Although many categories use the same condition IDs, buyers may interpret these conditions differently for each category. Because it is imperative that sellers understand what each condition means in the context of any given category — it is part of the contract between the buyer and the seller — the response payload for GetCategoryFeatures includes links to official item condition definitions. These links are returned in the Category.ConditionValues.ConditionHelpURL field

It is strongly recommended that these help links be displayed prominently in an application interface so that sellers understand how buyers will interpret the item condition.

Note: If a category (e.g., one in Antiques or Collectibles,) does not support Item.ConditionID, but you still want to describe the item's condition in your listing, here are some options:

  • If the category supports custom item specifics but does not specifically recommend Condition as a name, make up your own custom item specific for the condition.
  • Describe the item's condition within your item description.

In these cases, eBay's search engine will treat this text like any other keyword. That is, eBay will not recognize or process the item's condition when users filter on condition, but your text will be searchable and visible to buyers when they view the listing.

To determine the appropriate condition ID to use in a listing:

  1. Call GetCategoryFeatures to determine whether item conditions are required or enabled for the category and what item condition values are supported for the category.

    To retrieve this information, include one FeatureID field set to a value of ConditionEnabled and another FeatureID field set to a value of ConditionValues.

  2. In the GetCategoryFeatures response, locate the Category.ConditionEnabled field to see if an item condition is enabled or required for your category.
  3. Review the list of valid condition IDs in the Category.ConditionValues array. Each item condition has a numeric ID and also a human-readable display name, such as "New" or "Seller refurbished".
  4. After determining the most accurate condition ID from the response, specify the numeric ID value for the corresponding condition in the Item.ConditionID field of the AddItem (or related) call.
  5. If the item is not new, consider including the Item.ConditionDescription field to describe any wear and tear or defects with the item.

Please note the following if a ConditionID value is passed in that is not valid for a category:

Refer to Item conditions by category for additional information.