Supplier product feed for eBay: CSV, XML and API feeds explained

What is a supplier product feed for eBay?

A supplier product feed for eBay is a structured list of a wholesale supplier's products that you use to create and update your listings. Each row or record holds the details of one item: name, description, images, price, stock level and identifiers such as a barcode or SKU. The supplier publishes it, and you read it.

The point of a feed is scale. Typing 500 listings by hand takes weeks, while a clean feed lets you build drafts in an afternoon. It also lets you refresh prices and stock without opening each product.

A feed is only as good as the supplier behind it. A tidy file from a weak supplier still gives you late deliveries and unhappy buyers. Before you spend time on formats, read how to vet a wholesale dropshipping supplier before you list a single item.

CSV, XML or API: which feed format will you get?

Suppliers usually offer one of three formats. They hold similar data but behave differently when you need to refresh it.

When is CSV enough?

CSV is enough when the catalogue is small, the supplier updates it on a schedule, and you are happy to re-import it. You can open it in a spreadsheet and see exactly what you are getting. Save a copy before you edit anything so you can compare versions later.

When do you need XML or an API?

Use XML when products have variations such as size and colour, because the structure keeps them together. Use an API when stock moves quickly and a stale number would cause oversells. If a supplier only offers a file that you re-download, ask how often it changes and when it is generated.

Which feed fields does an eBay listing need?

Supplier fields rarely match eBay's listing fields one to one. You map each supplier column to the matching eBay field, and you fill gaps yourself. These are the fields to look for.

• Title. An eBay listing title can be at most 80 characters. Supplier titles are often longer, so you will need to shorten them and keep the words buyers search for.
• Description. Supplier text is often thin, copied across many sellers, or full of supplier-only instructions. Rewrite it for the buyer.
• Images. eBay's UK picture policy asks for photos of at least 500 pixels on the longest side, and does not allow added borders, text, marketing material or watermarks. Supplier images with a logo or banner can break that rule.
• Identifiers. Barcode (EAN or UPC), brand and manufacturer part number. These help with item specifics and with spotting the same product twice.
• Item specifics. Make, model, size, colour and style. eBay advises filling these in, and it lists listing completeness among its Best Match factors.
• Cost price and postage cost. Your own costs, not the selling price.
• Stock quantity. The number you can really sell.
• Dispatch time and delivery method. Needed so your listing promises what the supplier can do.
• Weight and dimensions. Often needed for postage options.

eBay's full list of Best Match factors is on its Best Match help page. It does not say how much weight each factor carries, so treat a complete, accurate listing as the safe baseline.

How do you check a supplier feed before you list?

Check the feed on a small batch before you import the whole thing. A bad column mapping repeated across 2,000 listings is expensive to undo.

1. Open the file and read ten rows. Look for cut-off descriptions, strange characters and empty cells.
2. Check that every row has a unique identifier. Duplicate SKUs or barcodes cause the wrong product to be updated.
3. Open the image links. Make sure they load, are large enough, and carry no watermarks or text overlays.
4. Compare five products with the supplier's own site or catalogue. Price, brand, quantity in a pack and size should all agree.
5. Check brands. eBay's VeRO programme lets rights owners report listings that infringe their rights, and eBay may remove listings, warn, restrict or suspend accounts. Branded lines need extra care, and your supplier should be able to tell you where the goods come from.
6. Ask about pack sizes and variations. A feed may list a multipack as a single item, or a variation as a separate product.
7. Import ten products first. View them live and read them as a buyer would.

If you reuse the same layout, a template saves time. See how to create and use eBay Seller Hub listing templates.

How do you keep price and stock in step with the feed?

Importing once is the easy part. The ongoing job is keeping your eBay price and quantity in line with what the supplier can deliver. If the feed shows zero stock and your listing still shows five, you will sell items you cannot supply.

Set three rules before you go live:

• Refresh rhythm. Match your refresh to how often the supplier updates. If it updates once a day, refreshing hourly adds nothing.
• Out of stock rule. Decide in advance what happens when the feed shows zero or drops a product: set quantity to 0, or end the listing.
• Price change limit. Decide how large a supplier price change you will accept automatically, and hold anything bigger for you to review.

