eBay Shuts Off Completed Item Price Requests From Their Developer API

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

Last month, eBay gave developers 9 days notice that they would be shutting off API access to completed listing prices, despite their own deprecation documentation stating they would support deprecated functions in their API for a minimum of 6 months after announcement.

https://developer.ebay.com/devzone/finding/callref/findCompletedItems.html

"Note: The findCompletedItems call is deprecated as of October 15, 2020, and access is restricted. Please monitor the the API Deprecation Status page for the decommission date.

An alternative to the findCompletedItems call is the Marketplace Insights API, but please note that this API is restricted and requires eBay Business approval for access. Please contact the Developer Technical Support team if you are interested in getting access to the Marketplace Insights API."

What does this mean? Well, I'm guessing online services that track these sales like Game Value Now and Price Charting have already died unless they have found an alternative. I just spent over an hour searching the developer documentation and wasn't able to find any viable alternative which works, neither has anyone else. eBay mentions their Market Insights API program but I haven't read of anyone actually being accepted to that, the best I can figure is everyone has been denied.

I reached out to JJ at Price Charting to ask him what's happening with his but he hasn't responded yet. I'm very curious what's going to happen with this.

[Lincoln | 230]

Pretty dumb of them to shut it down without an alternative. People want that info and will get it one way or the other. If ebay doesnt want to help, itll get scraped outside their control.

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

Maybe GoCollect can solve this problem for us for a monthly fee

[phart010 | 1,707]

If we lost track of trending sales prices, that could be a good thing for casual collectors and gamers.
 

Then many games could become affordable again and would go back into circulation. I’d prefer if games could be circulated rather being locked up in someone’s treasure chest

[Quest4Nes | 376]

I already mentioned this was happening in the game value now thread awhile back

[ICrappedMyPants | 302]

I’m a noob. Is the marketplace API a way for eBay to charge for this data?

[RH | 4,903]

56 minutes ago, ICrappedMyPants said:

I’m a noob. Is the marketplace API a way for eBay to charge for this data?

If I had to guess, you know how when you open an eBay BIN item and it tells you "This is a good deal for $9.99, this usually sells for $12.00" or something like that. My guess is that API is what they are talking about.

When sellers properly catalog all of there items, this works.  But it doesn't, and can't work, for really rare items.  Again, I think this is rather dumb.  I assume eBay is doing this because to many people are using the API and instead of monetizing the data, they'd rather cut if off.

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by RH

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

49 minutes ago, ICrappedMyPants said:

I’m a noob. Is the marketplace API a way for eBay to charge for this data?

The API is free for developers to use, it's a way of pulling the data you otherwise couldn't get unless you went through eBay and manually pulled the information from each individual listing. It also allows you access to additional information like what an accepted Buy It Now price was for a particular item and whether the item was paid for.

[ICrappedMyPants | 302]

Sorry, I know that the API is free. I was wondering if the marketplace API was special as it requires business approval. I would be shocked if eBay doesn’t provide this deprecated information in the future for a cost.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

1 hour ago, ICrappedMyPants said:

Sorry, I know that the API is free. I was wondering if the marketplace API was special as it requires business approval. I would be shocked if eBay doesn’t provide this deprecated information in the future for a cost.

You didn't capitalize marketplace so I didn't know you were referring to a proper noun.

Nobody knows yet because nobody has been accepted that I know of. I have an idea of how to get around this but it requires multiple calls for each item instead of just a single call to get all sold items. I've been working on it for the last 2 hours and might have something that will work.

[Ferris Bueller | 495]

6 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

Nobody knows yet because nobody has been accepted that I know of.

Sounds like the tuition reimbursement program for working at NGOs. I forgot how many applied vs how many actually had their student debt wiped for doing good. It was... low. I gave up after I saw the results, and I would've qualified. 

[ICrappedMyPants | 302]

9 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

You didn't capitalize marketplace so I didn't know you were referring to a proper noun.

Nobody knows yet because nobody has been accepted that I know of. I have an idea of how to get around this but it requires multiple calls for each item instead of just a single call to get all sold items. I've been working on it for the last 2 hours and might have something that will work.

