What is a variation? Benefits What categories can have variations? Listing your items Viewing and managing items Revising listings Best practices

What is a variation?

Instead of creating a separate listing for a product that has a choice of options, you can create a single multi-quantity fixed price listing that includes all the variations of your product.

What would be considered a multi-variation listing?

• Golf balls that are the same brand but available in different colours

• A T-shirt available in different sizes and different colours

• The same brand duvet that is available in different togs and different sizes

What wouldn't be considered a multi-variation listing?

• Golf balls that are different brands

• T-shirts available in different styles (for example short/long sleeve) and made from different materials

• A listing which includes duvets, pillows and bed sheets as the variations

Benefits

By listing only once for all variations, you benefit by:

• Saving time: You list only once instead of multiple times

• Saving money: You'll pay fewer insertion fees, and get special pricing for pictures with variations

• Gaining more visibility: As buyers start purchasing from your multi-quantity listings, your listings can appear higher in Best Match search results

What categories can have variations?

Listing with variations is available to all sellers on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie in these categories:

Categories included

• Clothes, Shoes & Accessories

• Art*

• Baby

• Business, Office & Industrial

• Coins

• Collectables*

• Crafts*

• Dolls & Bears*

• DVD, Film & TV (memorabilia only)*

• Health & Beauty*

• Holidays & Travel

• Jewellery and Watches*

• Musical Instruments

• Pottery, Porcelain & Glass*

• Sporting Goods

• Sports Memorabilia

• Stamps

• Toys & Games*

• Vehicle Parts & Accessories (Motorcycle Clothing & Helmets only)*

• Wholesale and Job Lots*

*These categories carry a few exclusions.

Categories excluded

• Antiques

• Books

• Cars, Motorcycles and Vehicles

• Computing

• Consumer Electronics

• Events Tickets

• Mobile & Home Phones

• Photography

• Property

• Video Games

Listing your items

After you select the category for your new listing, you'll see a pop-up window that asks whether you want to list variations. Select Yes and click the Continue button to complete these steps in the 'List your variations' tool.

Make sure you meet the requirements to list variations:

1.	Define the differences in your items Item variations are the details where buyers have choices, such as colour or size: Select from the list of variation details or enter your own variation detail by clicking the Add your own variation detail button You can select up to 5 variation details Example: If your product comes in small medium, and large, click Size and select S, M and L You don't need to use all the choices you see in the list. If a variation detail doesn't apply to your items, ignore it When you name variation details, use common words that buyers use when they search, such as 'size' and 'colour'. In some categories certain words can't be used for variation details, eg 'brand' and 'condition' When you're done with this step, click the Continue button Note: The first variation detail you select will be the one that's displayed in your pictures. Ensure that the first variation detail you select is one that can be seen in pictures, such as colour or sleeve style instead of size or manufacturer.
2.	Specify the characteristics your items have in common Item specifics are characteristics that apply to all the items in your listing: Select item specifics such as 'brand' or 'manufacturer' from the list Example: If all the items in your listing are made of cotton, select Material from the drop down menu, then select Cotton If an item specific you need isn't on the list: Click the Add your own item specific button Enter a unique item specific name (such as 'manufacturer' or 'year') and at least one value (such as 'Acme' or '1998') If an item specific doesn't apply to your listing, ignore it The variation details you defined in step 1 won't appear in the item specifics list, and you can't add them to the list Example: If you've already selected 'colour' as a variation detail, you can't enter it as an item specific You can add as many as 15 item specifics: Include as many of the item specifics as you can The more specifics you use, the easier it is for buyers to find your items When you're done with this step, click the Continue button
3.	Create your variations You can also create additional options, such as a unique name, custom label or stock-keeping unit (SKU) to your variations: Click the Create variations button. We'll automatically creates a list of all the variations of your product Edit the list to remove any extra variations until the list includes only the items you're selling The list we create uses the information you provided on the: Variation details Optional custom label or SKU You can also create your list of variations manually: Enter a name or SKU in the table Select the variation details from the drop down menu until you generate a list of the items you're selling When you're done with this step, click the Continue button
4.	Add shared and variation pictures Shared pictures show the general views of your items. Variation pictures help to show the differences in the items. For your shared pictures, you can show all the variations you're selling in a single picture (such as all the colours), a pair of your items, a close-up or other alternate views. The shared pictures are used as a default if you don't add any variation pictures: Example: If you don't include a picture of the pink T-shirt variation, buyers will see the shared picture that shows all the colours for the T-shirt when they select the pink T-shirt Use variation pictures to show off your items' individual colours or the first variation detail you defined: To add pictures that show a different variation detail, click the Change variation button Note: If you change the variation detail that you're showing in the pictures, you'll delete all the variation pictures you've already uploaded To see how your pictures will appear to buyers, look at the What buyers see section on the right side of the page To see how your pictures and variations appear in the listing, click the Preview your listing button You can add as many as 12 shared pictures and as many as 12 pictures per variation detail. You do not have to add pictures for every value of the variation detail you're showing. To help you include more pictures, we have a special fee structure for pictures in listings with variations. See fees When you're done adding pictures, click the Continue button
5.	Enter your quantity and price information To enter or revise the price for several variations at a time, select the variations you want to edit and click the Edit Fixed Price button Enter the price for the variations To see how this information will appear in the listing click the Preview your listing button After your listing is active, you can use this page to monitor your listing, update the quantity when you add stock, and change the price of a variation Click the Save button to save your variation information and continue filling out the 'sell your item' form

