Livestream selling with eBay Live

With eBay Live you can host livestreamed shopping events for items in the Collectibles, Luxury, Sneakers, Apparel, Sporting Goods, Home & Garden, Health & Beauty, Parts & Accessories, and Electronics categories.

You’ll need a desktop or laptop computer to create and manage your events. To stream video, you’ll need a stable internet connection and a mobile camera or a camera set up with a third party broadcast tool such as Open Broadcaster Software (OBS).

Using the Live Studio and Stream manager

There are two consoles used to manage your events that are accessible by desktop or laptop - the Live Studio - opens in new window or tab and the Stream manager.

The Live Studio - opens in new window or tab allows you to create new events or manage existing ones. You can search through your events as well as sort and filter your events based on their status and category.

When you're ready to go live, use the Stream manager to start and end your live stream, configure your item lineup, moderate chat, and view real-time metrics.

Creating an eBay Live event

To create a new event, go to the Live Studio - opens in new window or tab:

1. Select Create event.
2. On the Event information tab, add event details including the title, description, start time, and tags.
3. Add an image for your event (recommended resolution of 1050 x 1575 pixels).
4. Choose your category.
5. Choose either to Save as Draft to create a test event and shareable link for testing purposes or select Publish.

Publishing your event makes it visible to buyers on the eBay Live Hub page - opens in new window or tab and your event page, but it doesn't start the livestream.

You can see the status of your event on the Event information tab where it will show as either published to a particular category, or saved as a draft.

Tip
With Team Access you can delegate your workload by inviting other eBay members to perform key tasks before and during your event stream. Permissions specific to eBay Live include viewing insights, managing your events, your event listings, and moderating chat.

Creating duplicate events

After creating an event, you can duplicate it to create a new one with the same title, image, description, tags, category, and listings.

You can do this from the Live Studio - opens in new window or tab or from any of the tabs within an event:

1. Select the vertical three dots (⋮).
2. Select Duplicate from the dropdown menu.
3. Update the date and time and any other information.
4. Remove [DUPLICATE] from the title.
5. Select Publish to publicly post your event to the eBay Live Hub page - opens in new window or tab and your event page.

Adding listings for an eBay Live event

You can add up to 750 listings to each event by either importing them from your eBay store, or creating new ones in bulk using a template. Auction and Buy It Now listings can be added by all sellers, and approved sellers can add case break listings. Listings can't include any special pricing options like Best Offer or reserve pricing.

To add your listings before an event, go to the Listings tab of your event setup page in the Live Studio - opens in new window or tab. Use the Listing management window in the Stream manager to add listings during an event.

Importing existing listings from your eBay store

You can import listings by searching and selecting items, or by entering the item's ID/URL (this is best when copying data from a CSV or using a Seller Hub Report).

Searching and selecting

1. From either the Live Studio or Stream manager, select Add listings.
2. Choose From store.
3. Search or browse for listings by item title.
4. Select Add listings to add them to your event.

Entering the item's ID/URL

1. From either the Live Studio or Stream manager, select Add listings.
2. Choose By Item ID/URL.
3. Paste Item IDs or URLs.
4. Select Add listings to add them to your event.

Tip
To run a Buy It Now listing from your store as an auction during your eBay Live event, you first need to revise it to an auction format in Seller Hub - opens in new window or tab.

Creating new listings in bulk

To create listings from a template, you’ll need a listing template that’s compatible with eBay Live. These templates are created and managed in Seller Hub, and once they’re set up, you can reuse them to quickly create new listings in the Live Studio or Stream manager.

See our Selling templates article to learn more about creating templates in Seller Hub, the required fields for eBay Live listing templates, and steps for creating eBay Live Buy it Now, auction, and case break listings in bulk.

Tip
When creating listings in bulk from a template in the Stream manager, you can decide if you want them to be visible before your event.

Managing listings for your event

You'll see imported listings in the Listings tab before your event and in the Stream manager tab once you start streaming.

