Developing with Visual Basic NET
Visual Basic .NET isn't the same language as Visual Basic 6 the two are so different that many developers gave up trying to move code from one to the other. Many of the changes in Visual Basic .NET are actually advantageous, especially for eBay Web Services application designers. For example, you have better access to the low-level details of your application. In addition, Visual Basic .NET comes with many Web service support items built in. The following sections discuss how to use Visual...
Using the GetShippingRates Call
This example shows how to obtain an estimate of the cost for shipping an item based on a number of factors including the starting and ending point, the weight, packaging type, the method of shipment, and the value of the item. You can use this call to estimate the shipping costs before you put the item up for sale and also when you complete a sale. The call helps you determine what to charge for a product when the seller pays for shipping. Listing 14.3 shows the code for this example. You'll...
Selling and Relisting Products
The main reason that some people spend time on eBay is to sell items. Generally, the seller uses a manual interface to define facts about the item, such as an item description and picture. The seller also provides information such as the payment terms and method of shipment. You can automate all of these tasks using eBay Web Services. Any task that you can perform using the manual interface, you can also perform using the automation of eBay Web Services. This includes relisting a product if it...
Yahoo Shopping
Yahoo 's premiere online shopping service is, not surprisingly, Yahoo Shopping shopping.yahoo.com , which is both a Web search engine for specific products and a huge directory of online merchants thousands of them listed in dozens of different categories. As you can see in Figure 1-24, you use the Search section at the top of the page to search for specific merchandise the Browse section lets you browse the merchants by category. It's the shopping search that's particularly cool you can search...
Considering Reliability Issues
Reliable application performance is essential if you plan to use eBay Web Services for any type of business purpose. Most people associate reliability with availability, but that's only part of the picture. When working with eBay Web Services, you need to consider five reliability factors. Availability of Data Unless a user can access the eBay data, using the application you create is useless. Fortunately, eBay Web Services has a high availability rate, so most desktop applications will run...
What Is a Web Service
You can look at a Web service from a number of perspectives. The easiest way to view a Web service is as a means of obtaining access to information. Essentially, you ask the server for information and the server returns that information in some form. The request and the returned information normally appear in eXtensible Markup Language XML form. Using XML preserves the meaning behind the information, regardless of the diversity of the platforms involved, so that you receive not only the...
Addressing Speed Concerns
Speed measures how fast an application can perform a task. Many developers concentrate on this factor when developing an application because it's relatively easy to quantify. You can easily demonstrate that a particular coding change or technique improvement provides a corresponding increase in speed. Making changes that result in a speed increase is important when using a Web service such as eBay Web Services because your application incurs a performance penalty when it requests the data....
Walkthrough Example Calling the eBay API Using SOAP from Visual Studio NET
You can extend the prior example to add the functionality to call the eBay API using SOAP. Because you are using SOAP instead of HTTP-POST, the steps to call that same Web service are quite different. 1. Reopen the eBaySample application you created in the prior example if it is not already open. 2. Add a reference to the eBay API by selecting Project O Add Web Reference. For the URL field, specify the location of the WSDL file, for example with this URL http developer.ebay. 3. Click the GO...
Using Visual Studio
Visual Studio 6 is the last version of Microsoft's language product to provide full support for native applications those that run directly from the Win32 API. Developers who don't want to adopt Microsoft's .NET strategy have continued to use this version of Visual Studio and it will probably remain viable for a long time. This book discusses the two most popular languages included with Visual Studio 6 Visual Basic 6 and Visual C 6. I'm assuming that you have installed the latest service pack...
Tips for Taking Cloud Dome Pictures
Surprisingly, there's very little learning curve ns gt lt aj to using a Cloud Dome. The simple steps in ViV the preceding section attest to this fact. What may take you more time is discovering the tips and tricks that help you achieve professional-looking results. And reading this section kickstarts your discovery process. Here are a few things to keep in mind when taking photos with the Cloud Dome. 1 Focus, focus Due to the focus limitations of many of today's digital cameras, I found it best...
eBay Selling Managers Reports
I like eBay's Selling Manager because it gives you the opportunity to keep all your selling information in one place. It also gives you downloadable reports that you can archive for your business records. You must subscribe to the Selling Manager product to get these reports. There is a 4.99 per month fee. The benefits of the product are mentioned throughout this book it's an excellent choice for the beginning eBay seller. Your eBay sales reports include important information about your...
