Manual eBay Dropshipping vs. API Software [Which Is Better?]

hey what's up Paul here from dropshipping Titans calm and as I mentioned in the intro this video is going to be all about the differences between the eBay file exchange and eBay's API program if you're using two different software's what the difference is between the two of them and since I have no idea about any of this stuff I'm bringing on the channel and expert Jenny spottin from spot and paste so I've talked about spot and paste before it's a fantastic software if you are drop shipping from eBay or Amazon because it allows you to quickly copy buyers addresses and paste them on to your suppliers website so Jenny was gracious enough to come on the channel today to clarify this issue for us so Jenny say what's up to the Titan's tribe and once you share something new in your life that's pretty exciting for you right now hi everyone I am Jenny Swanson and something new and exciting that has happened is I got a new truck and not just any truck ever since I was a little girl I've always dreamed of like having a big old monster truck and so my husband totally surprised me and he took me out and got me the monster truck and it's lifted up I mean I actually have to bend down and have my kids step on my hand just so I can throw them up in the truck it's pretty awesome actually and I've seen the photos it is pretty cool-looking truck Thanks so I was talking before about how there's a lot of confusion right now with all the different eBay dropshipping software is available because some are using eBay's api some are using the file exchange do you kind of want to explain what the api program is kind of for someone who doesn't know anything about programming like myself yes so the easiest way that I explain an API is it's your communication so your software when it has an API link to eBay it's communicating with eBay and then eBay is communicating back to the software and it's just like Wayne do you get a phone call on your phone you know who's calling you have your caller ID that comes up and it says who it is you answer it and then the person is on the other line and so that's kind of how the API works as far as the communication and getting information that's going back and forth so it's a direct connection between the two in other words yeah how does a software start to work with the API like how does that connection happen so you have to get permission first from the API so eBay that's why when all of this stuff had happened with API people were talking about the user agreements that eBay was coming back with and it's because those softwares that are connected via API they have to call eBay and they have to request access to the API but then eBay actually wants to know exactly what it is that they're using the software for and then they can approve or deny it through that connection call but then there's also only specific calls that eBay will allow the software to make to make though those different actions that you're Sulphurs wanting to take and so eBay has the control your software is just making the phone call going through all the tests and all of the agreements and then eBay is going ok sure I'll let you do this maybe I'm not gonna you know or if they catch them doing something that they're not supposed to then they can just cut them off within a second and the software may not even know until all of a sudden their API calls are getting error error because it's like calling somebody and getting a busy signal all of a sudden and you can't get through so it's kind of that works out we use the word call like what does that mean so it is a call so your software is doing a direct call to eBay and it's calling it asking for the specific actions and then eBay has a response that it comes back with either yes/no or whatever specific and that it's kneading for it to work can you give some examples of things you can do through the API yeah so you can lift items you can upload tracking you can do all of your repricing even what are some other things pretty much anything that you want to do on eBay but you don't want to have to do it on their website is what you can set up the API call to do and so the different actions that it might be asking is for like the title

you know your software saying hey put this title here hey put this description here and all these photos here and whatnot and so pretty much anything that you want to do within your business but you don't want to do it on eBay you want to use another software outside of eBay that's where the API call comes in how does that differ then from the file exchange because we keep hearing a lot of people using software that connects with a file exchange now yes and those file exchanges those ones are using Chrome extensions and so when they do that you are already on your computer and what your Chrome extension is doing is it's almost I don't know if you've ever worked with macros where you can record clicks that you're doing on your browser and then you can hit play and walk away and then your browser's automatically doing all those functions for you that's essentially what your Chrome extension is doing but in the background for you while you're on your browser is it already knows where all the clicks need to be and so it does it for you and that's why eBay assumes that it's a person who's doing it because it's done while you're there so the file exchange that's not the direct kind of connection that the API has no as long as it's done with a Chrome extension I haven't heard though of any softwares who are doing it where you're actually on their software you're not actually you know there has to be that extension either Firefox or Chrome that is doing those functions for you so you are not doing it because you know those extensions can do it faster ok so let's back to supper second so like before the Chrome extensions existed what like how does the file exchange like work like how like I know I've used it before but can you kind of explain like the spreadsheets and CSVs and those kind of things oh yeah so you'll go to eBay and they will even have a sample for you to download and all of the headers it's like a specific code for them to know which column is for what information and so you know like you're lifting title is going to have a specific column header that you have to put in there and so the spreadsheet it has specific headers and then you enter in the information and then you just upload it back to eBay and then eBay scans that information and puts it on there and they know that it's the like which user it is cuz you're logged into your account you're going in there and plus you're also putting your eBay ID numbers on there and so that's how that works you're just pretty much giving eBay a file and saying do what I'm telling you to do with it and that's about it so eBay can read the excel file with all the B and it sees over the header and then matches it up and then kind of scans it and knows what actions to take based on all those headings in there yes yeah based on the headings and then what's in the row because you know each of your columns you have you know call them ABCD but then you also have Row 1 2 3 4 and it knows Row 1 right away is a header it's like going into your Google Spreadsheets and how you can freeze line 1 into but you can't freeze any others but it's because of those two are normally what are for the header and so eBay has their cold right now that's stating you know this row is where all the headers are look for those but then they know the row number has to be the same all the way across to grab all of what the columns are for the information and to put it all into your listings and your items and one on so if this is my first time hearing about this I think I would say oh no there's no way I'm working with spreadsheets I hate spreadsheets but that's not the case anymore right these other softwares you don't even have to look at the spreadsheets right with the Chrome extensions um well I haven't personally used them so I don't know if they're creating it for you then yeah then they're then you're not having to look at the spreadsheet because your software it already knows the template that your spreadsheet needs to be in which is absolutely great though because those spreadsheets honestly can get very confusing on the information and then you upload it and then you got all these errors coming back because you missed one certain thing and which I've had that happened it was very annoying but um and so your software already knows this is the format that the spreadsheet needs to be in and then since it knows all of your listings then it can grab it and put all of the information into the spreadsheet correctly and then through the Chrome extension enter it into eBay and all eBay knows is that it's coming from you on your account that's all they see yeah I definitely agree with you on that how frustrating those files can be and there's these software

