Sears: marketplace guide
About this guide
This is a ChannelEngine guide on the Hoffman Estates based marketplace Sears. Here you can find information on how to request a Sears account, how to configure this marketplace on ChannelEngine, what the specific requirements are, and more.
Table of contents
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Commercial information
Founded | 1892 |
Founder | Richard Warren Sears, Alvah Curtis Roebuck |
Headquarters | Hoffman Estates, the United States |
Area served | the USA |
Revenue | USD 16.7 billion (2017) |
Number of monthly visits | circa 3 million |
Website | Sears |
Setup cost | none |
Commission | 8%-15% |
Other costs | USD 39.99/monthly |
Payment | 15 days after invoice |
Product categories | bags, cameras, cooking, electronics, fashion, furniture/interior design, games/toys, household appliances, jewelry/watches, kids/babies, luggage, office supplies/professional equipment, pets, refurbished, shoes, sports equipment, telecommunications equipment, video games |
Input language | English |
Input currency | USD |
Content creation | yes |
Minimum number of SKUs | 1 |
Advertisement options | yes |
Profile on ChannelEngine | Sears |
How to request an account
To start selling on Sears, complete their form to register your interest. You must meet a number of requirements before you can be considered for a merchant account. E.g.:
- Have a registered bank account in the US.
- Have a registered address in the US.
- Have a valid employer identification number (EIN).
- Be able to ship your products from the US (US-based warehouse or 3PL).
- Be an active merchant on other platforms in good standing.
Associated costs
Sears does not charge a setup fee, but it does charge a monthly fee of USD 39.99 and a commission fee – which ranges between 8% and 15%, depending on the product category.
Marketplace features
Supported | Not supported |
Product content | Cancelations (marketplace)1 |
Product offers | Repricing |
HTML support | External fulfillment |
Orders | Refurbished products |
Shipments | Sales channels2 |
Returns (merchant) | Volume discounts |
Returns (marketplace) | Return track and trace code |
Cancelations (merchant) | Multiple stock locations |
Product variations (depending on the product category)3 | |
Pick-up point delivery | |
Multiple instances |
1. Sears allows customers to cancel orders after placing them, but before they are marked as Shipped. Because Sears does not support marketplace cancelations via the API, you need to handle these cancelations in Sears Seller Portal.
2. A marketplace that supports sales channels allows merchants to list and sell products across multiple markets (e.g.: countries, regions, and states), all from the same connection.
3. To create a variation on Sears, provide a valid product UPC as well as values for the aspects (e.g.: Color, Size, Material, Weight, etc.). The variation aspects differ depending on the product category and usually have ‘variation’ in their name. E.g.: Bedding sizes variation. Note that you can map multiple variation aspects for a single product if the category allows variations. If your product has a color variation, make sure you also provide a swatch image. To learn more about variations, check out the Sears Seller support article Offers, variations and trademark functionality.
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Settings and configuration
Setting up each marketplace on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, though not every marketplace includes the steps listed below.
- Go through the Setup.
- Create a Product selection.
- Complete the Categorization.
- Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
- Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
- Finish the Activation.
- Check the Listed products overview.
Setup
On Sears
Once your merchant account is active, the required information that ChannelEngine needs can be found in your Seller Portal. The steps below are needed for the basic API authentication.
- Go to the Sears Seller Portal.
- Log in to your account, click your username, and locate your Seller ID. Copy and save it for later.
- Navigate to the Account info section and locate the API authorization key. If there is no API authorization key available, generate the key first. Copy and save it for later.
On ChannelEngine
Once you add the Sears channel to your tenant:
- Go to the Setup page of your Sears marketplace.
- In the Connection section, enter:
- Seller email address - the email address you use to log in to Sears Seller Portal.
- Seller ID - your seller ID on Sears.
- API key - your API authorization key on Sears.
- Click Save.
Categorization
Categorization on Sears is straightforward, and all categories are listed in English.
Mappings
Content
Attributes on Sears vary depending on the product category. Below are the attributes that apply to all products regardless of the category. Make sure to map as many attributes as possible, as these details appear on the product page and serve as an additional tool to aid conversion.
All products (required)
- Brand - the product's brand or manufacturer. If the product does not have a brand, indicate 'Generic'.
