HUB-2-API: eBay.de integration and B2B orders
Synthetic illustration of the data flow. It is not a screenshot of the historical HUB-2-API application.
Starting point: one product range managed in several places
The project was created in 2018 for an automotive parts company operating in the German market. The company had a large product list in an Excel file, sold through eBay.de and also handled orders from regular business customers in France.
Every channel needed current information about the range and availability. Copying the same data by hand created repetitive work and made it harder to keep one controlled process.
One system between the catalogue and sales channels
We built HUB-2-API with CodeIgniter 3. The system imported a large product list from a spreadsheet and used that data in the next stages of listing and order handling.
The solution covered:
- importing products from an Excel file;
- publishing and editing listings on eBay.de;
- retrieving marketplace orders;
- an order management panel;
- a B2B API for three customers in France.
The technology reflects the state of the project in 2018. For a new implementation, we would select the solution again based on current requirements, APIs and security rules.
eBay.de integration
Instead of preparing every listing separately, the system used the imported data to publish and update products on eBay.de. It also retrieved orders, making marketplace operations part of the same process.
This did not mean automating every commercial decision. The system organised the data flow and the operations previously carried out in several places. Users still had an operations panel for reviewing orders.
API for B2B partners
Three large customers in France used an API created for their own systems. The partners could:
- retrieve the current product range;
- check whether the required products were available;
- place an order without sending a list of items manually.
Their orders appeared in the HUB-2-API panel. The company could therefore handle the marketplace and B2B partners in one tool, even though each source used a different communication method.
Result: less manual listing and order handling
The client no longer had to manage every eBay.de listing change manually or receive all partner orders outside the system. Its customers could connect their own software to the API, check the range and submit orders through a defined process.
We do not have approved measurements of time, operation volumes or revenue impact. We therefore describe the result as a process change without adding unsupported figures.
Why we describe this as a historical project
HUB-2-API is no longer in use. Marketplace integrations, security requirements and data exchange methods change over time, so the old application is not a ready-made solution that can simply be launched today.
The project still demonstrates experience in connecting a product catalogue, marketplace, operations panel and B2B API. This pattern remains relevant to trading companies, even though a current implementation would require different technology and up-to-date provider interfaces.
When a similar integration makes sense
A similar solution is worth considering when:
- the same product range is copied manually to several channels;
- products are maintained in spreadsheets or a system that the marketplace does not support directly;
- the company needs its own rules for publishing and updating listings;
- orders from several sources should reach one panel;
- regular partners want to retrieve the range and place orders through an API;
- an off-the-shelf integration covers only part of the actual process.
A large application is not always necessary. The right first step may be an importer, one channel integration or a limited API for a selected group of partners.
What to establish before a similar project
Before starting an integration, we need to describe:
- where the master product range is stored;
- which data should reach the marketplace or partners;
- where orders return and who approves them;
- how availability is checked;
- which actions partners may perform through the API;
- what should happen after an error or when required data is missing.
There is no need to share real commercial data at the first stage. A process description and a sample data structure without confidential information are enough.
Want to connect your product range, orders and B2B partners?
Tell us where you keep your product range, which channels you use and which tasks are still performed manually. We will use that information to assess whether you need an integration, importer, module or separate application.
Talk to us about a similar integration
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