Worked example: turning a feed price into an eBay price

Example: suppose a feed row shows a cost of £8.00 and a supplier delivery charge of £2.50 to your buyer. You want £3.00 profit per sale. For the arithmetic only, assume a hypothetical selling fee of 15% of the total sale amount. This is not eBay's actual rate: fees vary by category and seller type, so check eBay's selling fees page for your figure.

Costs plus profit come to £8.00 + £2.50 + £3.00 = £13.50. If 15% of the sale goes to fees, you keep 85% of the price, so the selling price is £13.50 divided by 0.85, which is about £15.88. Check: 15% of £15.88 is about £2.38, and £15.88 minus £2.38 leaves about £13.50.

The point of the example is the method. Fees come out of the selling price, so you cannot add them to cost as a flat percentage. Work backwards from what you must keep. This example ignores any fixed per-order fee and any tax, so add those if they apply to you.

When the supplier changes the cost in the next feed, rerun the same sum. A spreadsheet formula does this across a whole file. Pay attention to the order in which you update: price first, then stock, so a listing is never live at an old price with new stock.

Does a supplier feed make dropshipping allowed on eBay?

No. A feed is a data format. What matters is who the supplier is and how the order is fulfilled. eBay's drop shipping policy says: "Dropshipping, where you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed on eBay." Listing an item on eBay and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed.

That second point matters for feeds. A genuine wholesale supplier gives you a feed and ships to your buyer under an agreement with you. A retailer or marketplace, Amazon included, is not a wholesale supplier, and eBay does not allow you to list an item and then buy it from them to ship to your buyer. You can tell the difference by reading how to tell a real wholesale supplier from a retailer.

Even with a proper wholesaler, you stay responsible for safe delivery within the time frame stated in your listing and for the buyer's overall satisfaction. eBay may remove the listing, issue a warning, restrict activity or suspend the account if the policy is breached. Read the policy on eBay UK or eBay US.

Dropizon works differently from a feed: its Chrome extension reads live Amazon buy box data in your own browser tab, and your own formula reprices your listings. It does not make any sourcing method allowed under eBay's rules. You can see the full process on the how Dropizon works page.

What goes wrong with supplier feeds?

Most problems are predictable. Look for these early.

• Stale stock. The feed is generated overnight but the warehouse sells out during the day. Ask the supplier how current the numbers are, and keep a safety buffer in your quantity.
• Selling limits. eBay selling limits cap how much you can list and sell each month, and they apply even when free listings remain. A large bulk import can hit them. Your current limit is in Seller Hub, on the Overview tab, under Monthly limits.
• Duplicate listings. Importing the same file twice, or two suppliers with the same product, can create duplicates. Use a unique SKU for each listing.
• Identical descriptions. If every seller uses the supplier's text, your listing looks the same as everyone else's. Rewriting it for buyers helps, and so does clear information about what the buyer receives. See how to write an eBay description for products you never handle.
• Currency and tax mix-ups. A feed may give prices with or without VAT or sales tax, in the supplier's currency. Confirm which before you calculate margin.
• Silent changes. Suppliers rename columns, change formats or drop products without warning. Compare each new file with the last one before you import it.
• Slow delivery. A clean feed says nothing about delivery speed. Place test orders to yourself and time them.

What to do next

Use this short checklist to go from a supplier's file to a safe first batch.

1. Ask the supplier for a sample feed in CSV, XML or API form, and ask how often it updates.
2. Confirm in writing that they ship to your buyers and what delivery times they can meet.
3. Map their columns to eBay fields on paper before you touch any software.
4. Shorten titles to 80 characters or fewer, and fill in item specifics.
5. Check every image link for size, text and watermarks.
6. Work out your price backwards from costs, profit and your real fees, using the method above.
7. Import ten products, view them as a buyer, and place a test order.
8. Set your stock and price-change rules before you scale up.

If you do not yet have a supplier account, start with how to open a UK wholesale dropship account for eBay. Whatever your location, check your own tax and reporting position with HMRC, the IRS or a qualified accountant once sales start.