Networks J Office
The first time I spoke to my editors about putting information in my books about networking, they scoffed at me. Bah People who work at home don't need networks as if networks were solely for the big companies with lots of cubicles . The more I spoke to the eBay community, the more I saw the need for networks and the more people asked me about them. I started writing about eBay in 1999, and now it's 2004. A lot of technology has washed under the bridge, and many advances have been made. Setting...
Using the eBay SDK Configuration Wizard
In order to use eBay Sample Selling Application, you need to configure it by modifying the eBaySales.exe.config file located in the Program Fi1es eBay SDK folder. This configuration task is an important first step you must perform it before you start the sample application. The following steps show you how to perform the task with an Access database. Working with other databases follows a similar sequence. 1. Start the eBay SDK Configuration Wizard using the Start Programs eBay SDK gt -Database...
Listing Your Items Effectively
In this chapter you're going to learn how to submit an item for sale in eBay. There's a lot to cover. We're going to discuss how to create your photographs, the different ways in which you can list items, how much eBay charges, how to enter information and pictures for your listing, specifying payment and shipping, and so on. This chapter is not intended as a quick step-through process. We're going to show you the process step-by-step, but we'll be stopping and explaining various concepts and...
Using the eBay Lister
This part of the program contains the actual Office document and is the one you should concentrate on if you're interested mainly in how a partnership between Office and eBay can exist. Open eBayLister.xls and you'll see an opening page named Settings with the same information requirements as every other example in the book. Depending on how you configure Office, you might also see a macro warning you can dismiss it to use the application. You must provide your eBay keys, as well as a valid...
Understanding Internationalization Issues
Many developers don't consider internationalization issues when they develop a Web application today, but it's an important issue. Unless you know that no one who speaks another language will ever have any reason to access your site, you have to consider the possibility that internationalization could benefit your site. Not every site requires internationalization, but many do. You also have to consider how to handle the internationalization of your site. In many cases, you can simply ensure...
Using Web Services from Any Visual Studio Version
Chapter 5 demonstrates the two common techniques for working with eBay Web Services SDK and API. Visual Studio developers also have these options, but implementing the solutions is a lot easier because Visual Studio provides a number of additional tools that Office developers can only dream about. For example, you can easily mix eBay Integration Library support with standard database calls. Just because Visual Studio provides a robust development environment, doesn't mean that all versions of...
eBay invoicing
eBay also allows you to send out invoices for your items, but they're not sent out automatically as they are by PayPal . For eBay invoices, you have a couple of options 1 From the item page Invoices can be sent directly from the item page, as shown in Figure 22-5. You will see the Send Invoice bar only if you are signed into eBay when you visit the auction. 2 Photography Plioto Lights NIB Lighting Kit imaMiumtor.aBanBSca Seller status Your item sold for US 119.99 Von letisled his ilem. CliLk hp...
Registering Your Application
The workaround performs the required task in two steps. The first step is to register your application. It's possible to perform this step from your local machine, but using a Web site does improve the chances of success. You'll find two Web pages for this task in the Chapter 05 RegisterApplication folder of the source code found on the Sybex Web site. This chapter won't discuss the actual code used just the procedure. See the Using JavaScript to Access eBay Web Services section of Chapter 6...
Performing Research
Some people assume that eBay is only about buying and selling products. In most cases, that's what happens a seller offers an item that someone else buys. The buying and selling on eBay does lend itself to other forms of activity. One of the most important alternative activities today is the use of all that data for research purposes. For example, you might want to know how well a particular item retains its value. By comparing the list price, the new selling price, and the prices for items of...
Using the eBay Visual C Example
One of the examples you get with the eBay Web Services Kit is a Visual C application that demonstrates basic usage. In this case, like many others, the example shows how to upload a listing to eBay. You'll find this example in the Program Files eBay SDK Samples C SimpleList folder of your eBay Web Services Kit installation. Make sure you read the ReadMe.TXT file in the source code folder it contains setup instructions you need for the example. In general, you need to add the folder for the .NET...
