eBay: which file to download to optimize your listings (Seller Hub Reports)

On eBay, two files look very much alike in Seller Hub > Reports. The problem: only one of the two can be re-imported. Take the wrong one, and you won't be able to update anything. We'll show you the right one, right away. And if you'd rather not handle a file at all, there's another route: we cover it further down.

The right file

Here's the one you need:

Go to Seller Hub > Reports.
Open the "Upload" tab (on the left).
Click "Download template".
Choose the "Edit price and quantity" type.

You get a file with your listings (the "Action" column, the Item number and an #INFO line), ready to be re-imported. Before anything else, open it and check which text columns it contains: Title, Subtitle or Description can vary by template. Ecomptimize optimizes the text columns present. Depending on your plan, it may also propose a new Description using only information already in the file. If there is no usable source text, it stops at import instead of charging you for nothing. If you open the file in Excel, close it WITHOUT saving afterwards: re-saving can damage Item numbers and make the file unsafe to re-import.

Important to know: some Seller Hub templates contain a Description column and others do not. When you work with a file, Ecomptimize does not go and fetch your current description from eBay: a plan-proposed Description uses only information from your file. eBay may ignore that new column during re-import; Ecomptimize warns you before export.

The trap to avoid

Be careful not to confuse it with the other file.

To avoid: the "Active listings" report from the "Download" tab. It's used to read your statistics and cannot be re-imported into eBay.

The two look alike, but they don't have the same role:

Upload tab > Download template > "Edit price and quantity" = the right file, re-importable.
Download tab > "Active listings" = a read-only report, not re-importable.

If you remember one thing: go through the Upload tab, not the Download tab.

After the optimization

Your optimized file follows the eBay Seller Hub Reports template (with the "Action" column and the Item number). Once the optimization is finished, you can re-import it directly to update your listings.

Concretely:

In eBay Seller Hub: Reports > Upload your file.
The "Revise" action updates your existing listings (the Item number is preserved).
Check one or two listings: the text columns from your source are updated, while prices and stock are unchanged.

The preserved Item number is what guarantees that eBay updates the right listing instead of creating a new one.

You can also skip the file

The file isn't the only route. If you prefer, you can link your eBay account to Ecomptimize: nothing to download, nothing to re-import, your listings are read and updated directly.

That link stays your choice, and it is deliberately narrow: Ecomptimize reads your live listings and only rewrites the text you have approved on screen. Never your prices, your stock, your photos, your categories, your orders or your customers. You can cut the link whenever you want and go back to the file.

Frequently asked questions

I see several files, how can I be sure I'm taking the right one? The right file always comes from the "Upload" tab, via "Download template", type "Edit price and quantity". If it comes from the "Download" tab (like "Active listings"), it's the wrong one: it won't re-import.

Do I have to write the description myself? It depends on the template. If your file contains Description, Ecomptimize can optimize it. Otherwise, some plans may propose one using only information in the file: with a file, your current eBay description is not retrieved. eBay may ignore that new column, and the export step tells you clearly.

Are my prices and my stock going to change? No. In file mode, optimization only touches allowed text derived from your file; prices and stock stay unchanged. Check one or two listings after re-import.

What exactly does the "Revise" action do? It updates your existing listings while keeping their Item number. You don't start from scratch and you don't lose the history of your listings.