In this Article
Overview
Parts compatibility allows sellers to show a variety of vehicles that are compatible with a part or accessory in a single listing.
With parts compatibility you can create one listing describing a single part, and add a complete list of compatible vehicles from more than 37,000 models.
Benefits
More potential sales
- Buyers can easily find parts that fit their specific vehicle.
- Listings with parts compatibility information appear higher in search results as they are more relevant to the buyer.
- Gives customers’ more confidence that the part will fit the vehicle they are buying it for.
Less potential cost
- Decreased fees from duplicate listings.
- Less time and money spent on returns.
- Less resources devoted to answering customer questions about whether the part will fit their specific vehicle.
Set up Parts Compatibility
There are two ways to set up eBay parts compatibility, and both processes are explained below.
Make, Model, Submodel
If your product has data that correlates to the make, model, year, variant (etc) you can use this to match to an eBay parts compatibility tree. The compatibility tree requires you to map make, model, variant, year, submodel & engine.
Create The Category Tree
Before you begin to categorise your products, you first need to create a category tree to house the category data.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to eBay > Setup & Tools and choose Import eBay Categories.
-
Select Import eBay Vehicle Compatibility Categories from the drop down menu and click Continue.
-
Choose the eBay Category Tree to download. If you are setting up parts compatibility for the first time, select Create A New Category Tree and Only Insert New Records. Name the tree Parts Compatibility.
-
When complete click Import Data.
Assign Parts Compatibility To Products
Now that you’ve created your category structure you can assign them to your products. There are two methods, individually and in bulk (though export & import).
Individually
Parts Compatibility can be assigned to products in the same way as product categories. Please follow the how to add a product to a product category instructions, remembering to select Parts Compatibility instead of Product Category.
Bulk Method
To assign parts compatibility to multiple products at once use the Maropost Commerce Import Wizard to upload a CSV file with your products and the associated compatibility information.
Below is an example of how you can structure the layout of the CSV file.
| SKU | Make | Model | Submodel | Year | Variant | Engine | Notes |
|---|
| SKU_1 | Holden | Commodore | VX Sedan 3.8 i V6 | 2002 | RWD Petrol 3.8L 6cyl 152kW L36(231CUV6) | 3791cc 152kW (Petrol) | Auto |
| SKU_1 | Holden | Commodore | VU Ute 3.8 | 2002 | RWD Petrol 3.8L 6cyl 152kW | 3791cc 152kW (Petrol) | Auto |
| SKU_1 | Holden | Commodore | VY Wagon 3.8 i V6 | 2002 | RWD Petrol 3.8L 6cyl 152kW L36(231CUV6) | 3791cc 152kW (Petrol) | Auto |
| SKU_1 | Holden | Commodore | VY Sedan 3.8 i V6 | 2002 | RWD Petrol 3.8L 6cyl 152kW L36(231CUV6) | 3791cc 152kW (Petrol) | Auto |
| SKU_2 | Holden | Commodore | VZ Sedan 3.6 i V6 | 2004 | RWD Petrol 3.6L 6cyl 175kW HB,LE0 | 3565cc 175kW (Petrol) | Auto |
The template for importing the above file would look like this
Important: The notes section uses :: as a separator which is defined on the Update Options tab of the import wizard.
All products using this rules template will now push the Parts Compatibility data assigned through to eBay.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to eBay > Listing Rule Templates.
-
Open the template you wish to use to list using parts compatibility by clicking on the appropriate ID.
-
On the Categorisation & Listing Rules tab select a fall back category that allows part compatibility (e.g. Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Car, Truck Parts > Exterior > Other).
-
A drop down will appear under the Specifics section called Compatibility List. Select Parts Compatibility and click Save.
KType
The kType mapping allows you to define which makes and models of cars are compatible with the product by a reference number associated with each product. That reference number is called a kType code.
The master list of kTpe data is available to download from eBay.
Create the Category Tree
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to Settings & Tools > All Settings & Tools.
-
Under Control Panel click Content Types Manager.
-
Click Add New.
-
Populate the Name and Unique Code fields with kType and click Save & Close.
Import kType Codes into Maropost Commerce
-
Download the latest kType code list.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to Settings & Tools > Import.
-
Click Perform Complex Import and then choose Start Data Import Wizard.
-
Select Category Or Content in the What Are You Importing? drop down box. Then click Choose File and upload the kType code list. When complete click Continue To Next Step.
-
Modify the field mapping to look like the below image and click Continue To Next Step.
-
Click Continue To Next Step again and then Process File Now.
Please Note: Due to the size of the file, it may take several minutes for the file to be imported.
Assign kTypes codes to products
Like category information, kTypes also need to be applied to your products so eBay can read the information, and can be done individually or in bulk.
Individually
KType codes can be assigned to products in the same way as product categories. Please follow the how to add a product to a product category instructions, remembering to select kType instead of Product Category.
Bulk Method
To assign kType codes to multiple products at once it is best use the Maropost Commerce Import Wizard to upload a csv file with your products and the associated kType codes.
Set up the Listing Rules Template to use kType
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to eBay > Listing Rule Templates.
-
Open the template you wish to use to list using kType codes by clicking on the appropriate ID.
-
On the Categorisation & Listing Rules tab select a fall back category that allows compatibility.
-
A drop down will appear under the Specifics section called Compatibility List. Select kType and click Save.
-
All products using this rules template will now push the kType data assigned through to eBay.
Update eBay Parts Compatibility Categories
Download the Latest Parts Compatibility Information
If you haven't yet downloaded the parts compatibility information at all, follow these steps.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to eBay > Setup & Tools.
-
Click Site Manager.
-
Select the boxes which correspond to the eBay sites you’re trading on (e.g. Australia, US, UK).
-
At the bottom of the page select both boxes to download the latest site data, and the eBay compatibility list. Then click Download.
This download will take 15 - 30 minutes to complete, depending on the number of sites you’ve selected.
Update eBay Parts Compatibility Categories
eBay periodically update their category structure, including their parts compatibility. So that you can access the latest data the categories need to be downloaded into Maropost Commerce so they can be applied to your products. Follow the steps below to update your parts compatibility.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to eBay > Setup & Tools.
-
Click on Import eBay Categories.
-
From the drop down list, choose Import eBay Vehicle Compatibility Categories and click Continue.
-
Select the compatibility tree you wish to download. For eBay Australia, this will be Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Car, Truck Parts > Exterior > Other.
-
Select the Maropost Commerce category tree to update, or to start over from scratch, select Create New Category Tree.
Update Products With Inactive Compatibility
eBay will often remove outdated parts compatibility categories in their updates, so it is important these are also removed from products. To find products with inactive categories:
-
Select if you want to replace the existing category tree, or just insert new records. If you only insert new records, old categories which are no longer in use won’t be marked inactive.
-
Once these settings are selected, click Import Data. Parts compatibility will now be downloaded, and may take up to an hour to complete. Once done you’ll receive a confirmation screen telling you how many categories were created and updated.
-
In your Maropost Commerce control panel navigate to Webstore and choose the parts compatibility tree.
-
Expand the search filters. Set the status to Inactive, and No. Of Items from 1 to blank, then click Apply.
-
For each inactive category, click the number in No. Of Items to see the products affected. Open them and remove the inactive category to prevent revision errors.
