Revise Variation using File Exchange

[kjcstargate]

Is there a way to add a new variation to existing listing using excel file exchange?

Maybe something like getting the ID of the existing product and adding variation...?

I know I have to put down 'Add' in the 'Action' column in order to list a new product. So I was wondering if there are any other actions that can be performed (like revise).

If revising variation cannot be done using the file exchange system, can this be done using API?

I've taken a look at the documentation, but it looks so confusing and I can't even tell whether this specific action I want can be done this way....

I appreciate any help! 

[shipscript]

@kjcstargate 

Yes, you can add a new combination, or a new option to an option list, by revising an existing listing through File Exchange (Seller Hub > Reports > Uploads). If you can provide the item numbers and the variations you want to add, I can walk you through the process.

[kjcstargate]

Thank you! I just tried out, and adding variation worked!

I also figured I can add a column named 'Description' and switch out the description. But is there a way to get the existing description? So I can just add onto it instead of crafting the entire description from the beginning.

Also, I wanted to add an image for the new option so I tried adding a column 'Item Photo URL' and adding a value for the new option only (leaving other cells in the column blank). But this is giving me 20004 "Error - A mixture of Self Hosted and EPS pictures are not allowed" when I'm using self-hosted image.

So, I tried downloading the image onto my device then used its path. But this is giving me 37 "Error - Input data for tag <Item.Variations.Pictures.VariationSpecificPictureSet.PictureURL> is invalid or missing. Please check API documentation.|Item.Variations.Pictures.VariationSpecificPictureSet.PictureURL|".

So I looked into EPS but.... I can't easily find how and where to actually use it.

[shipscript]

@kjcstargate 

DESCRIPTION

eBay doesn't provide an easy method for acquiring the item description. But you can obtain the description using an API.  I believe the "shopping", "browse", and "trading" APIs all have that ability.

Or, you can collect the descriptions using this online tool:

https://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ActiveContentEditor.htm

But, if you just want to add onto an existing description, eBay has that capability within Seller Hub as a Bulk editing feature.  File Exchange also has an AddToItemDescription function under the Action column. It requires the Action, ItemID, and Description columns. I've never tested whether this has been carried over to Seller Hub Uploads. Since this is an old call, it may display the new data in the listing below a date and a separator line.

PHOTOS

The picture column can be labeled either 'PicURL' or 'Item Photo URL'. 

If eBay has successfully transloaded self-hosted photos to eBay hosting, then your listing images will be hosted by EPS (eBay Picture Services).  Manually uploaded photos will automatically display from eBay hosting (EPS).  The only way to upload a photo through File Exchange is to provide an existing URL. If that URL is from your own server, it won't match your listing if the listing already uses EPS hosting.

You can replace the master record photo at the same as adding the variation to make them have the same source, but if the other variations were manually uploaded you may still encounter the same problem.

When variation listings are created through File Exchange, we have been told that eBay does not transload the variation photos. They remain externally hosted.

If all photos are EPS, one way to convert your own photos to EPS is through an API that handles photo uploading to eBay and that returns an eBay URL to use in a listing creation or revision.

[kjcstargate]

Thanks for advising on editing product description!

But I still have some questions about how the images work.

So the only way to upload images using csv is give the external url of self-hosted images, unless I use the API to convert to EPS beforehand. And eBay will not transload those images. I get that.

But when I try to edit the items on the online listing tool, the images already uploaded are indicated as "Invalid photo (CLERR002): The file seems to be corrupted. Please remove it and upload valid JPG, GIF or PNG, TIF or BMP file." 

I am 100% sure that the urls I uploaded were jpg files. And they also show up completely fine on the customer's end. But because of this (I think), when I try to manually add variation with an external url of another self-hosted image, it would not allow me to do so, saying "A mixture of Self Hosted and EPS pictures are not allowed".

Is deleting existing images and replacing all of them the only way? Even when I'm adding variation manually?

[shipscript]

@kjcstargate 

EPS has been a bit of a minefield for many years. Until about three years ago, we were unable to upload an EPS url through File Exchange, but now it is possible. And this has become particularly important when renaming variations without losing all photos. 

Additionally, my experience had been that if there was a partial upload failure through File Exchange, then some photos in the listing would be EPS and some would be self-hosted. This "mix" belies the error messages we see.  However, what eBay displays in the listing may not match what eBay stores as the source, so perhaps the nature of the source is what is evaluated.

On the other hand, while EPS is now allowed in a File Exchange upload, we are still not allowed to add an EPS URL during manual listing.  I'm not sure how this ties in with the option to use API-uploaded photo URLs when manually creating a listing, or whether "Site-hosted-photos" is even available anymore to the manual lister.

I think that exhausts my knowledge on that topic. Usually, I'll spend some time just trying different options to discover what works and what doesn't, because sometimes the rules change by accident or on purpose, and trying is the only way to find out.