getReturnMetadata

Note: The Return Management API is no longer recommended. Instead, current users of the Return Management API should make plans to migrate to, and use the Return operations of the Post-Order API. New users interested is programmatically managing return requests, should also make plans to integrate with the Post-Order API. The Return Management API was developed to be used by sellers who had opted in to "Hassle-free Returns". Hassle-free Returns have been replaced by a new Returns Platform, where sellers fully or partially automate the processing of return requests through Return Automation Rules. The Return Management API does not support all features and logic of the new Returns Platform, and this API will be deprecated in the near future.

A seller can use this call to return metadata about eBay-Managed returns. This call is not applicable to a buyer.

Note: Users of this call should start using the GET /post-order/v2/return/metadata/{metadataKey} call of the Post-Order API instead.

Request Details

The seller can use the getReturnMetadata call to retrieve one or more of the following data values:

The list of possible reasons why a buyer might return an item. The seller passes 'RETURN_REASONS' into the metadataEntryCode field to retrieve the list of return reasons.
The number of business days a seller has to provide a Return Merchandise Authorization number to the buyer. The seller passes 'RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START' into the metadataEntryCode field to retrieve the number of business days allowed to process the request.
The number of business days a seller has to issue a refund after receiving the returned item from the buyer. The seller passes 'REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL' into the metadataEntryCode field to retrieve the number of business days allowed to process the request.

Working with the Response

A metadataCodeValues node is returned for each metadataEntryCode value included in the request. The metadataCodeValues container consists of a codeName and a value field. The three different codeName enums and their corresponding values are discussed below:

RETURN_REASONS: the possible reasons why a buyer might return an item.
RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START: the integer value returned in metadataCodeValues.value indicates the number of business days that the seller has to provide a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number to the buyer. If requested by a buyer, the seller can provide an RMA to the buyer by using the provideSellerInfo call.
REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL: the integer value returned in metadataCodeValues.value indicates the number of business days that the seller has to issue a refund to the buyer after receiving the returned item from the buyer. The seller can issue a refund to the buyer by using the issueRefund call.

Input

Output

See also Samples.

The box below lists all fields that might be returned in the response. To learn more about an individual field or its type, click its name in the box (or scroll down to find it in the table below the box).

See also the Deprecated Objects link above. Fields presented in this color are deprecated, and fields presented in this color are not returned (or soon will not be returned) or are not operational (or soon will be non-operational).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<getReturnMetadataResponse xmlns="http://www.ebay.com/marketplace/returns/v1/services">
  <!-- Call-specific Output Fields -->
  <metadataCodeValues> MetaDataCodeResultType
    <codeName> MetadataCodeType </codeName>
    <value> string </value>
    <!-- ... more value values allowed here ... -->
  </metadataCodeValues>
  <!-- ... more metadataCodeValues nodes allowed here ... -->
  <!-- Standard Output Fields -->
  <ack> AckValue </ack>
  <errorMessage> ErrorMessage
    <error> ErrorData
      <category> ErrorCategory </category>
      <domain> string </domain>
      <errorId> long </errorId>
      <exceptionId> token </exceptionId>
      <message> string </message>
      <parameter name="string"> ErrorParameter (string) </parameter>
      <!-- ... more parameter values allowed here ... -->
      <severity> ErrorSeverity </severity>
      <subdomain> string </subdomain>
    </error>
    <!-- ... more error nodes allowed here ... -->
  </errorMessage>
  <timestamp> dateTime </timestamp>
  <version> string </version>
</getReturnMetadataResponse>

Return Value	Type	Occurrence	Meaning

Call-specific Output Fields [Jump to standard fields]

metadataCodeValues	MetaDataCodeResultType	Always, repeatable: [1..*]	Container consisting of a return metadata type and value. The return metadata that is retrieved is dependent on the metadataEntryCode value(s) that are passed in the request. If no metadataEntryCode value(s) are passed in the request, all return metadata is retrieved.
metadataCodeValues.codeName	MetadataCodeType	Always	Either RETURN_REASONS, REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL, or RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START is returned in this field, based on the use (or omittance) of the metadataEntryCode field of the getReturnMetadata request. Applicable values: REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL This value is passed into the metadataEntryCode field of the getReturnMetadata request to retrieve the maximum number of business days a seller has to issue a refund to the buyer upon receiving the returned item. The number of days can be found in the metadataCodeValues.value field of the getReturnMetadata response. A refund can be issued to the buyer through the issueRefund call. RETURN_REASONS This value is passed into the metadataEntryCode field of the getReturnMetadata request to retrieve the reason the buyer is returning the item. The return reasons are found in the metadataCodeValues.value field of the getReturnMetadata response. RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START This value is passed into the metadataEntryCode field of the getReturnMetadata request to retrieve the maximum number of business days after the return filing date that a seller has to provide an Return Merchandise Authorization number (if requested) to the buyer. The number of days can be found in the metadataCodeValues.value field of the getReturnMetadata response. An RMA can be provided to the buyer through the provideSellerInfo call. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list.
metadataCodeValues.value	string	Always, repeatable: [1..*]	The string (token) value that appears here is associated with the codeName value. For RETURN_REASONS, values include CHANGED_MY_MIND, ARRIVED_DAMAGED, and NOT_AS_DESCRIBED. These values are dependent on the return reason the buyer selects when the return is opened. For REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL, the value indicates the maximum number of business days a seller has to issue a refund to the buyer after the seller receives the returned item. For RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START, the value indicates the maximum number of business days a seller has to provide a Return Merchandise Authorization number (if an RMA is requested) to the buyer once a return is opened.

