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Published: March 30 2006, 3:24:00 PMUpdated: July 26 2022, 5:09:57 AM

What is an eBayAuthToken ? How can I get one ?

What is an eBayAuthToken ?
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The eBayAuthToken or a user authorization token, is a string which authorizes your application to access eBay data on a specific user's behalf.  User Authorization Tokens are only needed when using eBay APIs that require user authentication. 

In order for an application to retrieve a User Authorization Token, the user has to go through the Authentication and Authorization Sign-In flow, during which the user will specifically consent to the application making API calls on behalf of the user. Once the user has consented, the application will have access to the user's Authorization Token.

Since the keys and UserIDs for Production are separate from Sandbox, user tokens are also separate.  Using a Sandbox user token in production and vice versa, will not work.

Why do I need an eBayAuthToken?
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All Trading API calls require the use of a User Authorization Token to authentication the calling user and application. You need a User Authorization Token in order to make any API calls using eBay Trading Web Services.

How can I get an eBayAuthToken?
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The easiest way to retrieve an eBayAuthToken is to use the Token Generator Tool. You can retirieve a small number of tokens via this tool, for use in the sandbox and production. 

A production application with many users will need to implement the Auth and Auth signin flow to obtain tokens for all of their eBay users. Please see the documentation for details.

Important: If you use Traditional APIs like the Trading API, we recommend that you use OAuth, but eBay's older Auth'n'Auth process is still available for older applications.
Please see the documentation for details.

 

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