-
Image URL - the product's primary image. The requirements are:
- Recommended resolution - 1,800x1,800 px.
- Format - JPG, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG.
- Background - white.
- No watermarks or transparent background.
- For more requirements, check out the Seller Support article Image specs, item warranty, owner's manual.
- Model number - the product's model number assigned by the manufacturer. The maximum number of characters is 40, and special characters and spaces are not allowed. In the product family, Sears randomly selects a model number or uses the one from the first uploaded product/variation. This model number is then applied consistently across all variations within that family.
- Shipping package height - the height of the product's packaging, in inches. Only specify the numeric value without the unit of measurement (i.e.: inches). Allow up to two decimal places. E.g.: 25.55.
- Shipping package length - the length of the product's packaging, in inches. Only specify the numeric value without the unit of measurement (i.e.: inches). Allow up to two decimal places.
- Shipping package weight - the weight of the product, in pounds. Only specify the numeric value without the unit of measurement (i.e.: pounds).
-
Shipping package width - the width of the product's packaging, in inches. Only specify the numeric value without the unit of measurement (i.e.: inches). Allow up to two decimal places.
NB: the combination of the attributes that describe product dimensions (i.e.: Shipping package height, Shipping package length, etc.) determines whether your product is classified as a small package, less than truckload (LTL), or an oversized package.
-
Short description - the product's short description. The maximum number of characters is 2,400. Describe the product in paragraph form. The following HTML tags are supported: br, p, ul, ol, li, h1-h4, b, strong, u, i, em, blockquote, nobr, pre. The requirements are:
- Balance between SEO and conversational tone.
- Do not add links to other websites, pages, or documents.
- Do not compare the product to other brands or products.
- Do not include health, safety, or monetary claims or promises.
- Do not include warranty information, pricing, sales, or promotions.
NB: in the product family, Sears randomly selects a short description or uses the one from the first uploaded product/variation. This short description is then applied consistently across all variations within that family. -
Title - the product's title. The maximum number of characters is 128. The following requirements apply to the title:
- Use title case. E.g.: Nitro Last Generation Smartphone.
- Do not mention the brand, as it gets appended to the title automatically.
- Do not use any special characters, except for trademark, copyright, or registration symbols.
- Do not mention the product's price or any promotional verbiage.
NB: in the product family, Sears randomly selects a title or uses the one from the first uploaded product/variation. This title is then applied consistently across all variations within that family. -
UPC - the 12-digit unique identifier that applies to the product. You can use this attribute to match your products to the existing offers on Sears. If the product does not have a UPC, contact Sears to seek an UPC exemption. Do not provide UPCs for products that are:
- Part of the bundle. E.g.: a camera and a lens.
- Collectibles. E.g.: a signed baseball cap.
All products (optional)
- Collectible - set it to 'yes' if the product is a collectible. E.g.: a limited-edition, vintage coat. To designate your product as 'collectible', you must apply for a UPC exemption.
- Energy guide file URL - the product's energy guide in PDF.
- English owner manual file URL - the product's owner's manual in English in PDF.
- Feature image URL 1-6 - the product's additional images. For the image requirements, see Image URL. Note that additional images (i.e.: Feature image) are randomly selected by Sears out of all images you submit for the product family and applied uniformly to all variations.
- Gift message eligible - set it to 'yes' if a gift message can accompany the product.
- Local marketplace flags - the product's flags. E.g.: contains alcohol.
- Long description - the product's long description. The maximum number of characters is 8,000. Describe the product's features as a bullet list (ol, li). For all other requirements, see Short description.
- Mature content - set it to 'yes' if the product has explicit content (i.e.: images, descriptions). This adds the 'adult content' label to your product.
- No warranty available - set it to 'yes' if no warranty is required for the product.
- Package has Prop 65 warning label - set it to 'yes' if the product requires a warning label, according to Proposition 65 in the state of California.
- Product warranty file URL - the product's warranty in PDF.
- Prop 65 warning code - the warning code, according to Proposition 65 in the state of California. For more information on providing California Proposition 65 warnings on Sears, check out Sears' documentation.
- Prop 65 warning text - the warning that the product exposes a buyer to chemicals, compliant with Proposition 65 in the state of California. E.g.: "WARNING: This product can expose you to lead, which is known to the state of California to cause cancer".
