Need help setting up links in my auction

[eleanor78]

I have several pdf files that I want to insert in my auto auction. My research indicates that I cannot insert a pdf but rather must add a link to an "external" site. Then I read that links can no longer be outside of eBay. What??

Several years ago, I posted links to photos that were located in Google Photos. That worked fine. Now, I want to link to several pdf files to a new auction.

I'll make this simple. Let's assume that I have a file called "engine_details.pdf". I understand that I need to add an HTML link that begins with <a href= and ends with </a>. Can someone please give me a concrete example of exactly where to place my pdf file and then how to reference that file in my auction?

This is not rocket science. I just can't find the specifics when searching the community. Many thanks!

[chapeau-noir]

You'd need to have the PDF file hosted online somewhere in order to hyperlink to it, and that site, wherever it is, needs to be encrypted (HTTPS).

I'm not sure about eBay Motors, but I know eBay itself no longer allows off-site links.  I used to have the setup instructions for various peripherals I sold hyperlinked for user reference, and I could no longer do that as of a couple of years ago.

I just give the language equivalent of the URL now, which, if you are hosting the files you can do, but would I would actually do in your case is make a very clear image file of that PDF and actually just load it into your listing with other photos.

[kensgiftshop]

Just put the information in the description and don't worry about the PDF files.

[onlinecentral]

Consider converting the PDF files to JPG format.
Even if you do that, photos embedded in descriptions don't always display as desired.
This issue is even more problematic on mobile devices.

[eleanor78]

Hello, thanks for your reply. The problem/issue is that my pdf file(s) are multiple pages long. I could, of course, take a jpeg of the cover sheet, but the potential buyer would not be able to see the entire original pdf file. FYI, my pdf file goes into minute detail about the features of my car in much more detail than I should provide in the verbage of my listing; every potential buyer might not want/need to see all these details.

Another option is to take a jpeg of every page of the pdf file. The problem there is that we are limited in the number of photos we can include in every listing. If I showed every page of my pdf file, I would have no room to include pictures of my car!

I realize that this situation might be somewhat unusual, but I'm hoping to find a workaround that allows my buyers to see only the details they are interested in.

You mentioned that I would need to have the PDF file hosted "online somewhere in order to hyperlink to it and that site, wherever it is, needs to be encrypted (HTTPS)." OK, please give me an example of a site that I could use to host my file.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[eleanor78]

Thanks for your input. Please see my response to chapeau-noir regarding this subject.

[eleanor78]

Thanks for your input. Please see my response to a previous post regarding this subject.

[atikovi]

I have two pdfs in my ended auction https://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Ford-Escort-ZX2-with-FREE-DELIVERY/153910311306?hash=item23d5c4f98a:g:...  with links right below the last photo where it says CLICK HERE.

[eleanor78]

Hello, friend. Your listing is *exactly* how I want mine to look (with different pics, obviously!). My HTML skills are a bit rusty, but I'm having a problem viewing your listing in HTML code.

Here's what I'm finding. Following your pics, you insert a link that says "CLICK HERE to see the Carfax report". That link is https://app.box.com/s/pq2t4xf3pegjbi9p1sj41g7073axhp6p. So, in my browser I right-click and choose View Page Source, which takes me to the complete HTML code for your listing.

So then, trying to orient myself within the code, I search for something like "hp6p", which is the end of your link. My browser says it can't find that sequence. So, unfortunately, I can't get a fix on the code needed to find your Carfax report.

This is likely operator error (mine), but could you give me a few more specifics on how to refer to something that is posted on app.box.com? We are definitely on the right track! Thanks!

[atikovi]

This is how I wrote that,

It has a clean Carfax. <a href=https://app.box.com/s/pq2t4xf3pegjbi9p1sj41g7073axhp6p a>CLICK HERE to see the Carfax report.</a>

[chapeau-noir]

I use my own website but again, links for what I sell on eBay.com have been disallowed. 

The hosting site for that Carfax report is box.com which is a collaborative site (the app section is a list of, well, apps) for content and flow. 

It seems that on eBay motors one CAN use hyperlinks - that's why I said that I was unable to even list with hyperlinks after a while on the regular eBay but I hadn't used eBay Motors (well, not for quite a while) and wasn't certain.

I have a feeling I'm not understanding your post - that link to the Carfax report came right up for me, so I'm just offering the possible solution that the other poster used for their report.

[eleanor78]

Thank you for your reply. I agree: That link works just fine. However, when I choose to view the source code for the entire eBay post (to help me get my bearings), my search for "hp6p", the end of the link that I referred to, comes up empty.

Again, I have written significant code over the years, including a killer eBay listing for a car several years ago. The seller's listing that was referenced is *exactly* how I want my newest ad to look like. But when I go to look at the source code for the listing, why can't I find the snippet of code shown above?

Please do not think I am being critical. Rather, I just need to see the author's code in action to remind me the best way to link to an "external" source. Apparently, the box.com domain is somehow OK to use in an eBay listing. I'm simply trying to find a concrete example of how I can upload my docs to box.com, if in fact that still works with eBay.

Best regards and stay safe.