Viewing and managing listings

View and manage your listings that have variations in the Active selling section of My eBay. The Active selling section shows your current listings and a link to listings with variations.

• Click the Go to variations button to view your listings with variations

• When viewing listings with variations, click the Show Variations button to expand the listings to show all variations

When your variations have a range of prices, the price column shows the lowest available item price until you click the Show Variations button to expand the listing. When the listing expands to show all item variations, you'll see the individual prices for each variation.

The expanded list for items with variations also shows: 

• Variation details in the item column

• The number of buyers watching the item

• The price of the individual variation

• The time left for the listing

• A  drop down menu with common actions such as Sell Similar and Revise

Sorting

Items are sorted from the unexpanded view only.  If you sort by price, the lowest available item price is used for items with variations.

Restocking

If an item needs to be restocked:

• You'll see an 'out of stock' note in the item listing and an information flag

• The drop down menu shows the restock option, and directs you to the 'Revise your item' page

You can also view your scheduled, sold and unsold listings with variations in My eBay.

Revising listings

You can revise a listing by selecting Revise from the drop down menu in My eBay or by clicking the Revise your item link in your listing.

If you decide to change categories, you'll see a page of eligible categories to choose from. Select a category and click the Continue button. 

• If you select the Change Variations button you'll be directed to the 'Enter quantity and price' page. If you add or delete any variation detail, you'll lose all variations and will need to re-create them.

• If you select the Change Pictures button you'll be directed to the 'Add pictures' page. If you change any variation picture, you'll need to upload all your pictures again.

If you have not sold any of the variations in your listing, you can revise, add or delete any of the item's definitions.  If you have sold one or more of the variations, you can add new definitions, but you can only revise the price and quantity. 

This table describes the actions you can take:

If a buyer has purchased one or more variations, you can still revise, add, or delete information, and a version of the listing is created. You can see the versions on the Purchase history page, which you can access from the listing page.

You can't change the duration, category, title or format of the item if any have sold.

Best practices

	Consider listing in only one category If you choose to list in 2 categories, make sure that both categories allow listings that have variations
	Make your most popular variation prominent The best way to display your product is the way your buyers want to see your items, for eg: In most Clothing, Shoes & Accessories categories, buyers prefer to see the colours, sizes and styles you're selling Remember to add plenty of pictures
	Use variation details and item specifics that buyers are likely to search for Item specifics can help attract buyers to your listing Use variation details and item specifics that your buyers are likely to use when they search, for eg: When you specify a colour, choose a more common color name like 'red' instead of a unique name like 'cranberry' Use a unique colour name only when you are certain that buyers will search for it.
	Make the most of your pictures Pictures help buyers decide whether to buy, especially in listings where there is more than one variation of your product Upload at least 1 shared picture that displays all the variations in the listing
	Consider the duration of your listing and monitor your inventory Consider using a time frame of Good 'Til Cancelled for your listings that have variations, and keep them listed for as long as possible. Popular multi-quantity listings can appear higher in search results, so you'll reach more buyers. When you sell an item that has variations, we'll automatically deduct the quantity from your quantity and price list. If you sell out of one item, it will show in your listing as 'out of stock' until you replenish it. Use the 'Quantity and price' page to track your inventory. Check that you don't sell out of all your variations. If you sell all the variations of the item, the listing will automatically end and you'll need to relist the item to sell more. In addition, you can lose the search visibility benefits that you earned from the previous listing.