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Sync matrix items and virtual variations to eBay

Balasubramanian Mahadevan
Updated

The eBay - NetSuite integration app lists NetSuite parent and child items as eBay listings with variations, such as a shirt in several sizes and colors. You can use NetSuite matrix items, or virtual variations, which set up a parent-child relationship without NetSuite's matrix item feature. This article covers how to set up virtual variations, how to handle real and virtual matrix items in one flow, and how to show each child item's image on eBay.

Virtual variations

Virtual variations let you set up parent and child items from inventory and assembly items (matrix and non-matrix) and kit items, without using NetSuite's matrix item feature. The NetSuite Item to eBay Item Add/Update flow sends them to eBay as regular listings with variations.

The integration app identifies a child item's parent by the SUBITEM OF field, or by a custom field you choose. A custom field must be a drop-down field, like SUBITEM OF.

Set up virtual variations

  1. Open the eBay - NetSuite integration app, and go to Settings > Product > General.
  2. Under Map Variation Specifics, map each eBay Variation Specific Label, such as Color, Finish, or Width, to its NetSuite Field Id. To see a field's ID in NetSuite, select the field name.
  3. Select Enable virtual variations.
  4. In NetSuite field identifier for variation parent item, enter the ID of the NetSuite field that holds each item's parent. The default, parent, is the ID of the SUBITEM OF field.
  5. Select Save.

Then set up the items in NetSuite:

  1. On each parent and child item, on the eTail subtab, select IS VIRTUAL VARIATION.
  2. On each child item, set SUBITEM OF, or your custom parent field, to the parent item.

Sync changes to child items

The saved searches pick up only changes made directly to the parent item. To also sync changes made to child items, set the parent field in the item map script for each record type you use for virtual variations.

  1. In NetSuite, go to Customization > Scripting > Scripts.
  2. Find the Celigo eBay Item Map UE user event script from bundle 170343, and select Deployments.
  3. Select Edit for the record type.
  4. On the Parameters subtab, enter the same value in Virtual Variation as in NetSuite field identifier for variation parent item in the integration app. If you use the standard SUBITEM OF field, you can leave it blank.
  5. Select Save.
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for each record type you use for virtual variations.

Use real and virtual matrix items in the same flow

If some items are NetSuite matrix items and others are virtual variations, their variation values can be in different fields, for example custitem_color for matrix items and custitem_virtual_color for virtual variations. To use both in one variation specific, combine them in one field.

In NetSuite, create a custom formula field that takes its value from the right field for each item type, using this formula:

CASE WHEN {custitem_celigo_virtualvariation} = 'T' THEN {custitem_virtual_color} ELSE {custitem_color} END

Then, in the integration app, map the new field under Map Variation Specifics.

Show child item images on eBay

By default, eBay shows the parent item's image for every variation. For example, a shirt listed in red, blue, and green shows the red shirt's image even when the buyer selects blue. To show each child item's own image when a buyer selects a variation, add a row to the Celigo eBay Item Export Search saved search.

  1. In NetSuite, edit the Celigo eBay Item Export Search saved search.

  2. On the Results subtab, add one of these rows, and then select Save:

    • To use one variation for images, such as Color: Set Field to Formula (Text), enter the variation name in Formula, such as 'Color', and enter VariationSpecificName as the Custom Label.
    • To choose the image variation per item: Set Field to a custom item field that holds the variation to use for images, such as a Primary Variant field, and enter VariationSpecificName as the Custom Label.

When the variation for images is Color, selecting a blue shirt on eBay shows the blue shirt's image. Selecting only a size still shows the parent image.