I apologize for the confusion. I checked PC for a few games and I’m still seeing sales data from this week.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

1 hour ago, ICrappedMyPants said:

I apologize for the confusion. I checked PC for a few games and I’m still seeing sales data from this week.

I spoke with JJ, the owner of Price Charting, he confirmed they're still able to get pricing. I don't know how yet because I spent another 2 hours on it last night but he's doing it somehow. Probably with the way I came up with but didn't have time to complete last night with multiple calls to the same items.

[a3quit4s | 4,096]

4 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

I spoke with JJ, the owner of Price Charting, he confirmed they're still able to get pricing. I don't know how yet because I spent another 2 hours on it last night but he's doing it somehow. Probably with the way I came up with but didn't have time to complete last night with multiple calls to the same items.

He is probably just paying for the Marketplace Insights API, no? I’m wondering if phasing out the API has something to do with negative press from all the scalping.

edit: he could also manipulating one of the other finditem calls

Edited November 25, 2020 by a3quit4s

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

1 minute ago, a3quit4s said:

He is probably just paying for the Marketplace Insights API, no? I’m wondering if phasing out the API has something to do with negative press from all the scalping.

There is no paying, you have to apply to be accepted and I haven't read of anyone actually being approved. If you could pay, I would have done it already.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

I've given up, I can't figure it out. If anyone can give me a piece of sample code that will pull data for sold items (or even a single sold item by specifying the item ID), I'm willing to pay you for it.

There may also be a potential job offer in your future.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

I was able to pull my first completed item pricing last night, YAY!

Who wants a new pricing website?

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

1 hour ago, Code Monkey said:

I was able to pull my first completed item pricing last night, YAY!

Who wants a new pricing website?

The more the merrier, man. If your willing to put in that kind of effort Im sure alot of people would use it. It's always a good thing to have more data especially if one site misses something another catches

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

It’d be nice to have something owned and operated by an actual community member that cares about the hobby before it was coocoo.

[Gloves | 11,776]

I'm curious from an academic perspective how you're getting data that ebay claims to be protecting, if you're not using their approved method.

I presume you're not doing anything silly like a straight up scrape. Beyond the available API (Market Insights, as has been discussed) I'm not sure what other (hopefully legit) options are available.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

14 hours ago, Gloves said:

I'm curious from an academic perspective how you're getting data that ebay claims to be protecting, if you're not using their approved method.

I presume you're not doing anything silly like a straight up scrape. Beyond the available API (Market Insights, as has been discussed) I'm not sure what other (hopefully legit) options are available.

I spoke with JJ and we're both using the same method. It's what I suspected people were doing and he just confirmed it.

[Gloves | 11,776]

26 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

I spoke with JJ and we're both using the same method. It's what I suspected people were doing and he just confirmed it.

Ever the cards to the chest hah. Understandable considering there's presumably money available out there if someone feels like making a competitor to the existing services.

[Nes Freak | 584]

Ebay just keeps getting crappier.  I sell on ebay and for whatever reason they remove the selling tab in the summery on PC web browsers.  I had to make a link to my desktop to see what im selling.  Its actually easier to use the ebay app on my phone then my PC these days.  Unfortunately ebay is like youtube,  no matter how bad they get, as long as its functional people still use it.  Thus they can get away with these stupid changes.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I saw that and it bugged the hell out of me.  I hit refresh a few times, then strangely unlike the other listed clicks on the left that were bold, slightly detached lower and thin just a basic one word 'Sell' appeared.  When I clicked that, then the whole old sell drop list re-appears under it.  I don't get that stupidity one bit.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I just got it working the way it is, stop changing things.

Termination of APPID based authorization in Shopping API 

Dear Developer,

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you have an application that calls the eBay Shopping API via passing APP ID (Client ID) in the request, either in the header or as a parameter in the HTTP request. In our continuing effort to follow industry standards and protect our APIs and API users, eBay has now enabled OAuth authorization for Shopping API. 

We will stop support for APPID based authorization by June 30th 2021. Any Shopping API requests submitted with APPID based authorization will fail starting July 1st  2021.