Writing Applications Using Visual Studio
Visual C 6 yyVisual Basic .NETy Visual C .NET One of the best ways to work with eBay Web Services when you want to create a free-form desktop application is to use Visual Studio. With Visual Studio, you have access to a full user interface, Web service, and database tools. Given time and resources, you can create seamless access to eBay Web Services for any need, including many forms of Web application access. If you use Visual Studio .NET, mobile applications become relatively easy to create...
Using the SDK Technique with Visual C NET
The example in this section performs a standard search using the SDK technique. The unique feature of this example is the use of a DataSet to store the results. The use of DataSet means that you can perform a number of data manipulations at the speed of local memory, but with all of the benefits of a database. Listing 8.3 shows the essential source code for this example. You'll find the complete source for this example in the Chapter 08 CSharp_ItemSearch folder of the source code located on the...
PerpetualVogue
Member since April 2002 Feedback 5039 Positive feedback 99.9 eBay Looking around eBay for some unique items, I ran across Clarissa Parashar's eBay store, Perpetual Vogue. Clarissa, a native Southern Californian, has developed a store with a style of its own. The store specializes in rock 'n roll, musician, tattoo design, biker, and streetwear apparel and accessories. She discovered eBay as a buyer and found it to be a fabulous marketplace to find great items. After six months, she thought she'd...
Anomalies
Despite the fact that eBay has a high volume of both auctions and bidders and is a rational market, there will always be eBay market anomalies. How do you explain commonly available items selling auction after auction for 10 percent more than people would have to pay for them in a discount store How do you explain a first-rate branded item selling new for as little as 70 percent off list price 30 of list price These anomalies happen by chance or due to some undiscern-ible force in the...
Authenticating the User
At this point, you've registered your application and you have a Web server that eBay can access. To authenticate the user and obtain the token you need, you must provide a connection to eBay and a means for eBay to redirect the response to your site. The three Web pages to perform this task appear in the Chapter 05 GetUserAuth folder of the source code on the Sybex site. The Default.HTM file begins the authentication process. It contains a simple script that combines the URL for the eBay...
Openwave SDK
Like the Microsoft emulators, the Openwave SDK is also a free download, but the Openwave Web site offers plenty of opportunity to purchase products as well. You must complete a registration form to get the free download. The Openwave file you download is an executable, so double-clicking it starts the installation process. Simply follow the prompts to install the product. Most versions of the product require yes or no answers to each question. The Openwave Web site offers a number of versions...
Www.tydebay.com
You use a link to go to another webpage anywhere on the Web. For instance, suppose you want to go to the Hike-Utah website. You might use the following link. This link will take you directly to the Hike-Utah website which features information on hiking and backpacking in Utah. Notice that the opening and closing markups surround the words canyon trail maps. In the webpage, these three words will be underlined with a different color to indicate that they are a link.
Writing the Code
The example in this section uses the GetMyEBayCa11 method to retrieve the items that a user is watching, bidding on, has lost, or has won. Listing 13.1 shows how to work with this call to retrieve the required information. You'll find the complete source for this example in the Chapter 13 MyEBayDemo folder of the source code located on the Sybex Web site. O Listing 13.1 Using the GetMyEBayCall private void btnTest_C1ick object sender, System.EventArgs e ApiSession Session The eBay session....
Charity silent auctions
I'm sure you've been to your share of silent auctions for charity. A school or an organization will get everyone from major corporations to the local gift shop to donate items. The items are then auctioned off to the highest bidder, usually in a silent format. You can find many a great item at these auctions. Aside from new merchandise, collectors may feel good about donating some collection overflow to a charity. I purchased the keystone of my Star Trek action figure collection at a charity...