Standard Output Fields

ack	AckValue	Always	A token representing the application-level acknowledgement code that indicates the response status, such as "Success". The AckValue enumeration type specifies the possible values for ack. Applicable values: Failure eBay encountered a fatal error during the processing of the request, causing the request to fail. When a serious application-level error occurs, the error is returned instead of the business data. PartialFailure eBay successfully processed the request, but one or more non-fatal errors occurred during the processing. Inspect the message details and resolve any problems before resubmitting the request. Success eBay successfully processed the request and the business data is returned in the response. Note that it is possible for a response to return Success, but still not contain the expected data in the result. Warning The request that triggered the error was processed successfully but with one or more warnings. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list.
errorMessage	ErrorMessage	Conditionally	Information for an error or warning that occurred when eBay processed the request. This field is not returned if the ack value is Success.
errorMessage.error	ErrorData	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	Details about a single error.
errorMessage.error.category	ErrorCategory	Conditionally	There are three categories of errors: request errors, application errors, and system errors. Applicable values: Application An error occurred due to a problem with the request, with the most likely source being the application sending the request. For example, the request is missing a required data element or it contains an invalid field. The problem must be corrected before the request can be resent. Inspect the error message to find the cause of the problem. If the problem is due to an application error, modify the application and resend the request. If the error is due to invalid data, the source of the data must be corrected before you resend the resend request to eBay. Request An error occurred due to a problem with the request, with the most likely source being missing or invalid data in the request. The problem must be corrected before the request can be retried. Inspect the error message to find the cause of the problem. If the problem is a result of end-user data, alert the end-user to the problem and provide the means for them to correct the problem. Once the problem is resolved, resend the request to eBay. System Indicates that an error has occurred on the eBay system side. For example, a database or server could be down. Inspect the error message to find the cause of the problem. If the problem is on the eBay side, an application can retry the request a reasonable number of times (eBay recommends twice). If the error persists, contact Developer Technical Support. Once the problem has been resolved, the request may be resent in its original form. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list.
errorMessage.error.domain	string	Conditionally	Name of the domain in which the error occurred.
errorMessage.error.errorId	long	Conditionally	A unique code that identifies the particular error condition that occurred. Your application can use error codes as identifiers in your customized error-handling algorithms.
errorMessage.error.exceptionId	token	Conditionally	Unique identifier for an exception associated with an error.
errorMessage.error.message	string	Conditionally	A detailed description of the condition that caused the error.
errorMessage.error.parameter	ErrorParameter (string)	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	Various warning and error messages return one or more variables that contain contextual information about the error. This is often the field or value that triggered the error.
errorMessage.error.parameter [ attribute name ]	string	Conditionally	Various warning and error messages return one or more variables that contain contextual information about the error. This is often the field or value that triggered the error.
errorMessage.error.severity	ErrorSeverity	Conditionally	Indicates whether the reported problem is fatal (an error) or is less severe (a warning). Review the error message details for information on the cause. If the request fails and the application is the source of the error (for example, a required element is missing), update the application before you retry the request. If the problem is due to incorrect user data, alert the end user to the problem and provide the means for them to correct the data. Once the problem in the application or data is resolved, resend the request to eBay. If the source of the problem is on eBay's side, you can retry the request a reasonable number of times (eBay recommends you try the request twice). If the error persists, contact Developer Technical Support. Once the problem has been resolved, you can resend the request in its original form. If a warning occurs, warning information is returned in addition to the business data. Normally, you do not need to resend the request (as the original request was successful). However, depending on the cause of the warning, you might need to contact the end user, or eBay, to effect a long term solution to the problem. Applicable values: Error eBay encountered a fatal error during the processing of the request, causing the request to fail. When eBay encounters an error, it returns error data instead of the requested business data. Inspect the error details and resolve the problem before resubmitting the request. Warning The request was successfully processed, but eBay encountered a non-fatal error during the processing that could affect the data returned. For example, eBay might have changed the value of an input field. In this Return, eBay returns a successful response, but it also returns a warning. For best results, requests should return without warnings. Inspect the warning details and resolve the problem before resubmitting the request. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list.
errorMessage.error.subdomain	string	Conditionally	Name of the subdomain in which the error occurred.
timestamp	dateTime	Always	This value represents the date and time when eBay processed the request. The time zone of this value is GMT and the format is the ISO 8601 date and time format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSZ). See Time Values in the eBay Features Guide for information about this time format and converting to and from the GMT time zone.
version	string	Always	The version of the response payload schema. Indicates the version of the schema that eBay used to process the request.

