Understanding eBay Item Numbers: What They Are, How to Find Them, and Why They're Necessary

There are a lot of items listed on eBay, with new items listed and sold every minute. Hundreds of thousands of sellers from all over the world compete sell to shoppers in every corner of the globe, resulting in a staggering 1.7 billion active listings on the platform today. Keeping track of and managing such a massive number of listings is no small feat, but eBay has its own ingenious way of doing just that with eBay item numbers. But what is an eBay item number, and what purpose can it serve for you as an eBay seller (or buyer!)? In this article, we'll take a look at the humble 12-digit code that is the eBay item number to understand how it works, what functions it serves, and how it can be a useful tool for you as an eBay seller. Keep reading to learn how to find an eBay item number, and how to use it to your advantage when selling on eBay.

‍

What is an eBay Item Number?

An eBay item number is a unique 12-digit code assigned by eBay to every listing on its site, whether that listing is an auction-style listing or in the fixed-price "Buy It Now" format. Despite its name, an eBay item number is unique to each listing, not to an individual item. It has many functions on eBay – you can use an eBay item number search to locate an individual listing with eBay's item number lookup via the advanced search function, use it to keep track of listings, and more. Put simply, an eBay item number is an identification number that eBay assigns to listings on its marketplace in order to keep track of listings and orders.

‍

How to Find an eBay Item Number

A listing's eBay item number will appear in several places in the listing itself, as well as in the order details of every order placed through a given listing. If you don't know what you're looking for, however, it can be hard to spot. But once you know what you're looking for and where to look for it, finding the eBay item number is simple and quick. In this section, we'll walk you through how to find the eBay item number on an eBay listing and on individual orders, both on mobile and on desktop.

In the Listing Description

As we mentioned earlier, eBay item numbers are assigned per listing. As such, a listing's unique item number will appear on every listing in the listing description section.

On a web browser:

• Click into the eBay listing
• Scroll down to the listing description
• Locate the "About this item" tab, which contains the item description provided by the seller
• At the top right-hand corner, you'll see the words "eBay item number" along with that listing's unique 12-digit eBay item number.

On the eBay app or mobile site:

If you're browsing eBay on your phone, either through eBay's app or through a mobile browser, you can find the item number in a similar way.

• Tap on the listing
• Scroll down to the "About this item" section
• Locate the eBay item number

In the URL

Another way to find the eBay item number of a listing is to click into the listing, and look at the URL path.  

In the Order Details

In addition to appearing on the listing, the eBay item number will also appear on the order details for both buyers and sellers.

For sellers: how to find the eBay item number for an item you sold

• Log into your eBay account
• Hover over My eBay at the top right hand corner and click on Selling
• Click on Orders
• Scroll down to locate the order, then find the item number

For buyers: how to find the eBay item number for an item you purchased

• Log into your eBay account
• Hover over My eBay at the top right hand corner and click on Purchase History
• Scroll down to locate the order
• Click "View Order Details" next to the order
• Scroll down to the Item Info section, and locate the item number

Why eBay Item Numbers Matter

Like barcodes and catalog numbers on other selling platforms, the eBay item number serves a variety of purposes. Now that you know where the eBay item number can be found, we'll take a moment to understand some of the ways it can be useful for you as an eBay seller. We'll review how eBay item numbers can be a handy way to keep track of items for both sellers and buyers, see how they can be helpful in customer service matters, and understand how they can be leveraged to more efficiently manage inventory and drive sales.

Easy Tracking for Buyers and Sellers

As we saw in the previous section, the eBay item number is directly linked to every order placed on eBay. It's an essential order tracking feature for both buyers and sellers, and provides an easy way to refer to specific items within multi-item orders. Likewise, buyers on eBay can search for specific listings using the eBay item number.

Helpful for Customer Service Issues

eBay item numbers are particularly valuable when it comes to customer service, especially in cases of repeat buyers or multi-item orders. In cases where a buyer has purchased the same item in different orders from separate listings, they offer a way to refer specifically to an exact item and the listing from which it was purchased. This helps manage customer service issues more efficiently, and prevents any confusion between items.

