Searching for Items

This chapter discusses the use of GetSearchResults and GetCategoryListings to search for item listings using a variety of criteria. Additional information is available in the following sections: GetSearchResults and GetCategoryListings.

It is recommended that you consider using FindItemsAdvanced (in the Shopping API) instead of GetSearchResults or GetCategoryListings because FindItemsAdvanced is easier to use and faster. See the following location for information about the Shopping API:

 Shopping API

On the eBay site, users can search for items by filling in fields that are used by eBay as a search query. On executing the search, items matching the search query's criteria are displayed in a list, commonly referred to as a search page. Having conducted a search, a user can also save this search as a named item on their My eBay page, so they can easily execute the same search again later without reentering the search query data.

GetSearchResults returns large amounts of data for listings. This data includes basic item information as well as information that includes the country and postal code of the item, default shipping cost information, whether PayPal is offered, and store-related information (including the seller's store name and URL). GetSearchResults also can return suggestions for the spelling of a query and, when a low number of results is returned, expanded search results.

Searching for Items by Using a Query

Finding All Item Listings in a Specified Category

User-Contributed Notes