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Creating Your First Listing

This guide walks you through creating and publishing your first eBay listing using the eBay MCP Server. You’ll learn the complete workflow from inventory creation to live listing.
Prerequisites
  • eBay MCP Server installed and configured
  • User OAuth token with sell.inventory scope
  • Start in Sandbox environment to avoid affecting real listings
  • One or more fulfillment, payment, and return policies created (see Account Management)

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Understanding the Listing Workflow

eBay’s modern Inventory API uses a three-step process:
1

Create Inventory Item

Define your product with SKU, title, description, and condition
2

Create Offer

Set pricing, quantity, marketplace, and business policies
3

Publish Offer

Make your listing live on eBay with a preview of listing fees

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Step 1: Create an Inventory Item

An inventory item represents the physical product you’re selling. Each item is uniquely identified by a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). 
Create an inventory item with SKU "LAPTOP-001" for a Dell XPS 15 laptop.
The product is in new condition, with the following details:
- Title: Dell XPS 15 9520 Laptop - Intel i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Description: Brand new Dell XPS 15 with 15.6" FHD display, Intel Core i7-12700H,
  16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- Brand: Dell
- MPN: XPS-9520-7032
- Condition: NEW
- Package weight: 5 lbs
- Package dimensions: 18x12x3 inches
- Availability: 5 units available
The MCP server will use the ebay_create_or_replace_inventory_item tool to create your inventory item. This tool is idempotent - you can safely run it multiple times with the same SKU.

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What the Server Does

When you request inventory item creation, the server:
  1. Validates all required fields (SKU, condition, availability)
  2. Constructs the proper eBay API request with product details
  3. Creates or updates the inventory item in your eBay account
  4. Returns confirmation with the SKU

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Step 2: Create an Offer

An offer connects your inventory item to eBay’s marketplace with pricing and policies. 
Create an offer for SKU "LAPTOP-001" with these settings:
- Marketplace: EBAY_US
- Format: FIXED_PRICE
- Price: $1299.99 USD
- Quantity: 5
- Use my default fulfillment policy
- Use my default payment policy
- Use my default return policy
Before creating offers, you must have at least one policy of each type (fulfillment, payment, return). If you don’t have policies yet, ask your AI assistant: “Create default business policies for my eBay account”

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Pricing Strategies

You can configure different pricing models:
  • Fixed Price
  • Best Offer Enabled
  • Auction
Most common for new listings. Set a single price buyers pay immediately.
Format: FIXED_PRICE
Price: $1299.99

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Step 3: Preview Listing Fees

Before publishing, check what eBay will charge for this listing. 
What are the listing fees for the offer I just created for SKU "LAPTOP-001"?
The server uses ebay_get_listing_fees to retrieve:
  • Insertion Fee: Charged when listing is created (often free for first listings)
  • Final Value Fee: Percentage of sale price (charged when item sells)
  • Optional Upgrade Fees: Bold title, subtitle, gallery plus, etc.
Listing fees vary by category, seller tier, and marketplace. Always preview fees before publishing to avoid surprises.

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Step 4: Publish Your Offer

Make your listing live on eBay. 
Publish the offer for SKU "LAPTOP-001" to eBay
The server will:
  1. Call ebay_publish_offer to activate the listing
  2. Return the listing ID (a unique eBay identifier like v1|110123456789|0)
  3. Provide a direct link to view your live listing on eBay
Success! Your item is now live on eBay and buyers can purchase it. The listing ID is your reference for this specific offer.

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Verify Your Listing

After publishing, verify everything looks correct: 
Show me details for my published offer with SKU "LAPTOP-001"
The server will retrieve complete offer details including:
  • Current price and quantity
  • Publication status and marketplace
  • Listing ID and eBay URL
  • Associated policies
  • Creation and update timestamps

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Common Issues and Solutions

Problem: You don’t have required fulfillment, payment, or return policiesSolution: Create default policies first
Ask your AI: "Create default business policies for my eBay account"
Or specify policy IDs if you have existing ones
Problem: SKU contains unsupported charactersSolution: Use only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores. Max 50 characters.Valid: LAPTOP-001, DELL_XPS_15, SKU123 Invalid: LAPTOP#001, SKU@123, laptop 001 (spaces not allowed)
Problem: Your OAuth token lacks sell.inventory scopeSolution: Regenerate your OAuth token with proper scopes
Ask your AI: "Generate a new OAuth authorization URL with inventory scopes"
Then complete the OAuth flow and update your .env file
Problem: Unexpected fees for your category or listing upgradesSolution:
  • Check if your category has special fee structures
  • Remove optional upgrade features you don’t need
  • Verify you’re in the correct eBay marketplace
  • Consider enrolling in store subscription for lower fees

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Creating Variation Listings

For products with multiple variants (size, color, etc.), use inventory item groups: 
Create an inventory item group for a t-shirt with these variations:
- SKU Base: TSHIRT-001
- Variants: Small, Medium, Large, XL
- Colors: Black, White, Blue
- Create individual SKUs for each combination
- Price: $19.99 for all variants
The server will:
  1. Create an inventory item group to organize variants
  2. Generate individual inventory items for each size/color combination
  3. Create a single listing showing all variants in a dropdown
See Inventory Management for detailed variation listing instructions.

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Next Steps

Manage Orders

Learn how to fulfill orders and handle shipping

Bulk Operations

Create multiple listings efficiently with bulk tools

Marketing Campaigns

Promote your listings with ads and discounts

Inventory Management

Deep dive into inventory features and operations