Prohibited Seller Activities

These prohibited seller activities are established to maintain a safe buying venue for customers and a fair selling environment for our merchants. Failure to comply with the terms of this policy can result in cancellation of listings and or permanent removal from Newegg Marketplace. Please Note: This policy is in addition to, and in no way limits, your other obligations pursuant to our Policy & Agreement. You can reference the Newegg Marketplace Seller Agreement by clicking here.

General Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to both sellers of products and services. For guidelines specific to products or services, see the information following this section.

1. Attempts to divert transactions or customers

Any attempt to circumvent the established Newegg Marketplace sales process or to divert Newegg customers to another website is prohibited. Specifically, any advertisements, marketing messages that lead, prompt, or encourage Newegg customers to leave the Newegg website are prohibited.

2. Unauthorized & improper Seller Store Names

The Seller Store Name (identifying a seller’s business entity on Newegg Marketplace) must be a name that: accurately identifies the seller; is not misleading; and the seller has the right to use (that is, the name cannot include the trademark of, or otherwise infringe on, any trademark or other intellectual property right of any person; cannot be identical or similar to another company’s name protected by trademark law).

3. Seller Store Name

Seller Store Name cannot contain the words “Newegg”, “egg””, or verbiage similar to thosewords. Additionally it can’t be a URL or web address. Furthermore, a seller cannot use a business name that contains an email suffix such as .com, .net, .biz.

4. Inappropriate email communications

All email communications with customers must be courteous, relevant and appropriate. Unsolicited email communications with Newegg Marketplace customers, email communications other than as necessary for order fulfillment and related customer service, and emails containing marketing communications of any kind are prohibited.

5. Direct email addresses

Customers and sellers may communicate with one another via the Customer-Seller Messaging function, which assigns a unique Newegg Marketplace generated email addresses to both parties. Sellers are prohibited from providing or soliciting direct, non-Newegg Marketplace generated email addresses on Newegg Marketplace or in correspondence through the Customer-Seller Messaging Service function.

6. Operating multiple seller accounts

Operating and maintaining multiple seller accounts is prohibited. If you have a legitimate business need for a second account, you can apply for an exception to this policy. Please contact your Account Manager or our Seller Services team if you do not know who manages your account for more information or to send a request. In your request, please provide a legitimate reason on why a second account is needed. To be considered to allow a second account to be opened, you must provide the following when you contact your Account Manager or our Seller Services team. If you do not know who manages your account at Newegg Marketplace, Our Seller Services team can be reached at [email protected] You’ll receive a response to your request within 2 to 3 business days.

7. Misuse of selling functions on Newegg Marketplace

All sellers are able to access the functions that are provided by Newegg Marketplace via Seller Portal and or API. If a seller uploads excessive amounts of data repeatedly or otherwise uses the service in an excessive or unreasonable way that can create a disproportional load and impair the ability of other sellers to easily access and use the selling services. If a seller is misusing or making excessive or unreasonable use of the Newegg Marketplace selling services, Newegg Marketplace may in its sole discretion restrict or block the seller’s access to product feeds or any other functions that are being misused until the seller stops its misuse.

8. Misuse of ratings, feedbacks, or reviews

Any attempt to manipulate ratings, feedbacks, or reviews is strictly prohibited.

9. Misuse of the Newegg Marketplace Guarantee

Any misuse of the Newegg Marketplace Guarantee claims process is prohibited. Sellers who have an excessive number or dollar amount of claims are subject to termination via our monthly Seller Performance Review. In cases where a customer is dissatisfied with a product or service, customers can contact the seller to make arrangements for a refund, return, or exchange. Newegg Marketplace reserves the right to seek reimbursement from the seller if we reimburse a customer under the terms of the Newegg Marketplace Seller Agreement Section 5.5 (Customer Support / Returns) you can reference the Newegg Marketplace Seller Agreement by clicking here or the terms of submitting Newegg Marketplace Guarantee claim here.

10. Misuse of the Newegg Website Search Engine

When customers use Newegg's search engine they expect to find relevant and accurate results. To ensure that the customer experience is protected, all product-related information, including keywords and search terms, must comply with the guidelines provided under the Newegg Marketplace Content Policy. Any attempt to manipulate the search and browse experience by intentionally including irrelevant content or keyword stuffing/ spamming is strictly prohibited. You can review the Newegg Marketplace Content Policy by clicking here.

11. Misuse of the Newegg Websites Product Listings

Grouping the same available product offerings from multiple sellers into a single product listing enhances the customer shopping experience. To ensure customers are receiving the most accurate product information while they are making their purchasing decision, the following activities are prohibited.

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Prohibited Items List

We expect all sellers to ensure that all their SKUs are compliant with government regulations at the federal, state, and local level. This includes both the State of California as well as the state in which the customer and the seller reside. Sellers are responsible for keeping aware of any changes to these government regulations and ensuring their SKUs remain in compliance.

