Highlights

• Listing with the catalog whenever there’s a product match is already required in many electronics categories.
  
  
• Starting September 15, you will be unable to finish your listing in GPS systems (category #156955) unless the listing is associated with the eBay catalog.
  
  
• In August, a new tool for instantly adding your products to the catalog will be available for GPS sellers.
  
  
• This new functionality will also be available to sellers starting on August 15 when you list your item using Sell Your Item, and September 5 for Turbo Lister and Blackthorne. If there's no product match for your item in the catalog, simply click the "Add product to our catalog" link and you can continue listing your item by adding it to the catalog.
  
  
• Get complete details on listing electronics with the eBay product catalog.

Take Action

• For GPS systems, add your products to the catalog whenever a matching product is unavailable. Starting September 15, you won’t be able to submit new listings or relist in this category unless the item is listed with the catalog. The method for adding your products to the eBay catalog varies by the listing tool you’re using:
  • Sell Your Item, Blackthorne, Turbo Lister: Search by unique product identifier [e.g., UPC or eBay Product ID (EPID)] or keywords to find a matching product in the eBay catalog. Starting on August 15, for Sell Your Item users and on September 5, for Turbo Lister and Blackthorne users, if you can't find the right product you have the option to add a product to the eBay catalog as you're listing your item.
    
    
  • Other Tools: If you’re using another tool to list your item (e.g., File Exchange, APIs or third-party tools, etc.) and the GPS device you’re listing doesn’t match a product in the catalog, first use the new tool for adding product to the catalog or File Exchange for Product Creation to add your product to the catalog and generate an EPID before listing your item.

Best Practices

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if the item I want to list is in the eBay catalog?

When listing your item using Sell Your Item or Turbo Lister, simply enter a UPC or keywords like brand and model or part numbers to find a matching product in the eBay catalog.

When do I have to add my product to the eBay catalog?

While the eBay catalog already contains many of the products available today, if you can’t find a product in the catalog that matches the item you want to sell and you’re listing a GPS device, you will need to add your product to the catalog before continuing to list the item. Once you add a product to the catalog you can complete your listing and the information will be available for you to use the next time you want to list an identical item.

Can I add a product to the catalog while I’m listing the item?

After August 15, 2011, when you list GPS devices using Sell Your Item and can’t find a product in the catalog that matches the item you want to sell, follow these steps to add your product to the catalog:

(1) When using Sell Your Item to list your GPS device, first search for a matching product in the eBay catalog. If you can’t find an exact match for the item you’d like to list then click on the button or link at the bottom of the page that will take you to the form for adding your product to the catalog.



(2) Complete and submit the form to add a product to the catalog.



(3) Upon successful submission of your product, you can continue the process of listing your item.

How do I add a product to the catalog when listing in Blackthorne?

After September 5, 2011, when you list GPS devices using Blackthorne and can’t find a product in the catalog that matches the item you want to sell, follow these steps to add your product to the catalog:

(1) Search for a matching item in the eBay catalog
When using Blackthorne to list your GPS device, first search for a matching product in the eBay catalog. If you can’t find an exact match for the item you’d like to list then click on the Add Product button in the top right-hand corner of the pop-up window or link at the bottom of the page that will take you to the form for adding your product to the catalog.



(2) Complete and submit the form to add a product to the catalog.



(3) Upon successful submission of your product, the product information is immediately available and you can continue the process of listing your item.

How do I add a product to the catalog when listing in Turbo Lister?

After September 5, 2011, when you list GPS devices using Turbo Lister and can’t find a product in the catalog that matches the item you want to sell, follow these steps to add your product to the catalog:

(1) When using Turbo Lister to list your GPS device, first search for a matching product in the eBay catalog. If you can’t find an exact match for the item you’d like to list then click on the button or link at the bottom of the page that will take you to the form for adding your product to the catalog.



(2) Complete and submit the form to add a product to the catalog.



(3) Upon successful submission of your product, you can continue the process of listing your item.



NOTE: If you can’t find the option to add a product to the catalog in Turbo Lister, you may be using an older version of this tool. To update your version of Turbo Lister, click on “Tools” menu in the top navigation bar and select “Check for Program Updates.”

I use the API or a third-party tool to list my items. Can I add my products to the eBay catalog before I list my items?

Yes. Starting August 15, if you list with a tool that doesn’t allow you to add products to the eBay catalog or prefer to proactively add your products to the catalog before listing them, we’ve created two new tools that allow you to add individual products to the catalog or multiple products all at once.

Adding individual products to the eBay catalog: (Available August 15.)

1. Use this new tool that lets you add your GPS devices to the eBay catalog by first searching for your product in the eBay catalog. This is done by entering a UPC or product brands and model numbers into the Search field.
   
   
   
   
2. If you can’t find a product that matches the item you want to list, click on the “Add it now” link that appears in the lower left-hand corner.
   
   
   
   
3. Complete the “Add a product to the eBay catalog” form.
   
   
   
   
4. Upon successful submission of your item you will see the following confirmation and the information will be available for you to list against.
   
   

Adding multiple products to the catalog using new functionality in File Exchange for Product Creation: (Available August 15, 2011)

If you need to add a large number of GPS devices to the catalog, you can use File Exchange which will allow you to add multiple items in a single, CSV-format file, by following these steps:

1. Open File Exchange through My eBay—it’s free. If you’ve never used File Exchange before, a link to it can be found under “Available subscriptions” in the “Account” section of My eBay. You will need to subscribe and register to use this tool.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. To download a template for the information needed to add products to our catalog, click on the “Product Creation” link in the left-hand navigation and click on the “Generate Template” button.
   
   
   
   Sample template:
   
   
   
   
3. Once you’ve filled in your product information, upload your completed data file.
   
   
   
   
4. Once the download has been completed, an email will be sent to My Messages confirming receipt of your file. Or you can check to see if your file was successfully uploaded by going to “View Upload Results.”
   
   
   
   
5. Once your data file has been processed, a downloadable “Load Results Report” will be generated and will provide you with EPIDs for products that were successfully added to the catalog.
   
   

What happens if I relist a GPS device without using the catalog?

Starting September 15, if you relist GPS device and can’t find the specific item you’re selling in our catalog, you can add the product to our catalog. In the relist flow, you will see a link “Add product now” on the page where you see the result of your search for a product. Click the link to add a product to the catalog. If you automatically relist your items in an automated way, you’ll want to be sure to proactively add your products to the catalog so your automated relistings won’t be blocked.

Once I add a product to the catalog, will my other listings for the same item be automatically associated with the product when the relist or am I required to actively update them?

No, you will need to revise any existing listings and list them with the new product you’ve added to the catalog.

Can other sellers list their items using the products I added to the catalog?

Yes, products in the catalog are available for use by all eBay sellers.

What kind of information is needed to create a product?

At a minimum, sellers are required to provide a title, description and a product photo. Keep in mind that the more information you provide, the easier it is for buyers to find the product.

Once I’ve added my GPS device to the catalog, when is the information available for use?

Once you’ve completed the process of adding your GPS device to the eBay catalog, it’s immediately available for you to use to complete your listing.

What is the best way to determine if my item is already in the eBay catalog?

It is recommended you use a unique, numeric identifier for your item like a UPC to search for matching products in the catalog. Using a unique, numeric identifier, helps to ensure that you find an exact match for the item you wish to list.