Samples

New to making API calls? Please see Making a Call.

Note: Some item IDs, user IDs, or other data in these samples might no longer be active on eBay. If necessary, you can substitute current eBay data in your requests.

Sample: Basic Call

This call is used to retrieve current, general metadata about eBay return cases. This "metadata" include a list of possible return reasons, the maximum time allowed to

Description

This call is used to retrieve current, general metadata about eBay return cases. This "metadata" include a list of possible return reasons, the maximum number of days afforded to the seller to issue a refund to the buyer once the returned item is received by the seller, and the the maximum number of days afforded to the seller to provide an Return Merchandise Authorization number to the buyer (if requested) once a return case is opened.

Input

An eBay user calls the getReturnMetadata API to retrieve current, general metadata about eBay return cases. Although filtering options are available with getReturnMetadata to restrict results to specific metadata values, this specific getReturnMetadata call uses no input parameters, so all metadata is returned in the response.

SOAP format. Also available is the XML equivalent.

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlns:ser="http://www.ebay.com/marketplace/returns/v1/services">
   <soap:Header/>
   <soap:Body>
      <ser:getReturnMetadataRequest>
         <ser:RequesterCredentials>
             <ser:eBayAuthToken>A********3</ser:eBayAuthToken>
          </ser:RequesterCredentials>
      </ser:getReturnMetadataRequest>
   </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Output

Since the user did not use filtering options in the request, all metadata is returned. Each of the three different metadata types are returned in a separate metadataCodeValues. The three different metadata types and their possible values are described in the list below:

REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL: the integer value (5) in the value field indicates that the seller is required to issue a refund to the buyer within five days after the returned item is received by the seller.
RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START: the integer value (2) in the value field indicates that the seller is required to provide a Return Merchandise Authorization number to the seller (if requested) within two days after the return case is opened.
RETURN_REASONS: this collection of string values is the list of possible reasons that the buyer is returning the item to the seller.

SOAP format. Also available is the XML equivalent.

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope">
   <soapenv:Header/>
   <soapenv:Body>
      <ns1:getReturnMetadataResponse xmlns:ns1="http://www.ebay.com/marketplace/returns/v1/services">
         <ns1:ack>Success</ns1:ack>
         <ns1:version>1.0.0</ns1:version>
         <ns1:timestamp>2012-01-13T15:28:56.985Z</ns1:timestamp>
         <ns1:metadataCodeValues>
            <ns1:codeName>REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL</ns1:codeName>
            <ns1:value>5</ns1:value>
         </ns1:metadataCodeValues>
         <ns1:metadataCodeValues>
            <ns1:codeName>RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START</ns1:codeName>
            <ns1:value>2</ns1:value>
         </ns1:metadataCodeValues>
         <ns1:metadataCodeValues>
            <ns1:codeName>RETURN_REASONS</ns1:codeName>
            <ns1:value>CHANGED_MY_MIND</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>DONT_LIKE_ITEM_FITS</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>ARRIVED_DAMAGED</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>MISSING_PARTS</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>WRONG_ITEM</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>DEFECTIVE_ITEM</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>NOT_AS_DESCRIBED</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>MISSED_ESTIMATED_DELIVERY</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>FOUND_BETTER_PRICE</ns1:value>
            <ns1:value>NO_MEAN_TO_ORDER</ns1:value>
         </ns1:metadataCodeValues>
      </ns1:getReturnMetadataResponse>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

Here is the same output in XML format. Note that this does not include standard values.

XML format. Also available is the SOAP equivalent.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<getReturnMetadataResponse xmlns:ns1="http://www.ebay.com/marketplace/returns/v1/services">
   <ack>Success</ack>
   <version>1.0.0</version>
   <timestamp>2012-01-13T15:28:56.985Z</timestamp>
   <metadataCodeValues>
      <codeName>REFUND_DUE_UPON_ITEM_ARRIVAL</codeName>
      <value>5</value>
   </metadataCodeValues>
   <metadataCodeValues>
      <codeName>RMA_DUE_UPON_RETURN_START</codeName>
      <value>2</value>
   </metadataCodeValues>
   <metadataCodeValues>
      <codeName>RETURN_REASONS</codeName>
      <value>CHANGED_MY_MIND</value>
      <value>DONT_LIKE_ITEM_FITS</value>
      <value>ARRIVED_DAMAGED</value>
      <value>MISSING_PARTS</value>
      <value>WRONG_ITEM</value>
      <value>DEFECTIVE_ITEM</value>
      <value>NOT_AS_DESCRIBED</value>
      <value>MISSED_ESTIMATED_DELIVERY</value>
      <value>FOUND_BETTER_PRICE</value>
      <value>NO_MEAN_TO_ORDER</value>
   </metadataCodeValues>
</getReturnMetadataResponse>

Change History

Change Date	Description
1.0.0 2012-04-23	(added) New call.