One API, 2 marketplaces

MercadoLibre and OLX data from one API

Across Latin America the same item lives on a marketplace and on a classifieds board at different prices, and which one is cheaper varies by category. Both are covered here, though OLX's country set and MercadoLibre's are not the same and the page says where.

Why not the official API

MercadoLibre publishes a developer API that is OAuth-gated and oriented to sellers and applications acting on an account. OLX's programmes are country-specific and partner-gated. Neither answers a cross-portal read.

Coverage

What the two engines give you

MercadoLibre
search, product_detail, deals, category_items, reviews, suggest, category
OLX
search, count, locations, offer, categories, user_offers, suggested
MercadoLibre markets
the Latin American sites, each with its own currency
OLX markets
Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Worked example

Compare marketplace and classifieds pricing

One search on each side, then the detail record behind the cheapest row.

  1. 1
    POST /mercadolibre/v1/search

    marketplace listings for the country site

  2. 2
    POST /mercadolibre/v1/product_detail

    price, seller and whether it is an official store

  3. 3
    POST /olx/v1/search

    the classifieds side

  4. 4
    POST /olx/v1/offer

    the individual ad

A marketplace price and a classifieds price for the same item in one country.

Before you join them

Where the two sources genuinely differ

 mercadolibreolx
Currencytravels inside the price object, and differs per country siteper country
Seller typeis_official_store separates a brand store from a reseller — measured share runs from 8% to 40% by countryprivate sellers dominate
CountriesLatin Americaeight countries, only one of them Latin American
OverlapBrazil is the country both actually coverBrazil