How to Add eBay Listings to Your WordPress Site
27One of my clients, Hi-Way Campers, has started listing some of their RVs for sale on eBay. Naturally, I had to figure out a way to integrate it into their website, which is build on a WordPress platform. First I looked around for a WP plugin, but there none to be found. And there’s probably a really good reason there’s no plugin. It’s too easy for a plugin.
The secret is to use the eBay Editor Kit, which will produce some Javascript you can insert into your Worpdress template or post. Here’s the description of the Editor Kit from eBay:
The eBay Editor Kit (EK) is one of the most innovative and effective affiliate tools available. With the EK, affiliates can add relevant, real-time eBay listings to their Web sites in just seconds. Best of all, the EK produces click-through rates two times greater than traditional banners!
Whatever your Web site’s content or user demographic, eBay’s Editor Kit will dynamically list pertinent eBay auctions and listing details, including product information, gallery images, bidding prices, and ending times. Each specification is completely customizable.
If I understand it correctly, the Editor Kit is designed to show context-based ads (like Adsense). However, there’s a way to add just your own listings the way I did with Hi-Way Campers. In each of the ebay listings, the URL of the company’s website was added to the item description. The Editor Kit allows you to enter search terms that dictate which ads to show on your site, so I simply used the company’s URL as the search term. You could do the same with your own listings; just enter some unique word in your eBay lisitings, and use that word as your search term when you set up the Editor Kit.
It’s really pretty easy. The Editor Kit also allows you to choose different sizes and formats for your ads. If you want to see how it looks integrated into a site, visit the Hi-Way Campers site, and look in the right hand sidebar.
Anybody else know of a simpler solution?
About the Author
Michael Pollock is the marketing and product development guy for Solostream. He's also a blogger, a web marketing trainer and an entrepreneur. When he's not evangelizing Solostream, he trains other solopreneurs on how to use the web to reach more people, earn more money and live a bigger life. Michael's Website.
I have been searching the plugin to put my ebay listing on the sidebar of my website but still have not found it yet until now. Could anyone please help me?
Try searching here Baju: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tags/ebay
Is this feature still available as i want to use this ebay plugin. Also i know this will give me back links to my ebay products but will these count and make my product on ebay higher than other people’s that are listing the same item ?????
I have been wondering about the adding ebay to your site but just can’t see how you could make much money from it unless you had a ton of traffic right?
I use ebay for other sites and now I’m in the process of adding the plug in the my wordpress sites.
Funny thing we were using the Editor Kit and wondering how to do all that you mention above … and after tootling around a bit – voila! Thanks for the post!
You should also check out http://www.wptagads.com
I’m impressed with this. Way to go, man from Joe, the Netbook Man
Wow , I have been looking for this answers for a while now, thank you for the great info. I will go try it right away!
To answer an earlier question, yes traffic is key and has a linear relationship to earnings. However, depending on your frame of reference, to some $30 more a month than they had before is the same to others who would be happy with $3,000 more. It’s all relative.
I’ve created an Ebay plugin that provides Ebay thumbnail images in the post footer or sidebar. I developed it for my own use but am releasing it commercially.
Results from Ebay affiliate sales regularly outstrip my Adsense earnings. Though I use both so I get double the revenue that either alone would provide.
There are some very neat tools nowadays for putting eBay auctions on Wordpress. The best ones are not for free, but whatever you pay for it you will normally recover back within days.
Personally I am an avid phpBay Pro user, and also a Wordpress plugin developer (usually phpBay related plugins).
But .. If you use Wordpress and have an EPN affiliate account, then my latest plugin may be useful for your readers. It displays your EPN commission stats directly in your WP administration panel.
Full documentation is at http://www.psp-tubes.net/downloads/piggybank.pdf … and the plugin page is at http://www.psp-tubes.net/wordpress/display-ebay-partner-network-epn-stats-in-your-wordpress-administration-panel/
I wish you good profits with your eBay sites.
Cheers
Alan
I googled this question and your blog came up…this is the exact information I am looking for. I am a newbie in ebay as an affiliate and could not find this information in their site. Thanks to your blog.
I’ve been looking for a way to list ebay auctions on WP blogs for a long time now.
Nice artice about adding eBay listings to wordpress I’ve been wanting to learn how to do this. Nice Blog.
David
I wonder how hard this is to do? I use Build a Niche which was hard a first but now I can put up a site quickly.
My first Ebay SECRET NICHE is revealed at
http://www.DayJobNuker.com
I agree with Roger’s comment regarding search engines and content but exactly where do they stand on the issue of inserting javascript into your html or php?
[...] You may also want to integrate eBay right into WordPress! In this article I found, the site used the eBay Editor Kit to add an Inventory list right in their WordPress sidebar. [...]
I suspect the search engines may like the extra content. Not sure if it will translate into hard cash though
http://Ztail.com makes sharing your eBay listings easy. It creates a widget that you can place in your blog or share with your social network.
Use plug-ins. It will make your job easier.
In order to do marketing i sugguest is that the best way for marketing your site is banner ads because links are not that visible as compare to banner ads.
http://www.vividads.com.au
I have been wondering about the adding ebay to your site but just can’t see how you could make much money from it unless you had a ton of traffic right?
Dennis
Happy new year !-!
o:)))))
I’ve tested this “feature” today, Nov 24th, and there’s now an advanced search “mode” where you can simply enter your seller id and you won’t need to do the description keyword trick anymore :)
[...] Solostream Blog tells how to add Ebay Listings to WordPress Blogs The secret is to use the eBay Editor Kit, which will produce some Javascript you can insert into your Worpdress template or post. Here’s the description of the Editor Kit from eBay: The eBay Editor Kit (EK) is one of the most innovative and effective affiliate tools available. With the EK, affiliates can add relevant, real-time eBay listings to their Web sites in just seconds. Best of all, the EK produces click-through rates two times greater than traditional banners! [...]
Hi way campers sells $110 travelling toilet paper rolls?
(the linked to ebay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150022932221)
[...] How to Add eBay Listings to Your WordPress SiteOne of my clients, Hi-Way Campers, has started listing some of their RVs for sale on eBay. Naturally, I had to figure out a way to integrate it into… [...]