eBay API
The eBay API returns active listings, sold prices and seller data as clean JSON.
🤖 Using an AI assistant? Copy this link into ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor — it reads every endpoint and parameter instantly and tells you if this API fits your use case.
The primary search endpoint returns items with id, title, price, condition, buying format, shipping, location and URL, and the sold_search endpoint exposes completed-sale prices — the real market data behind eBay. You can also pull an item_detail, a seller's items and profile, current deals and the category tree. It is built for price research, reselling tools and marketplace analytics that need eBay data without a scraper. One ReefAPI key, one shared credit pool, the standard envelope.
Real request and response JSON
Captured from the indexed primary action, search, on .
{
"method": "POST",
"url": "https://api.reefapi.com/ebay/v1/search",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "$REEF_KEY",
"content-type": "application/json"
},
"body": {
"query": "iphone 13 pro"
}
}{
"ok": true,
"meta": {
"api": "ebay",
"endpoint": "search",
"mode": "live",
"latency_ms": 5287.4,
"record_count": 60,
"bytes": 2259537,
"cache_hit": false,
"version": "0.1",
"domain": "com",
"pagination": {
"page": 1,
"has_more": true
}
},
"data": {
"query": "iphone 13 pro",
"results": [
{
"item_id": "[redacted-phone]",
"title": "Apple iPhone 13 Pro (Excellent Condition) - (Unlocked, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile)",
"price": {
"raw": "$479.99",
"value": 479.99,
"currency": "USD"
},
"condition": "Pre-Owned",
"buying_format": "Buy It Now",
"shipping": "delivery in 2-4 days",
"location": "United States",
"image": "https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tokAAeSwY6BpjObA/s-l500.webp",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/itm/[redacted-phone]",
"catalog_rating": {
"average": 5,
"review_count": 0
}
},
{
"item_id": "[redacted-phone]",
"title": "Apple iPhone 13 128GB Fully Unlocked - Very Good Condition",
"price": {
"raw": "$259.99",
"value": 259.99,
"currency": "USD"
},
"condition": "1 YEAR WARRANTY🔥 FREE RETURNS🔥FREE 2 DAY SHIPPING",
"buying_format": "Buy It Now",
"shipping": "Free delivery in 2-3 days",
"location": "United States",
"image": "https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/uVoAAOSwNx1lxQnL/s-l500.webp",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/itm/[redacted-phone]",
"sold_count": "1,093+ sold"
},
{
"item_id": "[redacted-phone]",
"title": "Apple iPhone 13 128GB 256GB 512GB Verizon AT&T T-Mobile Unlocked (Good)",
"price": {
"raw": "$221.99",
"value": 221.99,
"currency": "USD"
},
"condition": "Pre-Owned",
"buying_format": "Buy It Now",
"shipping": "Free delivery in 3-4 days",
"location": "United States",
"image": "https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ic8AAeSwVeRpcwzG/s-l500.webp",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/itm/[redacted-phone]",
"catalog_rating": {
"average": 4.5,
"review_count": 0
}
}
]
}
}What the eBay API does
| Action | Description | Concrete use case | Key params |
|---|---|---|---|
| search | active-listing search by `query` -> results[]{item_id,title,price{value,currency},condition,buying_format,shipping,location,image,url,sold_count?,catalog_rating?}. Filters: domain(com/co.uk/de/...), page, max_results(<=240/page), sort(best_match|newly_listed|ending_soonest|price_low|price_high), condition(new|used|refurbished|open_box|for_parts), category, buy_it_now, auction. seller is item-page-only. | Pricing teams call search to get active-listing search by `query` -> results[]{item_id,title,price{value,currency},condition,b…. | query, domain, page, max_results, sort, ... |
| sold_search | ⭐SOLD/completed search by `query` (LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1, bare, NOT login-gated) -> results[]{...,sold_price{value,currency},sold_date} + price_stats{count,min,max,avg,median,stdDev,p10/p25/p75/p90,recommendedPrice(IQR-trimmed),outliers_removed,per_condition{bucket:{count,median,avg,min,max}},velocity{sales_per_day,days_to_sell,recent_sales_per_day,sales_last_7d/30d,span_days},trend{direction,slope_per_day,pct_change}} — ALL derived from the sold-array+sold_date, NO extra fetch (AI-free comps math). Same filters as search. The price-research moat. | Marketplace operators call sold_search to get ⭐SOLD/completed search by `query` (LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1, bare, NOT login-gated) -> results…. | query, domain, page, max_results, condition, ... |
| item_detail | Full eBay item detail by item_id or listing URL: title, price, list price, currency, condition, availability, brand, model, MPN, images, category path, item specifics, seller (name, feedback score, review count), shipping terms, return policy, PLUS auction fields (bids, current_bid, time_left, end_time), watchers, quantity_available/quantity_sold, best_offer flag, and multi-variation SKUs (variations[]{dimension, values[]{value, out_of_stock}}). Set include_description=1 to inline the full seller description text. | Catalog enrichment teams call item_detail to get full eBay item detail by item_id or listing URL. | item_id, url, domain, include_description |
