Sandbox TradingAPI - PlaceOffer API: "Item Not Found" Error Despite Valid Item and Buyer Setup

[assettoc]

I am encountering with the PlaceOffer API in the sandbox environment. Despite following the documented steps and verifying all prerequisites, I keep receiving the error "Item not found" (Error Code 231) in my PlaceOffer requests.

Below is a detailed summary of what I have tried so far:

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Steps Taken

1. Creating a Listing

   • I created listings using both the AddFixedPriceItem and AddItem APIs.
   • The APIs return a valid ItemID (e.g., 110565925963), and the response indicates the listing is successfully created.

2. Verifying the Listing

   • I used the GetItem API to retrieve the listing details, and the response confirms the following:
     • ItemID: 110565925963
     • ListingStatus: Active
     • ListingType: FixedPriceItem
     • The item details, such as StartPrice and Quantity, match the data provided during listing creation.
   • I also verified the listing with the GetSellerList API, which shows the item under the seller's account.

3. Setting Up the Buyer Account

   • The sandbox buyer account was verified using the GetUser API, which confirms:
     • Status: Confirmed
     • NewUser: true
     • eBayGoodStanding: true
   • The buyer account has a valid email and appears active, but I cannot configure a payment method or shipping address in the sandbox UI.

4. PlaceOffer API Request

   • I used the following request format for the PlaceOffer call:
     <soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:urn="urnapis:eBLBaseComponents"> <soapenv:Header> <urn:RequesterCredentials> <urn:eBayAuthToken>{{buyer_token}}</urn:eBayAuthToken> </urn:RequesterCredentials> </soapenv:Header> <soapenv:Body> <urn:PlaceOfferRequest> <urn:Version>1193</urn:Version> <urn:Offer> <urn:Action>Purchase</urn:Action> <urn:Quantity>1</urn:Quantity> <urn:MaxBid currencyID="USD">1.5</urn:MaxBid> </urn:Offer> <urn:ItemID>110565925963</urn:ItemID> <urn:EndUserIP>192.168.1.1</urn:EndUserIP> </urn:PlaceOfferRequest> </soapenv:Body> </soapenv:Envelope>
   • The response includes the following errors:
     • "Item not found" (Error Code 231): Indicates the item is invalid, not activated, or no longer in the database.

5. Environment Details

   • I have verified that all tokens, endpoints, and API versions align with the sandbox environment requirements.
   • Both seller and buyer accounts are sandbox accounts created via the eBay Developer portal.

Issue Summary

Despite successfully creating and verifying the listing, and confirming that the buyer account is active, the PlaceOffer API call consistently fails with the "Item not found" error. I have thought this could be some temporarily glitch, but its been more than a week and still the same. Additionally, the sandbox environment does not allow me to configure the buyer account with a payment method or shipping address, which could be contributing to the issue.
I have also tried ebay's internal api test tool, Place Offer gets the exact same error message in that tool too, which makes me thing that my request structure is actually not the issue here. 

Can someone please shed some light? Thanks in advance.