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About Compatible Application Check and Going Live with Your Application

If you anticipate needing API call limits higher than 5k calls per day (24 hour period) you'll need to complete the Compatible Application Check process.

By completing the Compatible Application Check you'll know that you've made the most efficient use of the APIs you've implemented and that your application will provide your users with a viable eBay experience. This is a free service that the eBay Developers Program provides to its members.

To help speed you through the Compatible Application Check process please use the Prerequisites for Going Live Checklist provided below. It tells you what you'll need to do before applying. Much of this will be obvious but some of it isn't so please be sure to make full use of the Prerequisites for Going Live Checklist, before submitting your Compatible Application request.

Prerequisites for Going Live Checklist

  • Have a working application as we'll be trying it out to ensure that it complies with the requirements for the Compatible Application Check.
  • Make sure your application is in compliance with the eBay API Logo Usage Requirements.  Don't use the eBay corporate logo in your application.
  • Make sure your application is in compliance with eBay site policies.
  • Use the latest versions of the APIs before applying. Go to http://developer.ebay.com/support/docs/ and view the Release Notes for the APIs you're using to find the latest versions.
  • Use the UTF-8 encoding scheme (not ISO-8859-1). For more detail see the article "Working with UTF-8".
  • Handle errors gracefully and implement retries correctly. In particular, implement retries for a maximum of two times for infrastructure errors.
  • Limit the volume of data returned by asking only for the required amount of information and don't make calls more frequently than necessary.
  • Don't collect eBay Username and Password from your customers, instead implement Auth & Auth for Trading API & Client Alerts. For Shopping API and Merchandising API you do not need any username / password or user tokens.
  • Don't use the API for following information:
    • collecting statistical data
    • deriving take-up rate for enhanced listings
    • deriving average selling price or gross merchandize value for any category
    • information related to specific eBay Users or category or types of eBay Users
    • conversion, completion or success rates
    • reserve auction price
    • display a user's profile or detailed feedback information
  • Don't use more than 18 simultaneous threads to make API calls.
  • If you have a web application, don't frame eBay web pages served by eBay servers.
  • If you have a desktop application with an embedded browser, do display the complete URL of the page if you display an eBay web page served by eBay servers.
  • If you are building a search application use the Shopping API instead of the Trading API.
  • If you are using the Trading API you'll have additional prerequisites that are specific to the Trading API.

How to Apply for a Compatible Application Check

Before you apply please check that you've done the following:

  • Adhered to the API License guidelines and prerequisites
  • Completed all the compatible application requirements listed above
  • Answered all of the questions in the Compatible Application Check form including your estimated call peak, both hourly and daily volume, for each of the API calls that are in your application

Now you're ready to apply! Here's how:

Open a new Technical Support Case and fill out the Compatible Application Check form. You'll hear back from us with 3 - 5 business days. We may have additional questions but overall the process should be complete in 5 - 7 business days provided.

Once You've Passed the Compatible Application Check

Congratulations! You'll be joining a select group of developers who are authorized to use the eBay Compatible Application logo. The high resolution logo images will automatically be provided to you by Developer Technical Support (DTS) once you've passed the check. Using the Compatible Application logo on your web site and printed materials is a great marketing tool and will bring visibility to your application so be sure to make full use of it.

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