it's getting really cool because you tell the software hey I want to list this item or this item should be repriced and it just does it for you it's it sends it's a Chrome extension it that sends it to the file exchange and you don't even see it happen which is you'd never have to look at those files which is pretty cool but let's talk a little bit now about the benefits of each of them because there are benefits to both of them do you want to talk a little bit about that yes so I will say I am more of a fan of the direct API connection however you just shouldn't be using it with dropshipping because they frown upon it and because you're going through that agreement and eBay knows exactly what these softwares are doing that are connected API like they know but honestly the API connection is the easiest because it's just your direct communication and it's doing what it's supposed to be doing whereas the other way you know there is room for more errors like this spreadsheet whenever you're uploading it to ebay even maxes out the amount of rows you're allowed to have in your spreadsheets and you have to call them and get an increase so if you ever have thousands and thousands of listings and then you're trying to do it all at once but your software's coming back and going oh there's errors or didn't all upload it's probably because eBay says you have too many you need to start all over and so then you're having but call eBay and do all that but the benefit to that is if you are willing to go more like a smaller and a slower scale of uploading your information which is still faster than you doing it manually but if you're okay with that then you can bypass eBay knowing that you're a drop shipper which is what we're looking for that's what we want to have to do so there's those pros and cons of either you can get flagged by e because they know that your drop shipper or just go a little bit slower and how you're working yeah and it will say just as a little plug here I'll have a link up here to a video that you can check out where I explain how to increase our limit if you're interested in checking that out but that's a really good comparison between the two so if I understand this correctly with the API software when it's connected eBay is able to tell what software it is and with the file exchange it looks like it's just coming from your computer is that right yes that is correct and I'll throw this in here as well another benefit to the API is that it's running 24/7 but with the file exchange one you do have to have a window open the Chrome extension installed and logged into eBay as well just to make sure that it continues to work there yes I do know there's I've been hearing I haven't looked into it but I have been hearing that there's something called the cloud where it can save all of your information with your extension so it's doing all of those things but in the background and then you don't have to have your computer on I just haven't personally looked into it yet but I'm planning to but that is something that a few of the newer software's are starting to kind of tap into and use and then that way the user isn't having to be available when it's trying to work yeah it's pretty cool they're coming out with all these kind of workarounds innovative things and I got to say I've been using one myself the one that uses the file exchange in Chrome extension and it's catching up to the API version where it's just as seamless as that version yes absolutely so your software spot and pace is a little bit different than kind of what we've been talking about in terms of the different software's but how did how does where do you fall in here are using API using file exchange or is something completely different well we're not using file exchange because your file exchange is dealing more with just your listings where spot and paste is more for placing the order with your supplier you know you just pull up eBay or Amazon and you have all your listings and then it can grab the customers address but that's more of just hitting copy which - because it's the Chrome extension and it's going through it can just pull from the HTML of your sales record page and it knows all the information and then we've coated it in a way to be able to parse it into the extension and know where it needs to be pasted and so it's just copying it faster than when you have to do it manually but there's no API connection that's doing that for you so no we're not connected API so if you're trying to be super secretive here didn't want a beta know what you're doing you would use file exchange Chrome extension software and spot and paste it sounds

like yes absolutely little plug there shameless bug so if you guys do see it but seriously if you guys are interested in spawn pace I'll have them linked up down below I've talked about them for years because I absolutely love your software and what it does yeah I've also put another video down there where I've done a review of it as well but I don't think I have any more questions about the file exchange and API if any you guys do have follow-up questions so this make sure to leave them in the comments action down below but Jenny do you have any final words you want to say about this no I think that's it but you know if anybody also want to ask me any questions they're welcome to find me on facebook under Jenny sponson or even find the spot and paste page or even I even have a YouTube channel as well if they wanted to go and message me there and then that way if they wanted to kind of hit us both up and ask some questions more than welcome to I'm an open book with this kind of stuff awesome and of course all those will be linked up in the description underneath this video if you want to get in contact with her Jenny thanks so much for your time really appreciate it helped clarify a lot of questions I had I think this was really helpful for everyone as well so everyone watching it at home thanks so much and have a great day make sure to subscribe to channel smash the like button and I'll see you next time