- Recycle fee item count - the number of items the product consists of, which is used to calculate the recycling fee. E.g.: 2.
- Seller customized bundle - set it to 'yes' if the product is part of the bundle. To create a seller customized bundle, you must apply for a UPC exemption.
- Seller tags - the keywords or tags applicable to the product, separated by a comma. E.g.: Hawaiian T-shirt, summer vibes. Seller tags are used solely for internal purposes and are not displayed on the marketplace.
- Spanish owner manual file URL - the product's owner's manual in Spanish in PDF.
- Spanish warranty file URL - the product's warranty in PDF.
- Swatch Image URL - the product variations' thumbnails. The thumbnails are visible on the product's parent page, and showcase different color options.
- Your categorization - the product's categorization used on your own website. E.g.: Women > Apparel > T-shirts.
Offer
All products (required)
- Main location ID - the ID of the main fulfillment location, automatically generated by Sears. For more information on location IDs on Sears, check out the Seller Support article How to find your Location ID. Bear in mind that Sears currently supports one fulfillment location.
- Offer condition - the product's condition. Any condition other than 'New' requires Offer condition comments to be added.
- Package quantity - the number of items in the shipping package. The attribute is used for product bundles. E.g.: 2.
- Pickup now available - set it to 'yes' if the main fulfillment location is the same as the pickup location.
- Price - the product's standard price.
All products (optional)
-
MAP price indicator - use this attribute to set up strikethrough pricing on Sears. If your product's Price or Sale price is below the minimum advertised price (MAP) provided by the manufacturer, you can select one the following options:
- Strict - the product's Price is not displayed on the product page. Instead, the MAP is displayed as a strikethrough price with the indication "Add to cart to see our price".
- Non-strict - the product's Sale price is not displayed on the product page. Instead, the MAP is displayed as a strikethrough price with the indication "Additional $ savings applied at cart".
- Left empty - the product's Price or Sale price is displayed regularly on the product page.
NB: for more information on strikethrough pricing on Sears, check out the Seller Support article MAP pricing indicator. - Offer condition comments - the comments on the product's condition, if it is different from 'New'.
- Offer condition image URL - the image that depicts the product's condition, if it is different from 'New'.
- Promotional text - the promotional text that accompanies the sale, which is optional. E.g.: "Get 30% off furniture – this week only".
- Publish start date - the date when you want your product to go live on Sears.
- Sale start date - the date from when the product's sale price is valid. This Sale start date must be at least two days after the present date. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD. E.g.: 2024-12-31.
- Sale end date - the date until when the product's sale price is valid. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD. E.g.: 2024-12-31.
- Sale price - the product's discounted price, which is used together with Sale start date and Sale end date to put the product on sale. This attribute must have a lower value than Price.
Carrier
Carrier mapping is required on Sears. You can map your carrier to a specific list of carriers maintained by Sears, or use the carrier of your choice. It is important to provide an accurate tracking code.
If your preferred carrier is supported by Sears, Sears provides the advanced shipping notice (ASN) to the buyer. Note that the tracking information you provide goes through the validation process by ASN.
If your preferred carrier is not supported by Sears, you should use the over the highway (OTH) carrier tracking. However, if you use a particular carrier regularly, contact Sears to have it added to the database – and be used in the ASN.
For more information on carriers and shipping on Sears, check out the Seller Support articles Available carriers for shipping orders and ASN rejection report.
Pricing
Sears requires prices to be submitted in USD. If you do not have pricing attributes in USD, you need to set a currency conversion.
Listed products
If you have problems with products not appearing on Sears – especially if you are trying to create products –, check the Listed products section for more information.
You can either filter on Channel status (Invalid for all products that ChannelEngine has not exported, such as products with an empty UPC) or use the Validation and feedback tab to see all known errors for specific products.
You can consult Sears Seller Support on common error messages and the ways of troubleshooting them.
FAQs
How often does each task run on Sears?
Sears follows the schedule below:
Task | Frequency |
Export product data to marketplace | every 60 minutes |
Export product offers to marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Import product offers from marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Import orders from marketplace | every 20 minutes |
Export order shipments to marketplace | every 30 minutes |
Export returns to marketplace | every 30 minutes |
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