Adding eBay Descriptions to Your Listings and Automatically Populating eBay Templates

This article will explain how to provide descriptions to eBay through Solid Commerce. If you have an eBay template design, we'll show you how to set it up to automatically populate with images and information. Our goal is to make providing eBay descriptions faster and easier.

You do not need any HTML experience or knowledge to use this article. This is a basic guide, and does not include any advanced HTML or design instructions.

 

What we'll cover:

1. An Explanation of the eBay Description
2. Using Simple eBay Descriptions
3. Using Custom eBay Templates
4. Populating Your eBay Descriptions
5. Key HTML Tags
6. Using Bullet Points in Your eBay Description
7. Free HTML Editing Tools
8. Updating Your eBay Descriptions
9. Related Articles

 

An Explanation of the eBay Description

The eBay description is the area of the listing below the listing information and item specifics.

Some sellers use basic text descriptions. Others use custom created eBay templates to brand their listings. Either way, you can tag your description to automatically populate it with information and images. Solid Commerce supports all styles of eBay descriptions and templates.

 

Using Simple eBay Descriptions

Using a basic text description is easy. We'll show you how in the Populating Your eBay Descriptions section of this article.

You can also do some simple customization by adding HTML commands to your text. <br/> creates breaks between lines of type and <b> emboldens text. For more info about HTML tags, see the Key HTML Tags section of this article.

If you want to do a bit more customizing, we recommend creating your eBay description in an HTML WYSIWYG editor. Using an editor will allow you to easily change fonts, add colors, use bullet points, and more. For more details, see the Free HTML Editing Tools section of this article.

Once you have your description set up, see the Key HTML Tags section of this article to tag so that it is automatically populated with information and images. Even if your "design" is as simple as a large font for the product name, followed by a product description, and ending with stock return policy text, you should tag your design. The tags will allow the Product Name and eBay Description to automatically pull from Solid Commerce. The return policy will be the same for every listing, so it can remain in your description.

The tags work by finding the values you have saved in Solid Commerce and adding them to the eBay description as we submit the listing to eBay.

EXAMPLE: You are selling a black electric guitar. In the Solid Commerce Product Name field, you provide the value: Electric Guitar - Black. In your eBay description, you insert the tag: <main:name />, which corresponds to the Product Name field. When you list your guitar to eBay through Solid Commerce, we will automatically provide eBay with the value from the Product Name field. In the eBay description of your newly launched listing, the <main:name /> tag will be replaced by the actual Product Name: Electric Guitar - Black.

 

Using Custom eBay Templates

If you have a custom HTML eBay template design, you can tag it to automatically populate with information and images. Any template will work, from a free design you find on the internet, to a custom built design.

 

Populating Your eBay Descriptions

The following two fields control your eBay descriptions:

• eBay Listing Details: To find the eBay Listing Details field, go to the Marketplaces menu -> eBay Listing Templates. Expand the eBay Listing Details section of the template.
• If you want to use a basic description, you can simply paste the HTML tag: <main:description /> into this field and click the Save Changes button at the top of your template. We will submit whatever you have saved in the eBay Description field to eBay.
• If you have a more customized description, tag your HTML template using the pointers provided in this article. Once your HTML is ready, paste it into this field and save your template.

 

 

• eBay Description: Enter a product description into this field for each product. You can enter descriptions through a spreadsheet or the user interface.
• The description can be as short as a simple sentence.
• Any description that includes line breaks, bullet points, color, etc., should be pasted into this field in HTML format so that eBay will display it properly.

 

Key HTML Tags

This table contains two basic HTML tags you can use to format your eBay description.

It also includes some of the key HTML tags you might want to use to automatically populate your eBay description with information and images. To view all of the Solid Commerce HTML tags, open an eBay Listing Template -> eBay Listing Details section -> Click to View Template Fields link. The eBay Listing Template Fields pop-up shows the field names on the left, and the HTML tags on the right. Make sure to copy the complete tags, including the angle brackets.