Editing listings

From the Live Studio, you can edit your listings including visibility, purchasability, and auction settings. From the Stream manager, you can edit your listings including purchasability and auction settings.

For auctions, you can edit the starting price and duration. You can also turn on Extend auction which means that if there is a new bid in the final 5 seconds, the auction will be extended by an additional 5 seconds to give other buyers a chance to respond. If you want to have an auction of less than 1 minute, put 0 in the minutes field rather than leaving it blank.

Arranging your item lineup

The item lineup is where buyers can browse items you’ve set to Visible and purchase the ones set to Purchasable. To view the item lineup as your audience sees it, select the vertical three dots (⋮) on the Main screen window of your Stream manager.

To organize your lineup before your event begins, go to the Live Studio Listing tab and assign each listing a number. The lineup will appear in this sequence.

During your event, use the Listing management window in the Stream manager to drag and drop listings into your desired order.

To feature an item, select the Pin icon. It'll show as Featured in the event lineup and appear at the bottom of the Main screen. Only one item can be pinned at a time and when you start an auction, that item will automatically be pinned.

Using flash deals

Flash deals are time-limited discounts on selected Buy It Now (BIN) items designed to create excitement, drive more engagement, and boost conversion in real time during your live events. You can apply either a percentage-off or amount-off discount to one or more listings, and buyers will instantly see the new price, savings, and countdown timer in your stream. When the timer ends or your event concludes, prices will automatically return to their original amount.

In order to use flash deals, you’ll need a store subscription. See our eBay Stores article to learn more. You can only create and manage flash deals during your event from the Stream manager, and they will apply immediately once started. Your flash deals can only run on items that have been set to Purchaseable. You’ll also need to modify your listings if they have already ended.

Here’s how to start a flash deal:

1. Select one or more Buy It Now items from the Listing management window in your Stream manager.
2. Select the vertical three dots (⋮) and then select the Flash deal button.
3. Choose your discount type as either an amount-off or percentage-off.
   • Enter your percent off if applicable.
4. Set your duration as either 2, 5, 10, or 15 minutes. You can also set your duration for the entire event.

While your flash deal is active, you can still remove specific items from a deal or end a flash deal instantly using the End deal button.

Sharing an eBay Live event

Each event has a unique link and QR code which can be found in the Share event tab of your event setup page. You can share these with anyone you like, including on your social media channels. Buyers can join your event by using the link, QR code or by finding it on the eBay Live Hub page - opens in new window or tab.

Encourage your audience to click the Bell icon to receive notifications about your upcoming show. They’ll receive an automatic push notification with your seller name and event title when your event starts. You can also encourage your audience to click the Heart icon to follow your eBay store and receive alerts for all of your eBay Live events.

Streaming your eBay Live event

The Main screen window in your Stream manager is where you can start and end streaming for your event, monitor your audience’s view of the event stream as well as the item lineup, and view metrics such as elapsed time and total viewers.

For the best viewing experience, we recommend using an LED ring light, a dedicated wireless microphone, and the latest version of the eBay app.

Here’s how to start your video stream on a mobile device:

1. Open the eBay app.
2. Select the eBay Live pill and, next to the My Events header, select See all.
3. Tap the event card which matches the event going live. 
4. Tap the red circle button to start the video feed for your event.
5. Return to the Main screen of your Stream manager on your desktop or laptop.
6. Select Start event to start the stream.

To end the stream, select End event in the Stream manager. You’ll have the option to either countdown your ending or end the event immediately.

Moderating an eBay Live event

Chat is where you can connect with buyers by answering questions in real time and drive engagement through quizzes, FAQs and surveys.

During an event, our automated chat moderation scans and blocks offensive content before it appears in the chat. You won’t see which messages are blocked, but the sender will be notified that their message was blocked. You can also delete comments, mute, and block buyers if they're not following our policies.