| seller_items | All active listings in a seller's storefront by `seller` username (eBay _ssn) -> results[]{item_id,title,price{value,currency},condition,buying_format,shipping,location,image,url}. Same card shape + filters/pagination as `search`. Use to scan a competitor's full catalog. Page-native paging via meta.pagination. | Retail analysts call seller_items to get all active listings in a seller's storefront by `seller` username (eBay _ssn) -> results[]{it…. | seller, domain, page, max_results, sort, ... |
| seller_profile | Seller reputation by `seller` username -> seller_profile{store_name, feedback_score, feedback_positive_pct, positive_pct_12mo, items_sold_display, followers_display, member_since, location, business_seller, top_rated, feedback_ratings{positive/neutral/negative:{m1,m6,m12}}}. From the public storefront + feedback pages (logged-out, no account). | Pricing teams call seller_profile to get seller reputation by `seller` username -> seller_profile{store_name, feedback_score, feedback…. | seller, domain |
| deals | eBay Daily Deals grid (/deals) -> results[]{item_id,title,price{value,currency},was_price{value,currency},shipping,deal_badge,image,url}. Current promoted discounts site-wide for the marketplace. No query needed. | Marketplace operators call deals to get eBay Daily Deals grid (/deals) -> results[]{item_id,title,price{value,currency},was_price{val…. | domain, max_results |
| categories | eBay category tree / ID lookup (/n/all-categories) -> categories[]{category_id,name,slug} + groups[] (top-level departments). Pass `query` to filter by name so you can resolve a category name (e.g. 'cell phones') to the numeric ID used by search's `category` param — no need to know '9355' in advance. | Catalog enrichment teams call categories to get eBay category tree / ID lookup (/n/all-categories) -> categories[]{category_id,name,slug} + g…. | query, domain, max_results |
Call search from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.reefapi.com/ebay/v1/search \
-H "x-api-key: $REEF_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"query":"iphone 13 pro"}'import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://api.reefapi.com/ebay/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": REEF_KEY},
json={
"query": "iphone 13 pro"
},
)
print(r.json()["data"])const res = await fetch("https://api.reefapi.com/ebay/v1/search", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"x-api-key": process.env.REEF_KEY,
"content-type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"query": "iphone 13 pro"
}),
});
const { ok, data, meta, error } = await res.json();Ask your MCP-connected assistant: call reefapi.ebay.search with {"query":"iphone 13 pro"}.Who uses this API and why
- Resale-pricing tools call sold_search to find an item's true market value from completed sales.
- Marketplace analysts use search and deals to track active-listing prices and promotions.
- Seller-intelligence products use seller_items and seller_profile to audit a competitor's full inventory.
Questions developers ask before integrating
What is the eBay API?
eBay API is a ReefAPI endpoint group for active listings plus sold prices and market stats. It returns live JSON through POST requests under /ebay/v1.
Is the eBay API free to try?
Yes. ReefAPI starts with 1,000 free credits, no card required. eBay calls use the same shared credit balance as every other ReefAPI engine.
Do I need a eBay login or account?
No login to eBay is needed for the API response. You call ReefAPI with your x-api-key header, and the playground can run live examples before you create a production key.
How fresh is the eBay data?
The page example is captured from a live search call, and production requests fetch live data through ReefAPI rather than a static sample.
How many credits does the eBay API use?
eBay actions currently cost 1-3 credits per successful call. Failed or blocked calls are free, and all APIs draw from one credit pool.
Can I call eBay from an AI assistant or MCP client?
Yes. Connect ReefAPI once through MCP and your assistant can call ebay actions with the same key, credit pool and JSON envelope used by normal REST requests.
Is the eBay API a eBay scraper?
It is the managed alternative to a DIY eBay scraper. Instead of building and maintaining your own scraper — proxies, headless browsers, captcha and constant breakage — you call one ReefAPI endpoint and get the same active listings plus sold prices and market stats back as clean JSON.
Why does my eBay scraper keep getting blocked?
Most eBay scrapers break on anti-bot defenses, rate limits and IP bans that need rotating residential proxies and browser fingerprinting to clear. ReefAPI handles all of that for you — no proxies, no captchas, no maintenance — and returns live JSON. Blocked or failed calls are free.