 

Formats and Types of Fields	HTML Tag	Descriptions and Examples
Line Break	<br/>	Insert this tag to create a break in lines of type. If you insert the tag once (<br/>), the type following the tag will drop to the line immediately below. If you insert the tag twice (<br/><br/>), you will create a space between paragraphs.
Bold Type	<b> before the bold text </b> after the bold text	EXAMPLE: You want to embolden the word best in the sentence, "This is the best guitar on the market!" You're HTML would be: "This is the <b>best</b> guitar on the market!"
Solid Commerce Product Name	<main:name />	If you want your Product Name from Solid Commerce to automatically populate into your eBay template, paste this HTML tag in the template in place of the title. EXAMPLE: You have an eBay template that already has a product title. The HTML surrounding the template might look something like this: <h1>Black Electric Guitar</h1>. You want to replace the original eBay Title, Black Electric Guitar with <main:name />, so that the HTML becomes: <h1><main:name /></h1>.
eBay Title	<listing:title />	If you want to use your eBay Listing Title in the eBay description, instead of the Product Name, use this HTML tag: <listing:title />. It works the same way as the Product Name tag. EXAMPLE: <h1>Black Electric Guitar</h1> becomes: <h1><listing:title /></h1>.
MSRP	<main:msrp />	This tag will pull the MSRP you provided for your product. EXAMPLE: Your eBay template has some code that looks something like this: <p>Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $19.99</p>. The tagged HTML is: <p>Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $<main:msrp /></p>.
Custom Product Attributes	<mycustom:{attribute name}/>	If you want to insert values from custom Product Attributes you created in Solid Commerce, use this tag. Replace {attribute name} in the tag with the actual name of your product attribute before you paste the tag into your eBay template. EXAMPLE: You created a Product Attribute in Solid Commerce named: Color. If you want to automatically provide the color of each item in your eBay description, use the tag: <mycustom:Color/>. The bottom of the eBay Listing Template Fields pop-up lists the tags for all of your custom Product Attributes. Look directly above this table for the navigation to the eBay Listing Template Fields.
Main Image	<main:imageurl />	To automatically populate your main images in your eBay description, insert this tag as the src inside your existing image (img) HTML code. EXAMPLE: If your eBay template includes a link to a live image, the HTML might look something like: <div><img src="http://images7.solidcommerce.com/sc70545/SC_Assets/SC_Prdct_Images/EG-Blk-1-1.jpg"></div>. You will replace the image URL with our <main:imageurl /> tag: <div><img src="<main:imageurl />"></div>.
Alternate Images	<main:image1 removecontainer/> <main:image2 removecontainer/> etc.	The tags for additional images work the same way as the tag for the main image. The primary difference is that we added a "remove container" clause to the alternate image tag. If you do not have an image to place in one of your image boxes, the remove container feature deletes the box from the eBay description on your listing. To use the alternate image tags, advance the number after the word "image" for each additional image. Alternate Image 2 corresponds to <main:image2 removecontainer/>, and so on. REMOVE CONTAINER EXAMPLE: Let's assume the most alternative images you ever have for a product is four, but often you have less than four. Your eBay template design accommodates five total images. For an item that only has two additional images, the remove container clause deletes the image boxes for the third and fourth additional images. Without the remove container feature, the third and fourth boxes would display in your eBay description with red "Xs" through them. TAG EXAMPLE: If your eBay template includes a link to a live alternate image, the HTML might look something like: <img height="150px" src="http://images7.solidcommerce.com/sc70545/SC_Assets/SC_Prdct_Images/EG-Blk-1-2.jpg">. You will replace the alternate image URL with our <main:image1 removecontainer/> tag: <img height="150px" src="<main:image1 removecontainer/>">. You need to tag each image box that displays an alternate image—<main:image2 removecontainer/>, <main:image3 removecontainer/>, and so on.

