eBay SDK for Python

Common errors

• No module named 'ebaysdk'

  cause The `ebaysdk` package has not been installed in your Python environment.
  fix Run `pip install ebaysdk` to install the library.

• FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'ebay.yaml'

  cause The `ebaysdk` library attempts to load an `ebay.yaml` configuration file by default, but it could not be found at the expected path.
  fix Either create an `ebay.yaml` file with your credentials and settings in your working directory, or pass credentials directly to the `Connection` constructor (e.g., `appid='YOUR_APP_ID', config_file=None`).

• ebaysdk.exception.ConnectionError: (10007) Invalid request: The request is missing required parameters or is improperly formatted.

  cause This generic error indicates an issue with your API request, often due to missing or incorrect credentials (App ID, Dev ID, Cert ID), an invalid API endpoint, or malformed request parameters.
  fix Double-check your `appid`, `devid`, and `certid` for the correct API. Verify the `domain` parameter (e.g., `svcs.ebay.com` for production, `svcs.sandbox.ebay.com` for sandbox) and the structure of your API call arguments.

Warnings

• breaking Versions prior to v1.0.0 (specifically v0.1.11 and older) used PyCurl as the HTTP backend. All versions from v1.0.0 onwards switched to the 'requests' library, requiring code changes for direct HTTP client interactions.
  Fix: Upgrade to v1.0.0 or later and update any custom HTTP client code to use 'requests' patterns if directly interacting with the client.
• breaking As of v2.2.0, HTTPS is forced by default for Finding, Shopping, and Trading API calls. Explicitly setting HTTP or not having proper SSL certificate chains might lead to connection errors if you relied on insecure connections.
  Fix: Ensure your environment supports HTTPS connections and uses valid SSL certificates. If using older versions, manually configure `https=True` in the Connection object.
• gotcha The library relies heavily on a `ebay.yaml` configuration file for API credentials and settings. Incorrect path, missing file, or malformed YAML can lead to authentication failures or `FileNotFoundError`.
  Fix: Place `ebay.yaml` in the expected location (e.g., current working directory or specified path) or explicitly pass credentials (e.g., `appid`, `devid`, `certid`) directly to the `Connection` constructor.
• gotcha The library has not been updated since April 2020. Newer eBay API features, changes, or deprecations introduced after this date might not be supported or could lead to unexpected behavior/errors.
  Fix: Verify that the eBay API functionality you intend to use is compatible with the version of `ebaysdk` (2.2.0). For newer API features, consider alternative solutions or direct API calls if `ebaysdk` does not provide support.

Install

• pip install ebaysdk Install ebaysdk

Imports

• Connection (Finding API)

  from ebaysdk.finding import Connection as FindingConnection

• Connection (Trading API)

  from ebaysdk.trading import Connection as TradingConnection

• Connection (Shopping API)

  from ebaysdk.shopping import Connection as ShoppingConnection

• Connection (Merchandising API)

  from ebaysdk.merchandising import Connection as MerchandisingConnection

• ConnectionError

  from ebaysdk.exception import ConnectionError

  Recommended for catching API-related exceptions.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to search for items using the eBay Finding API. Ensure you have your eBay App ID configured either as an environment variable `EBAY_APPID` or directly replace the placeholder in the `appid` argument. It explicitly bypasses `ebay.yaml` for simplicity and catches potential API connection errors.

import os
from ebaysdk.finding import Connection as FindingConnection
from ebaysdk.exception import ConnectionError

try:
    api = FindingConnection(
        domain='svcs.ebay.com', # Use 'svcs.sandbox.ebay.com' for sandbox environment
        config_file=None, # Explicitly disable config file for this example
        appid=os.environ.get('EBAY_APPID', 'YOUR_EBAY_APPID') # Replace 'YOUR_EBAY_APPID' with your actual App ID or set EBAY_APPID env var
    )
    
    # Make a call to find items by keywords
    response = api.execute('findItemsByKeywords', {'keywords': 'star wars lego'})
    
    if response.reply and response.reply.searchResult and response.reply.searchResult.item:
        print(f"Found {response.reply.searchResult['@count']} items:")
        for item in response.reply.searchResult.item[:3]: # print first 3 items
            print(f"- {item.title} (Current Price: {item.sellingStatus.currentPrice.value} {item.sellingStatus.currentPrice['currencyId']})")
    else:
        print("No items found or response malformed.")
        
except ConnectionError as e:
    print(f"API Connection Error: {e.response.dict()}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")