by clicking the Add variation detail link. If you want to create a custom detail, select Add your own detail. You don't need to use all the choices you see in the list. If a variation detail doesn't apply to your items, ignore it. You can select up to 5 variation details, with up to 30 values for each. Example: If you're selling shoes, you can have up to 5 different variation details—for instance, Color, Size, Width, Material, and Style. For each variation detail, you can add up to 30 different values. In this example, you could add 30 different colors, 30 sizes, 30 widths, 30 types of material, and 30 styles. Note: Only the first 250 variations of your item will be displayed for you to edit. We'll recommend common variation details that buyers use when they search. We encourage you to use these before developing custom details. When you name variation details, use common words that buyers use when they search, such as Size and Color. In some categories certain words, such as Brand and Condition, can't be used for variation details. If there's a detail that's common to all your items, you'll list that as an item specific on the next page. For some variation details, you may be asked to provide more specificity. For example, after providing a Color, we may ask you to describe the Shade. We recommend you provide as much detail as you can, but it's not required.  When you're done with this step, click the Continue button.
2.	Tell us about your item specifics. Item specifics are characteristics that apply to all the items in your listing. Select item specifics such as Brand or Manufacturer from the list. If an item specific you need doesn't appear in the list, click the Add your own item specific link and enter a unique item specific name (such as Manufacturer or Year) and at least one value (such as Acme or 1998).  If an item specific doesn't apply to your listing, ignore it. Example: If all the items in your listing are made of cotton, select Material, and then select Cotton from the drop-down menu. You can add as many as 15 item specifics. Include as many item specifics as you can. The more specifics you use, the easier it is for buyers to find your items. When you're done with this step, click the Continue button.
3.	Review your variations. We'll automatically create a list of all the variations of your product. Edit the list to remove any extra variations until the list includes only the items you're selling. The list will show you: The variation details The SKU Optionally, you can assign a unique name, custom label, or stock-keeping unit (SKU) to your variations. Select the Add a SKU for your items checkbox. Enter a name in the field, and click the Add button. For any variations that weren't automatically created, you can create them manually. Enter a name or SKU in the table and select the variation details from the drop-down menus. Note: You can offer up to 250 variations of your item. Depending on the number of variation details and values you add, not all possible combinations may be displayed. When you're done with this step, click the Continue button.
4.	Add pictures to show your variations. Main pictures show general views of your items. Variation pictures show the differences in the items. For your main pictures, you can show all the variations you're selling in a single picture (such as all the colors), a pair of your items, a close-up, or other alternate views. The main pictures are used as a default if you don't add any variation pictures. Example: If you don't include a picture of the pink T-shirt variation, buyers will see the main picture that shows all the colors for the T-shirt when they select the pink T-shirt. For variation pictures, show off your items' individual colors or the first variation detail you defined. To add pictures that show a different variation detail, select a different variation detail from the Show variation drop-down menu. If you change the variation detail that you're showing in the pictures, you'll delete all the variation pictures you've already uploaded. You can add as many as 12 shared pictures and as many as 12 pictures per variation detail. You don't have to add pictures for every value of the variation detail you're showing. To help you include more pictures, we only charge for the largest set of variation pictures. See Fees for selling on eBay. To see how your pictures will appear to buyers, look at the This is how it looks in your listing section on the right side of the page. To see how your pictures and variations appear in the listing, click the Preview your listing link. When you're done adding pictures, click the Continue button.
5.	Enter the price and quantity for each variation. Enter your prices and quantities directly in the table. To enter or revise the price for several variations at a time, select the variations you want to edit and click the Enter price or Enter quantity button. To see how this information will appear in the listing click the Preview your listing link. After your listing is active, you can use this page to monitor your listing, update the quantity when you add stock, and change the price of a variation. Click the Save button to save your variation information and continue listing your items.

Viewing and managing listings

To view and manage your listings with variations, go to the Sell section of My eBay, and then click the Active link.

The Active section shows your current listings and links to your listings with variations. Click the Go to variations button to view your listings with variations.

When viewing the listings, click the Show Variations button to expand the listings to show all variations.

If your variations have a range of prices, the price column shows the lowest available item price until you click the Show Variations button to expand the listing. When the listing expands to show all item variations, you'll see the individual prices for each variation.

The expanded view also shows: 

• Variation details in the item column

• The number of buyers watching the item

• The price of the individual variation

• The time left for the listing

• A drop-down menu with common actions such as Sell Similar and Revise.

Sorting
Items are sorted from the unexpanded view only. If you sort by price, the lowest available item price is used for items with variations.

Restocking
If an item needs to be restocked:

• You'll see an "out of stock" note in the item listing and an information flag.

• The drop-down menu shows the restock option, and directs you to the Revise your item page.

You can also view your scheduled, sold, and unsold listings with variations in My eBay.

Revising listings

You can revise a listing by selecting Revise from the listing's drop-down menu in My eBay or by clicking the Revise your item link in your listing.

Note: If you change the category, you might remove all variations in the listing and will need to re-create them. If you decide to change categories, you'll see a page of eligible categories to choose from.

You can change variation details by clicking the Add/Edit variations link. (You can also change the name of a custom variation detail here.)

To change the price or quantity, click the Edit price and quantity link. 

To change a picture, click the Change pictures link. If you change any variation picture, you'll need to upload all your pictures again.

Best practices

	Consider listing in only one category. If you choose to list in 2 categories, make sure that both categories allow listings with variations.
	Make your most popular variations more prominent. Choose the best way to display your product—the way your buyers want to see your items. In most Clothing, Shoes & Accessories categories, buyers want to see the various colors, and sizes you're selling. Be sure to add plenty of pictures. Example: You list cobalt Fiesta dinnerware. Instead of selecting color as a variation detail (since they're all cobalt blue), you use Place Setting as a variation detail. Under that variation you would specify 4-Piece and 5-Piece. You could also enter Plates as a variation detail, and then specify Dinner and Salad. Experiment with your listings to see which approach helps you sell the most.
	Use variation details and item specifics that buyers are likely to search for. Item specifics can help attract buyers to your listing. Use variation details and item specifics that your buyers are likely to use when they search. We encourage you to use our recommendations. Example: When you specify a color, choose more common color names suggested by us like "red" instead of a unique name like "cranberry." Use a unique color name only when you're surethat buyers will search for it.
	Make the most of your pictures. Pictures help buyers decide whether to buy, especially in listings where there is more than one variation of your product. We recommend at least one shared picture that displays all the variations in the listing, and at least one relevant picture for each variation.
	Consider the duration of your listing and monitor your inventory. Consider using a time frame of Good 'Til Cancelled for your listings with variations, and keep them listed as long as possible. Popular listings can appear higher in search results, so you'll reach more buyers. When you sell an item, we'll automatically deduct the quantity from your quantity and price list for that variation. If you sell out of one item, it will show in your listing as "out of stock" until you replenish it. Use the Quantity and Price page to track your inventory. Make sure you don't sell out of all your variations. If you sell all the variations of the item, the listing will automatically end and you'll need to relist the item to sell more. In addition, you can lose the search visibility benefits that you earned from the previous listing.
	Don't list variations that aren't for the same product. Examples of what's not allowed would be a watch band pin variation of a watch listing, or a gloves variation of a dress listing. These products are not the same. Doing so to avoid fees is a violation of the avoiding eBay fees policy and can also cause poor search and buying experiences.