eBay to RSS

Posted by Andy Baio

eBay offers the option of e-mailing new results of saved searches, but they’re very sporadic and incomplete. Instead, I whipped up a PHP script that queries eBay for a set of keywords and converts it to an RSS feed for syndication, allowing you to subscribe to recent eBay search results ordered by date or high bids. The code is here. (Just rename it to ebayrss.php and drop it somewhere on your own webserver.)

You can test it out for a short time on my server, but this is a very temporary demonstration. Please don’t abuse it.

By the way, I don’t see why developers should have to pay the ridiculous fees for the eBay API, especially when augmenting eBay’s own broken functionality and developing free software that makes them money.

July 8, 2003: eBay removed the Javascript array that I was parsing to gather the auction data… I don’t have the time to modify the script, but please feel free to e-mail me a patch, and I’ll post it here.

December 28, 2003: The script is fixed, but eBay may eventually break it again. It’s broken again.

April 12, 2004: This script is no longer maintained. I recommend FreeBiddingTools.com, which hosts RSS feeds for eBay searches.

August 19, 2004: RSS Auction is a new site that does the same thing, in a much more flexible way. Go use it.

Comments

    And thousands of ebay addicts were never heard from again.

    I am so tempted to drop a link to this entry over on some of the excessive knitting boards, where people routinely start bitchslapping fights over bargain-priced mohair auctions.

    Sweet! I’m tempted to modify it, store several differnt searches on my server and slam the rss feed in my handy-dandy rss aggregator so I can keep up on the latest “stuff I need” on ebay. I don’t think my wife would appreciate that. =)

    I’m not really a PHP guru, so any improvements are welcome. All the heavy lifting for the script is handled by one regex that pulls all the relevant auction information out of a Javascript array on eBay’s auction listing page.

    oooohhh, ok a javascript array. I just now looked at the code in detail, and I was like “hey! where is he getting this stuff???”. Now that you say that and I look at the ebay soure it makes sense now. =)

    If the script does not work on your server, you may need to declare the variables in the new fashion:

    if ($_GET[‘search’]) {

    $sort = $_GE[‘sort’] ? $sort : ‘MetaNewSort’;

    $rss = parse_html($_GET[‘search’], $sort);

    (Affects those who have global variables turned off)

    is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the results returned are for auctions that have ended? even when i ask for ‘newly listed’ i get auctions that have ended 7 days ago.

    Is there any way to get this script to search completed auctions? I would like to see what I should be paying for stuff.

    THANKS ALOT: I am enjoying the Ebay feed from someone else who is generous enough to share it. I cannot get it to work. Was wondering if you have any idiot proof instructions.

    REQUEST: AN Ebay feed by User ID. THis way I can monitor my auctions so I know when they are bid on. PLEASE!

    I tried your program it was working for few days but stop to genrating out-put today (07-06-03).

    It fitch the correct content, but there is nothing in the out-put string.

    I think the problem is in this line;

    if (preg_match (“/eLn/”, $line)) {

    Please explain what are you seeking in the $line ?

    Thanks

    John Slater

    I seem to be getting the dSI pages if I add the 2 following headers to the HTTP Request:

    wc.Headers.Add(“User-Agent”, “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT

    5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)”)

    wc.Headers.Add(“Cookie”, “ebay=js/1; lucky9=241756; search=Set-Cookie:

    search=st2; minMax=; keepmesignin=in; Listing=itemtime1; etfc=1; count=1”)

    I wonder if there is an xml feed that will link to eBay and allow my visitors to see actual auctions that they can click on? Not sure if I worded it correctly, but any assistance would be great! Thanks JC

    I’m using this dSI. It exists in the results page however you send the eBay cookies (for example, if you visit http://www.ebay.com and then the search results, dSI exists, if not, is all HTML, no JS).

    re. RSS Auction – does anyone know if it’s good for lesser techies that want to have an eBay affil id – or does it only provide their id – for them to get commission?

    RSSAUCTION.COM is the best. However, they are down ALOT. They have been down for at least 5 days now. I am switching to ebayrss.getitdaddy.com, which is the second best out there.

    having problems running ebay keeps coming up with lucky 9 please set cookie i have no idea what this means been intouch with e bay help (long winded) thay said i have to mamy old cookies on my computer, deleted these and still have the problem.ebay cant help any more this has been going on for a month now can any one help me

    Saved Search Pro does the same thing, but it allows you to make much more in the way of refinements to your searches, drilling the category structure, using item specifics, and even multi-selected values. Check it out here.

    Hello all.

    Here is a good question for the group.

    Is there a line of code, html, java, etc. that I can put in my eBay listing that will make

    the listing come up on the first page of search results rather then the 30th page? LOL!

    The script is working good but is only displaying 1 result is there a way to make it display lets say 20 results?

    Jim

    I’ll pay you to get this working. Ebay’s RSS feed is hosed and I use it all day long for work. You interested in helping?

Comments are closed.