Useful for Managing Inventory

By far the most useful way to leverage the eBay item number system to your advantage is by utilizing it to manage inventory in an optimal way. One of the many factors on which eBay listing optimization and SEO hinge upon is a listing's sales history; the more sales made through a particular listing, the better visibility it will have in buyer searches.

You can take advantage of a listing's sales history by maintaining an active, live listing (keeping the same eBay item number) when selling multiple items on eBay is a good way to take advantage of – and strengthen – that listing's SEO. Instead of creating a new listing for the same item every time it sells, create multi-quantity listings and variation listings to offer a larger number and variety of items from an already strong eBay listing. You can do this automatically and easily when you use 3Dsellers, and without sharing all your inventory with eBay, with our handy "Up to Quantity" feature.

‍

Other Product Identifiers on eBay

While the eBay item number is a unique eBay code for tracking, organizing, and managing listings and items on the marketplace, it's far from the only product identifier you'll encounter on eBay. There are many product identifiers, each fulfilling a particular function when an item is listed and sold on eBay. Below, we'll take a look at some of the most common and important ones, including UPCs, MPNs, and EANs. To learn more about the various product identifiers on eBay, check out our informative blog post about eBay MPNs.

UPC

UPC stands for Universal Product Code, and as its name suggests, is a code used to identify products all over the world. When you scan the barcode at the self-checkout at your local grocery store, you're telling the computer what that item's UPC is, which it uses to identify the product and charge you the correct price. UPCs are primarily used in North America.

EAN

Like the UPC, EANs are a product code used to identify a wide variety of products across the supply chain. EAN stands for European Article Number, but they are widely utilized outside of Europe too. They are used much in the same way as UPCs, and are often represented with barcodes on product packaging.

MPN

MPN stands for Manufacturer Part Number. Essentially, and MPN is a model number, and often times they are in fact identical, or vary only in formatting (i.e. use "." instead of "-"). As their name suggests, MPNs are assigned by the manufacturer, and are used to denote specific models or variations of models in the items produced by that manufacturer.

‍

Final Thoughts: The Importance of eBay Item Numbers

eBay item numbers are an important tool for tracking eBay listings, and present a unique way for eBay sellers to leverage successful listings to increase visibility and drive sales. You can use eBay item numbers to find specific listings, ensure you're referring to the same item when discussing orders with buyers, and more easily manage your inventory. eBay item numbers offer a way to match between your listings to your sales, products, customers, and orders, and help you sell on eBay more easily, making them a uniquely useful product identifier for eBay sellers and buyers alike.

‍

FAQs about eBay Item Numbers

In this guide, we've covered how to find an eBay item number, discussed some of the main functions of eBay item numbers, and gone over how you can use eBay item numbers to your advantage as a seller on eBay. Below, we'll take a look at some frequently asked questions about eBay item numbers to help you better understand the many functions of this unique-to-eBay 12-digit code.

- Q: What is the purpose of an eBay item number?

An eBay item number is eBay's way of tracking listings on its marketplace. It's automatically assigned by eBay any time you create and publish a listing, and is visible to buyers directly on the listing. Whenever an order is placed, the eBay item number will be tied to that order, and be visible in the order details to both the seller and the buyer.

- Q: Does every item on eBay have an item number?

Despite their name, eBay item numbers are assigned to listings, not individual items. This means that if you sell a particular model of tire pressure gauge on your eBay Store and another seller has their own listing for the same item, your listing and their listing will have different eBay item numbers.

- Q: Can I change the item number of my listing?

No, a listing's eBay item number cannot be changed. It's automatically assigned by eBay to every published listing, and remains associated with that listing even if the listing is no longer active. There is no way to change the item number of a listing.

- Q: Can I search for an item using the item number?

If you already know the item number of the listing you're looking for, you can use the eBay's advanced search to look up an item by its eBay item number. Simply click on "Advanced" next to the search button on eBay's main page, and select "By item number" in the left-hand pane. Then, input the eBay item number, and click search.