 

Using Bullet Points in Your eBay Description

Many people like to add bullet points to their eBay descriptions. Here are two ways to do it:

 

Consistent Number of Bullet Points:

Let's assume you want to include three bullet points on every listing.

1) You can create three custom Product Attributes in Solid Commerce: Bullet1, Bullet2, and Bullet3.

2) The value for each custom attribute field is the text of each bullet point. You do not need any HTML formatting.

• EXAMPLE: If your second bullet point is: A great value!, populate your Bullet2 Product Attribute with the value: A great value!.

3) As a one-time set up process, you will insert the bullet points into your eBay template design. Include the Solid Commerce bullet point HTML tags in the code.

• Your tagged HTML will look like: <ul><li><mycustom:Bullet1/></li><li><mycustom:Bullet2/></li><li><mycustom:Bullet3/></li></ul>.

 

Varying Numbers of Bullet Points:

If you want some flexibility with your bullet points, you need to provide Solid Commerce with the entire HTML code for your bullet points for each item.

There are two options for managing custom bullet points. With either option, you can use a WYSIWYG HTML editor to create your bullet points. The editor will convert them into HTML code.

1) Include the bullet points as part of your eBay description:

• Populate the Solid Commerce eBay Description field with all of the HTML code for the entire eBay description, including the bullet points.
• EXAMPLE: <p>You'll love the way this guitar sounds!</p><ul><li>One of our most popular guitars</li><li>A great value!</li></ul>.

HERE IS WHAT THIS EXAMPLE WILL LOOK LIKE ON eBAY:
You'll love the way this guitar sounds!

• One of our most popular guitars
• A great value!

2) Manage the bullet points separately from the eBay description:

• Create a custom Product Attribute in Solid Commerce named: Bullet Points.
• Populate your Bullet Points Product Attribute with the HTML for your bullet points.
• EXAMPLE: <ul><li>One of our most popular guitars</li><li>A great value!</li></ul>.

HERE IS WHAT THIS EXAMPLE WILL LOOK LIKE ON eBAY:

• One of our most popular guitars
• A great value!
• If you'd like a tool that automatically generates the HTML for bullet points from a standard text list, try Listify. Use the ul > li List Type, enter each bullet point on a separate line in the Paste Text Here field, and click the Generate List button.
• Populate the eBay Description field with your product description.
• EXAMPLE: You'll love the way this guitar sounds!.
• In your eBay template design, add the HTML tag: <mycustom:Bullet Points/> wherever the bullet points should display. Save the tagged HTML design in your eBay Listing Template.

 

Free HTML Editing Tools

1. https://htmlg.com/html-editor/
• This is a pretty robust editor. It includes a split screen view so that you can view both the HTML code and preview the design in the visual editor.
2. http://htmleditor.in/index.html
• This is a simpler editor. Click on the Source button in the upper left-hand corner to toggle between the visual editor and the HTML code.
3. eBay's user interface.
• eBay's WYSIWYG editor can convert descriptions to HTML—especially useful if you are already comfortable with eBay's interface.

 

Updating Your eBay Descriptions

If you update the code in the eBay Listing Details field of your eBay Listing Template, you will need to reapply the template to your products in order to update your live listings. After reapplying the template, you will need to select the revised items in your eBay Market List and click the Update Listings button. For step-by-step instructions, see Revising an eBay Listing Template and Updating Live Listings.

If you revise the text in your eBay Description field, you will need to select the listing in your Solid Commerce eBay Market List and click the Update Listings button. The revision will not be sent to eBay automatically. You also need to use the Update Listings button if you revise the values in any field that automatically populates into the description, such as your Product Name.

 

Related Articles

• Creating an eBay Listing Template
• eBay Listing Template Settings: Payments, Sales Tax, Returns, Buyer Restrictions, and Additional Features
• Creating and Using Custom Product Attributes
• Creating a Product Through the User Interface
• Creating Products Using a Spreadsheet
• Revising an eBay Listing Template and Updating Live Listings

 

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