In the Stream manager, the Engagement / Tools window also allows you to do the following:

• Personally reply in the main chat or use a preset chat reply
• Pin a message to the top of the chat window for your audience
• Moderate chat and manage users
• Manage chat settings such as your displayed username, banned words, muted users, and saved chat log
• Search the main chat
• Internally bookmark comments
• Filter internal views of the chat by users, questions asked, and bookmarked comments
• Create and manage quizzes, surveys, FAQ lists, and notices for your audience.

Bookmarking comments

Bookmarked comments are only visible to you and appear in the Bookmarked pill of the Engagement tab.

To bookmark a comment:

1. Hover over a comment until the cursor becomes an arrow.
2. Select it to confirm you’d like to pin the message.

Muting and blocking

Buyers need to follow eBay's rules and policies when attending eBay Live events. See our Threats and offensive language policy article to learn more about what we consider offensive.

You can mute buyers to prevent them from engaging in your event's chat. They will see they've been muted, but muting doesn't stop them from viewing your eBay Live event or bidding or buying your items.

To prevent viewers from bidding or buying, you can use the Block Buyer list - opens in new window or tab to block or unblock a buyer.

Here’s how to block a buyer during an event:

1. Go to the Engagement tab of the Engagement / Tools.
2. Hover your cursor over the username until an option menu appears.
3. Select the option to Block user.

To mute a buyer:

1. Go to the Engagement tab of the Engagement / Tools.
2. Hover your cursor over the username until an option menu appears.
3. Select mute user and then confirm by selecting Mute.

To unmute a commenter:

1. Select the Gear icon to open the Manage chat settings.
2. Select the Muted users tab.
3. Remove the user you want to unmute by clicking the Trash can icon.

Processing orders from your eBay Live event

Discounts and combined shipping rates apply during the event's shopping window, which takes place 8 hours after your scheduled start time. Your handling time starts after the window closes.

Viewing orders in the Stream manager

When you sell an item during an event, payment is processed automatically and you’ll see each listing's payment status in the Stream manager. Those marked as AWAITING means that the payment hasn't gone through yet. For example, a sold auction item might be marked as AWAITING if a buyer’s default payment method fails.

Unpaid sales can be canceled at your discretion. However, we recommend first communicating with the buyer.

Viewing orders in Seller Hub

After your event, eBay Live orders that have been paid for will appear in Seller Hub - opens in new window or tab as Paid–wait to ship for 8 hours after your event's scheduled start time, even if the actual stream started late. This gives buyers the opportunity to take advantage of any of your event's combined shipping discounts. Once this shopping window ends, orders move to Awaiting Shipment, where you can combine relevant orders and print shipping labels.

Tip
When you set up combined shipping rules, buyers can automatically receive discounts when they purchase multiple items from you during an event’s shopping window. See our articles on Shipping discounts and Offering combined shipping to learn more about how to apply these settings to eBay Live events.

Viewing Video Receipts

Video Receipts are automatically generated clips that capture the moment the sold item was pinned and available for purchase during your stream. They're available for up to 180 days after your event ends.

To view your Video Receipts:

1. Go to the Orders tab in Seller Hub.
2. Next to your listing, look for the eBay Live icon overlay on your item image - this means a Video Receipt is available.
3. Tap the image to open your Video Receipt.

Viewing insights from your eBay Live event

You can review key metrics from your live events in 2 different places in the Live Studio. Once you end a live event, an Insights tab will appear next to the Stream manager tab. It contains insights related to that individual event. Sales data is available as soon as your event ends, and audience data will be available within 4 days of your live stream ending.

You can also view your live sales data in the Insights section of the Live Studio. Here you can see your total sales over time, as far back as 2 years. This data covers eBay Live sales only and discrepancies may occur.

For a complete sales overview, always refer to your Seller Hub - opens in new window or tab page. You can review your live performance In Seller Hub by looking at sales results and sold items tied to the event window as well as order and payment summaries.

Helpful Links

• eBay Live Resource center - opens in new window or tab
• Understanding regulations when selling on eBay
• Multi-quantity listings and listings with variations