The Classified Ad (advertisement) listing format was created for sellers who want to contact as many interested buyers as possible.

With the Classified Ad format, interested buyers fill in a contact form and their information is sent to the seller. Classified Ad format listings do not result in feedback, because the format aims to generate multiple leads rather than a single high bidder. Use the Metadata API method getClassifiedAdPolicies to retrieve classified ad policy metadata for the target leaf category. Set the marketplace_id path parameter to the target marketplace and, if needed, use the filter query parameter to limit the response to one or more leaf category IDs. Review classifiedAdPolicies.adFormatEnabled to determine the type or status of available Classified Ad formats for the category, and inspect related policy fields such as sellerContactDetailsEnabled, classifiedAdPaymentMethodEnabled, classifiedAdShippingMethodEnabled, and classifiedAdBestOfferEnabled. For eBay US Motors categories, use getMotorsListingPolicies, because getClassifiedAdPolicies does not support EBAY_MOTORS_US.

When the Ad format is used, no auction takes place. Instead, a user can leave a lead for an item to show interest. An application can retrieve a seller's leads using GetAdFormatLeads. To list a property in the Ad format, set the value of Item.ListingType to LeadGeneration and Item.ListingSubtype2 to ClassifiedAd when invoking AddItem. Some marketplaces, such as the eBay Germany marketplace, only support Ad format listings (no Real Estate auctions).

With the exception of Real Estate and Motor Vehicle ads, most Classified Ads on eBay.com run for 30 days, with the option to the set the ad as 'Good 'Til Cancelled'. There are insertion fees for Classified Ads on eBay.com, but there are no Final Value Fees since eBay is not involved in any transaction that happens between the buyer and seller. For more information about Classified Ads, refer to Selling with Classified Ads.

The following Item properties are not applicable for Classified Ad format listings:

    • All payment methods (PaymentMethods)
    • Storefront
    • ReservePrice
    • BuyItNowPrice
    • All shipping properties (ShippingDetails)