eBay Parts & Accessories Mandates – the Inside Track

eBay Parts & Accessories Mandates – the Inside Track

According to eBay, there are about 90 million live listings for parts and accessories (‘P&A’)at any time on the marketplace. Every day people buy these parts and accessories for their vehicles from eBay and it’s important for them to find the right part for their car.

eBay Motors recently updated and added new Item Specifics to the parts and accessories sellers’ listings.

For selling P&A on eBay, providing as much interoperability information as possible is a great business opportunity. This allows the removing of duplicate listings (with fewer management ads and fewer insertion fees as a result) and increases impressions not only on eBay but also on external search engines like Google (data from eBay shows that listings with fitment information see an increase in conversion of 27%).

For anyone going through eBay’s mandates for the first time, this is hard work, since the Parts & Accessories category is extremely competitive. Our task at ecommotors is to give you the latest tips and help you in dealing with changes quickly and easily. We also recommend our blog post Guide to choosing the Right Software to Grow Ecommerce Sales part 1 for extra help.

What are eBay’s mandates and why are they important?

eBay mandates a set of category-based Item Specifics before a certain deadline, otherwise you risk dropping down the search rankings. In some case it’s not possible to create new listings or even renew your listings without adding these newly required Item Specifics.

The process is being introduced to improve the experience for both the seller and the buyer. In the case of the seller, it’s easier to attract the right customers to the right listings. It’s also easier for the buyer to find the products they’re looking for and it reduces returns for both parties.

Detailed information increases buyer confidence and reduces the number of pre-sale questions to answer.

While this extra work may seem like a lot of effort, it’s good news for any store. eBay strictly monitors all Item Specifics and helps buyers through filters, so if you’re doing well, that means your listings will get heavy search traffic and filter use. 

As the winter seasons are peak for some products in this category (car covers, bulbs, window wipers, etc.), eBay has set a deadline of February 22, 2022 to complete these specifications.

The new eBay mandates on eBay will increase the number of features of the item that you need to include in your listings, but the good news is that these changes and your work will increase your visibility and ranking in both internal and external search.

Some categories that require this:

    • Parts for automatic transmission

    • Thickness and brackets

    • Tooth straps

    • Power steering pumps

Which Item Specifics are included:

   • Labels and certificates

    • Brand (most common)

    • Type of fire extinguisher

By adding parts compatibility information, your P&A listings will also appear in the “My Garage” section of eBay. In this section, buyers can find parts and accessories suitable for their needs by simply adding their registration number.

How can we help?

ecommotors is the only provider of integrated ecommerce services and software systems for brands, manufacturers, distributors and resellers of automotive parts, tools and accessories who want sustainable online sales growth. The most advanced and flexible reporting and analytics system for motor parts and accessories ecommerce performance is something we have at ecommotors. This gives us ready insight into what’s happening, leading to better decision-making and faster, more profitable growth. We collect data across the ecommotors ecommerce system, providing you with in-depth dashboards and reports.  If you want to know more about how we can help you and your business, or for a no-obligation introductory discussion, please contact us.

To find out more about the automotive aftermarket, or for a no-obligation introductory discussion, please contact us.

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