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As a part of the eBay Developers Program, you’re already familiar with the many ways you can generate revenue through our global marketplace. The eBay Partner Network, our in-house affiliate marketing platform, is another way to expand your eBay earnings.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a referral program where sites pay commissions to affiliates who send traffic to their site that results in a sale. In our case, eBay partners send their users to shop the eBay global marketplace. A percentage of those users will likely buy something after being referred to our site. And, once they do, our partner gets credit for that sale. Learn more about affiliate marketing.

How do I use eBay Partner Network to earn money from eBay?

You can learn about the eBay Partner Network on its website, join the program, and then discover how to generate trackable affiliate links that you can share on websites, apps, blogs, or social media networks.

When any of your links results in a qualifying transaction, you earn a percentage of the sale price as outlined in our rate card.

How do eBay Partner Network publishers access the eBay APIs?

eBay partners access the eBay APIs similar to any other developers, with the only difference being that your API calls will include a unique partner Campaign ID that links your traffic to your partner account, so you are compensated for qualifying transactions. 

Once you join the eBay Partner Network, accessing the APIs requires you to:

    1. Review the API License and terms and conditions.
    2. Register for the eBay Developers Program or login.
    3. Get your application keys, which are unique identifiers so eBay knows which developer and application is making a call. You can generate and retrieve your keys at any time from your My Account page.
    4. Run the sample application to search the live eBay site. Your AppID is automatically added to the app, so click Run. You can also try editing the app to perform your own search.
    5. Find the right API for your use case. While you are welcome to use any APIs, most eBay partners focus on the Buy API suite.

How does eBay Partner Network relate to the eBay Developers Program?

They are separate programs that work well together. eBay Developers Program members, using eBay's APIs to power buying applications, can also join the eBay Partner Network for the potential to earn additional money for referring traffic to eBay. eBay partners, using their affiliate links, can join the eBay Developer Program to automate and more tightly integrate their shopping experiences with the eBay global marketplace.