Contents at a Glance
Part I_Discovering eBay Web Services_1 Chapter 1 Learning about eBay Web Services 3 Chapter 2 Using eBay Web Services to Your Advantage 25 Chapter 3 Defining a Search 47 Chapter 4 Working with Web Service Data 63 Part II_Writing eBay Web Services Programs_95 Chapter 5 Starting the Development Process 97 Chapter 6 Writing Browser-Based Applications 121 Chapter 7 Writing Applications Using VBA 143 Chapter 8 Writing Applications Using Visual Studio 171 Chapter 9 Writing Applications Using PHP 215...
Using SQL Server as a Database
Using a cache to hold your eBay search data is a good idea for a number of reasons. For example, using a cache helps you improve application performance. For more information on how to use caching, see the Caching as a Practical Performance Enhancing Technique section of Chapter 7. The example in this section relies on SQL Server to provide caching functionality. However, you could easily adapt the example to use any Database Management System DBMS . In fact, you don't have to use a DBMS at all...
Using the eBay Visual Basic Example
The Visual Basic 6 example looks and works much like the Visual C example shown in Figure 8.1. As with the Visual C example, you provide the developer, user, and environment information as input to the first dialog box. The second dialog box provides entries for adding a new item to eBay. If you run the application and get a Can't find library or object. error, make sure you verify that all of the references are correct. To do this, open the Reference dialog box using the Project References...
Using the API Technique with Visual Basic
The example in this section discusses the GetStoreDetails call. Some sellers on eBay have an electronic storefront that offers specific benefits that improve sales and generally make using eBay easier. The GetStoreDetails call helps you learn more about the stores. You can learn more about storefronts in the API help topic at http developer.ebay.com A general discussion of this call appears at GetStoreDetailsLogic.htm. Most important of the features available to an eBay store is a special...
Packaging the heart of the matter
Depending on the size of the item you sell, you can purchase boxes in bulk at reliable sources. Because you have a resale number see Chapter 15 , look in your local yellow pages for wholesale boxes. You still have to pay tax, but the resale number identifies you as a business and often can get you a lower price. Try to purchase from a manufacturer that specializes in B2B business to business sales. Some box companies specialize in selling to the occasional box user. Knowing the size that you...
The SquareTrade seal program
Sellers who meet SquareTrade's stringent standards may subscribe to the SquareTrade seal see Figure 6-2 and display it proudly in their auctions. A SquareTrade-reviewed seller meets the following criteria 1 Identity verification SquareTrade has verified the seller's identity, contact information, or both the identity and the contact information. i Mediation commitment Should the need arise, the seal certifies that the seller agrees to enter mediation to resolve transaction-related issues, as...
Using Visual Studio NET
Visual Studio .NET promises to deliver a lot in the way of language functionality, so it's almost a shame that I only cover C and Visual Basic in this chapter. You still have an option to use Visual C for development purposes. See my book Visual C .NET Developer's Guide Osborne, 2002 for details on using this language. In fact, the inclusion of new designer tools for Visual C developers in Visual Studio .NET 2003 makes this language a viable choice the first version of Visual Studio .NET didn't...
Defining Static and Dynamic Data
Applications that rely on data from an outside source, such as a Web service, can include the concept of static and dynamic data. Dynamic data is the best type to use for Web services because it reflects changes in the eBay database. An application gains important benefits by using dynamic data. For example, you won't try to purchase a product that eBay no longer carries because the dynamic nature of your application automatically tells you that product is no longer part of the eBay catalog....
Yahoo Member Directory
If the person you're looking for is a Yahoo user, chances are that person has created a public profile. You can search these public profiles from the Yahoo Member Directory page members.yahoo.com . Yahoo lets you search by Yahoo ID, person's name, or interests. The Yahoo Member Directory page is a good starting point for all your people searching it also includes search functionality for Yahoo People Search and Yahoo Personals. insider To create or edit your own Yahoo public profile, go to the...
Organize The Inventory
An organization system needs to be applied to your inventory so items can be easily and quickly stored, located, and retrieved. 1. Assign a locator system to your storage infrastructure. For example, A-2-3 could be used to identity the A rack, number 2 shelf, and third 3 position on the shelf. Label your storage system in a clear but nonpermanent manner you'll probably tweak the system a few times before you're satisfied with it . 2. Identify the item with the locator number. Annotate the...
