Difference Between “Product” and “Offer” in the Amazon Listing API

Purpose of this Document:

This FAQ is designed to help Amazon sellers understand the difference between a Product and an Offer within the Amazon Listing API to make the background behind different catalogs more tangible

1. What is a “Product” in the Amazon Listing API?

Answer:
A Product refers to a unique physical or digital item in the Amazon catalog — for example, a book, a pair of shoes, or a smartphone. It is uniquely identified by an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).

Characteristics of a Product:

• Contains core information like title, brand, description, images, dimensions, weight, etc.

• Only created once in the Amazon catalog.

• Can be offered by multiple sellers.

2. What is an “Offer” in the Amazon Listing API?

Answer:
An Offer is the individual listing created by a seller for a specific Product. It links a seller to an existing Product in the catalog.

Characteristics of an Offer:

• Includes price, inventory, shipping terms, delivery time, and condition (new, used, etc.)

• Seller-specific

• Always refers to an existing Product

3. Why is the distinction important?

Answer:
The distinction allows multiple sellers to list the same product without needing to re-enter product information. Each seller simply creates an Offer for an existing Product.

Example:

• Product: Smartphone, 128 GB, Black (ASIN: B0...XYZ)

• Seller A offers it for €899 new

• Seller B offers it for €849 used

Both sellers point to the same Product, but with their own Offers.

4. How does this look in the API?

Visualization: “Product vs. Offers”

Here’s a simple schematic representation:

                      +----------------------+
                      |     PRODUCT          |
                      |  ASIN: B08XY12345    |
                      |  Smartphone 14       |
                      |  128 GB, Black.      |
                      +----------+-----------+
                                 |
         +-----------------------+-----------------------+
         |                                               |
+-------------------+                         +--------------------+
|     OFFER A       |                         |     OFFER B        |
| Seller: Seller A  |                         | Seller: Seller B   |
| Price: €899       |                         | Price: €849        |
| Condition: New    |                         | Condition: Used    |
+-------------------+                         +--------------------+

Legend:

• Top: The Product with ASIN and catalog data.

• Bottom: Individual Offers made by sellers.

Summary Table: