eBay data API: the official API or an Apify Actor?
eBay has a public official API. 4 Apify Actors in this catalogue return eBay data over HTTP too: send the input to Apify's run-sync endpoint with your token and get the records back as JSON, from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results at Store prices (plus platform usage).
The official eBay Browse API fits item search, summaries and details when you can meet its OAuth, application approval and call limits. For store-category inventories, Motors listings or public seller feedback, select the eBay Actor covering that data.
Side by side
| eBay Browse API | Apify Actors (4) | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Public, self-serve | Apify API token (any account) |
| What you get | The Browse API supports item summaries, item details and search. Sold-price data is available through other restricted buying APIs. | Rows defined by each Actor's published schema; up to 73 fields per record |
| Price | API calls are subject to eBay's published call quotas; no simple per-result price is published for Browse. | From $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results (Store price, Free plan), plus platform usage |
| Limits | OAuth, application approval and call limits apply. | Synchronous calls wait up to 300 s; longer runs go asynchronous |
| Docs | eBay Browse API | Apify API: run-sync |
Official API facts checked 2026-11-09. Public listings only; respect eBay's API licence and terms; not legal advice.
Which Actor for which job
All of them list $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Store, plus a start fee per run.
- Collect item and store inventory details -> eBay Item, Store & Store Category Detail Extractor — itemId, title and priceCurrency
- Find vehicles and parts -> eBay Motors Search & Listing Detail Extractor — year, make, model and condition
- Combine listings and seller data -> eBay Multi-Marketplace Listing & Seller Data Scraper — recordType, priceValue and seller
- Read seller feedback -> eBay Seller Reputation & DSR Feedback Lookup — rating, comment and verifiedPurchase
| Actor | Returns | Fields include | Call it |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay Item, Store & Store Category Detail Extractor | Item-detail records from eBay item pages plus store and store-category inventory walks, including specifics, images, seller… | id, itemId, title | run-sync · Apify |
| eBay Motors Search & Listing Detail Extractor | Vehicle and parts listing records from eBay Motors with price, VIN, year/make/model, mileage, title status, condition… | title, price, priceFormatted | run-sync · Apify |
| eBay Multi-Marketplace Listing & Seller Data Scraper | One dataset of eBay listings, item details, seller feedback profiles and store inventories: formatted and numeric prices with… | title, price, priceValue | run-sync · Apify |
| eBay Seller Reputation & DSR Feedback Lookup | Feedback rows and seller profile summaries scraped from eBay's public seller feedback pages - rating, comment, item, price… | sellerUsername, rating, comment | run-sync · Apify |
Call eBay Multi-Marketplace Listing & Seller Data Scraper
The call waits for the run and returns the records as JSON. Swap the Actor ID for any Actor in the table. Set APIFY_TOKEN first; runs bill to that account.
curl
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/vexaloom-labs~ebay-multi-marketplace-listing-and-seller-data/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"mode":"search","searchQueries":["laptop"],"marketplace":"US","freeShipping":false,"returnsAccepted":false,"maxItems":2,"maxPages":1,"includeItemSpecifics":true,"includeRecentFeedback":true}' Install: pip install "apify-client>=3"
Python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run_input = {
"mode": "search",
"searchQueries": [
"laptop",
],
"marketplace": "US",
"freeShipping": False,
"returnsAccepted": False,
"maxItems": 2,
"maxPages": 1,
"includeItemSpecifics": True,
"includeRecentFeedback": True,
}
run = client.actor("vexaloom-labs/ebay-multi-marketplace-listing-and-seller-data").call(run_input=run_input)
if run is None:
raise RuntimeError("The Actor run could not be started")
print(run.status, "dataset", run.default_dataset_id)
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
print(item) Install: npm install apify-client
JavaScript
import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const input = {
"mode": "search",
"searchQueries": [
"laptop"
],
"marketplace": "US",
"freeShipping": false,
"returnsAccepted": false,
"maxItems": 2,
"maxPages": 1,
"includeItemSpecifics": true,
"includeRecentFeedback": true
};
const run = await client.actor("vexaloom-labs/ebay-multi-marketplace-listing-and-seller-data").call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.length, items[0]); Generated from the Actor's published schema and checked, not executed.
Same data, other routes
- eBay MCP server: these Actors as tools in Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.
- eBay prices to Google Sheets: an n8n workflow you can import.
- Every Actor with a one-request API
When a call fails
Why does the workflow or script stop with HTTP 408?
The synchronous endpoint waits at most 300 seconds. After that it answers 408 while the run keeps going in Apify. Lower the result limit, or start the run asynchronously, wait for it to finish and then read its dataset.
Source: Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items
What do 400, 401, 402 and 403 from the Apify API mean?
Read error.type in the response body. 400 is invalid Actor input. 401 (user-or-token-not-found) means a token reached Apify but it is wrong or revoked. 402 with x402-payment-required means no token reached Apify at all: the n8n credential or the Authorization: Bearer header is missing, and Apify is offering its pay-per-run x402 route for agents instead; any other 402 is an exhausted usage limit on the account that pays for the run. 403 is a token without permission for that Actor or storage.
Source: Apify API: authentication; Apify documentation: agentic payments with x402; Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items
Why does starting an Actor through the API return run information instead of scraped results?
The Run Actor endpoint starts the Actor and immediately returns a Run object without waiting for completion. For results stored in the default dataset, pass the response's defaultDatasetId to Get dataset items; to wait and receive output directly, use the synchronous endpoint for dataset items or a key-value store record.
Source: Apify Run Actor API
Why are rows and hidden fields missing from my Apify dataset export?
The clean parameter enables both skipEmpty and skipHidden, removing empty items and fields whose names begin with #. This can produce fewer items than the requested limit; to retain those rows and fields, disable clean and ensure skipEmpty and skipHidden are also disabled.
Source: Apify Get dataset items API
Questions
Can I search eBay listings through the official API?
The eBay Browse API supports item search, item summaries and item details. OAuth, application approval and call limits apply.
Does the eBay Browse API provide sold-price data?
The Browse API covers item search, summaries and details. Sold-price data is available through other restricted buying APIs.
Which Actor returns eBay seller feedback?
eBay Seller Reputation & DSR Feedback Lookup returns feedback rows and seller profile summaries from public seller feedback pages. It requires mode and includes sellerUsername, rating, comment and verifiedPurchase.
Is there an official eBay API?
The Browse API supports item summaries, item details and search. Sold-price data is available through other restricted buying APIs. API calls are subject to eBay's published call quotas; no simple per-result price is published for Browse.
How much does eBay data cost through an Apify Actor?
The Actors listed here charge from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Apify Store (Free plan), checked 2026-11-12, billed to the Apify account whose token makes the call. Actor start events and platform usage can add to that.
Can I get eBay data as JSON in one HTTP request?
Yes, through Apify's run-sync-get-dataset-items endpoint: POST the Actor input with your token and the response is the dataset as JSON. It waits up to 300 seconds; longer runs need the asynchronous run endpoint.
Can an AI agent use the same eBay data?
Yes. The eBay MCP page bundles these Actors into one Apify MCP URL for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.
Is it allowed to collect eBay data?
Public listings only; respect eBay's API licence and terms; not legal advice. Read eBay's terms before you build on the data.
Sources
- eBay Browse API documentation, checked 2026-11-09
- Apify API: run Actor synchronously, checked 2026-11-11
- eBay terms