Some eBay categories, like Coins and Paper Money, require extra details about an item's condition beyond the basic condition setting. These are called condition descriptors. For example, a coin might need a grade, a certification number, or whether it is certified by a grading service. If you have many items that need the same kind of condition details filled in, you can set them all at once using a CSV file instead of opening each item one by one.
Download a sample CSV file to see a working example of this before you build your own. It has two real coin rows already filled in correctly, so you can open it side by side with the steps below.
This article assumes you already know the basics of importing a CSV file into SixBit to update items. If you have not done that before, read Rules for Importing Items via CSV first, since this article only covers the extra part needed for condition descriptors.
Before you start: condition descriptors only work for items that already have a Category and a Condition set, because the list of available descriptors is different for every category and every condition. For example, a coin listed as "Ungraded" can ask for different details than a coin listed as "Graded." Make sure every item you are updating already has its Category and Condition set, either from before or as part of the same CSV file.
Step 1: Set up one item by hand first.
Open one item from the category you want to update and fill in its Condition Descriptor fields the normal way, through the item's own editing screen, exactly as you want them to appear. Doing this for one item first is the easiest way to get the correct column names, since you do not have to guess them.
Step 2: Export that item to a CSV file.
In Sell Items mode, select that item, then use Export -> Export to File -> Items. This creates a CSV file that includes a column for each condition descriptor you filled in. These columns will have names starting with CD_, followed by the name of the descriptor, such as CD_Grade or CD_Certification_Number. The value you entered will already be filled in under that column.
Step 3: Add your other items to the same CSV file.
Open the CSV file in a spreadsheet program such as Excel or Google Sheets. Add one row for each additional item you want to update, using the same CD_ column headers. Each row also needs a way to match it to an existing item, such as an ItemID, ExternalItemID, SKU, or ProductID column, along with the same Category and Condition as your example item.
- Most condition descriptors only accept specific values, so you must type the value exactly as eBay lists it (capitalization does not matter, but the wording and spelling do). If SixBit cannot match what you typed to one of the accepted values, that value will be skipped during import.
- Some condition descriptors instead accept any free text, such as a certification number. For these, whatever you type will be used as-is, and leaving it blank is fine if you do not have one.
- If you are not sure what values are accepted for a descriptor, use the value that was already filled in from your example item as a guide, and only enter values you know eBay accepts for that category and condition.
Step 4: Import the file back into SixBit.
Save the CSV file, then in Sell Items mode use Import -> Items, choose your file, and select Update Records, since you are changing items that already exist rather than creating new ones.
If a condition descriptor does not appear to be set after importing, double check that the item's Category and Condition were already correct at the time of import, and that the value you typed matches one of eBay's accepted values exactly.