Maxam Wholesale BF Systems Offers Good Profit Opportunities For DM
Maxam Wholesale www.bnfusa.com is a well guarded secret of direct marketers and a great source for premiums incentives. They are the manufacturer for most of the items- so you're not dealing with middlemen adding mark-ups to the items. I first heard about Maxam from Dan Kennedy www.dankennedy.com . According to Dan, This is a very reputable company. Their merchandise is of excellent quality much of it comes with guarantees and warranties. And he's right Authorized dealers get free access to...
An Alternative to VBA
One issue to consider before you invest a lot of time in VBA is whether you need VBA at all. Most Office 2003 applications and many third party applications can work with XML data directly. You can even format that data using XSLT. Consequently, you could download the information you need using any of the browser techniques discussed in Chapters 2, 4, and 6. Simply save the resulting XML file to disk and you have the raw information you need to perform an analysis, develop a report, or create a...
Using a Browser Example
This first browser example simply performs a search. Generally, browser applications provide a good way to experiment with eBay Web Services and provide utility-like applications. One of the best features of a browser application is that it works on a lot of platforms and devices. Unfortunately, the browser needs some type of XML support, so you generally have to provide an XML solution for a particular need. In this case, the browser example relies on a Microsoft XML solution. Figure 2.4 shows...
Adding To Your Store Header 1
3. For example, to add links to your listings, click Stores HTML Builder. In the HTML Builder window, under Advanced Link Builder, click Build Links To Items In the Build Links To Items window, add a title if you want, select colors, and add up to 20 item numbers and associated link data the item number, text that will become the link buyers click, a hosted or Picture Manager picture, and a description. Click Continue.
Making Sensible Queries
eBay Web Services can help you perform a number of tasks. The problem is that each request and response consumes resources. To get the most from this Web service, you need to optimize the requests and responses so that the value of the information you receive exceeds the cost of transmitting and manipulating the data. Creating a request and then handling the response has several costs associated with it. Some of the costs are real world in that you must provide the infrastructure required to...
Creating Messages for eBay Using XML
At this point, you know what XML is about and how to use the eBay API Test Tool to reduce your workload. However, you haven't really put everything together to generate messages of your own. The concept of a Web service is that you send a request and the Web service sends a response to that request. As you've seen in the chapter, eBay uses a number of request and response message formats to support the kinds of tasks that most developers will have to include with their applications. Although...
Configuring the JCreator Editor
The professional version of the JCreator editor can make working with eBay Web Services a lot easier because it provides help with the various packages and libraries. You don't have to spend time working with batch files because the application compiles within the IDE. In addition, the debugger makes it easy to see how requests to and responses from eBay Web Services work. Because there are a number of ways to work with eBay Web Services, I decided to create a setup that could work with them...
Adding a Microsoft XML Reference to Visual Basic
Unlike many Web services that you'll use, eBay doesn't require you to install the Microsoft SOAP Toolkit you can work with eBay Web Services using simple XML techniques. Chapter 4 discusses most of the XML techniques you'll use. However, before you use XML with Visual Basic 6, make sure you install Microsoft XML version 4.0, rather than use the older version that comes with the product. You can download Microsoft XML 4.0 Service Pack 2 at To add the Microsoft XML reference to your project, use...
Understanding the Benefits of Using VBA
Most of the examples you'll see for eBay Web Services outside this book probably focus on Web technologies. Developers use eBay Web Services to create connections to their Web site to make sales or their Pocket PC to perform quick searches or auction updates . However, VBA lets you view eBay Web Services from an entirely different perspective. Instead of looking for the next sale or generating some type of search result, using VBA with your application lets you concentrate on data it helps you...
Resources for Learning VBA
This chapter won't teach you how to use VBA. I'm assuming that you already know enough about VBA to create your own simple applications. If you don't already have this knowledge, you can get it from a number of sources. The first place to look is my book, VBA for Dummies, Fourth Edition Wiley, 2003 . This book introduces you to VBA and takes you through examples using all of the major Microsoft Office applications. You'll also want to look at some of the resources that Microsoft provides. For...