Prohibited Items that need further clarification will have expanded sections you can click and link to, which detail the items that are Allowed, Restricted, and Not Allowed.

SKUs that do not fall within the definition or scope of any Marketplace subcategory as given by the subcategory name and its “type” property values as specified in our Taxonomy are also prohibited. If clarification is needed, please contact your Marketplace Account Representative.

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Offensive Content Policy

This policy defines content that Newegg Marketplace considers offensive. Our policy is that no offensive content can be created on Newegg Marketplace. Sellers must familiarize themselves with this content policy because it not only defines what Newegg Marketplace considers acceptable and unacceptable, but it specifies the consequences for violating this policy. These rules are not an exhaustive list; rather, they convey a sense of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable content. We urge sellers to abide by the rules delineated here, but also to follow in good faith the intent they seek to convey. We believe that this policy adequately communicates the boundaries between offensive and acceptable content.

Glossary:

1. Adult. By “adult” we mean that which is usually exclusive and/or intended for persons at least 18 years of age.
2. Offensive. That which constitutes negative communication that would be considered unacceptable or inappropriate if portrayed in a normal public setting in main street America.

Scope:

The offensive content policy includes all content for a SKU such as website short title, product description, images, videos, logos, and property values. All forms of communication including images, words, slogans, letters, or numbers constitute content. The meaning of any content refers not only to the denotative meaning, but also the connotative and symbolic meanings as well.

1. For a list of SKUs that are not necessarily offensive, but prohibited for sale on Newegg Marketplace, please refer to our “Prohibited Items List” section.
2. For content policy regarding miscategorized SKUs, please refer to our “Miscategorized SKUs Policy.”
3. For content policy regarding website short titles, product descripions and good practice guidelines, please refer to the “Website Short Title” and "Product Description" sections under the content policy navigation.

Offensive Content:

1. Prohibited SKUs. These products have been banned from our website for legal or business reasons. Please refer to the “Prohibited SKUs List” in Appendix A.
2. Bigotry. All forms of bigotry including animosity, hostility, malice, and ridicule of any sect or group of people, including any symbol or object conventionally understood as bigoted.
3. Intolerance. Any intolerant regard for any sect or group of people.
4. Foreign language. When possible, content should be in English only. This does not apply to logos or images. If a foreign language is used, it must be used sparingly.
5. Aberrations. Unconventional depiction of ideas, beliefs, symbols, or events that may be special or sacred to any sect or group of people. This also includes any cooption of any ideas, beliefs, symbols, or events in an unconventional manner.
6. Subject/Theme. Any SKUs whose subject or theme is adult.
7. Profanity. Profanity is prohibited. Rude language is acceptable as long as it is not in the website short title or on the primary image. Use of alternative characters to mask words or parts of profane words are prohibited (examples: “@ss”, “fu**ker”, “$#!t”).
8. Nudity. Except in rare cases, nudity is prohibited. Any depiction of genitalia is prohibited.
9. Sexuality. All depictions of sexual expression are prohibited including drawings and stick figures.
10. Violence. Strong or extreme violence is prohibited.
11. Drug Use. All is prohibited, including content that refers to the drug itself.
12. Sensuality. Strong sensual topics or depictions are prohibited.
13. Innuendos. All sexual innuendos are prohibited.

Sanctions:

The sanction schedule is determined by two factors: the degree of offensive severity and the incidence number. An incident is defined as each time Newegg has determined that a seller has had one or more SKUs that violate our content policy. Content policy includes not only the offensive content policy, but is an umbrella policy that also covers our “Miscategorized SKUs” and “Inaccurate Item Information” policies. An incident in one policy does not contribute to an incident in another policy; however, a violation in one content policy may aggravate the level of severity in another policy. There is a maximum of one incident per day that can be counted for each seller. The same incident may be counted twice if the sufficient time has elapsed. An incident can be defined in terms of days or it can be more conceptual such as “sexuality in the costumes subcategory.”

1. Degree of severity is as follows:
   • a. Low Severity
   • b. Medium Severity
   • c. High Severity
2. Incidence Number:
   • a. First time offense
   • b. Second time offense
   • c. Third time offense
   • d. Multiple offenses
3. Sanctions include:
   • a. Unofficial Warning. This may occur for first time offenses that may warrant a simple verbal or written warning.
   • b. Official Warning. This usually occurs for first-time offenses.
   • c. Deactivating SKUs
   • d. Deleting SKUs
   • e. Deauthorization. This means the seller will lose authorization to sell in certain subcategories or will lose the ability to sell SKUs by a particular manufacturer.
   • f. Suspension. This causes all of the seller's SKUs to be removed from our website, although they will remain in our system.
   • g. Termination. This means the seller's account is terminated, and the seller will no longer be permitted to sell on Newegg.

Each incident that we establish will result in an email and/or call to the seller with information that specifies the details of the incident, the policy that is violated, the degree of severity, the sanction, the seller’s role in rectifying the violation, and terms for reconciliation. NOTE: Nothing in this policy shall limit Newegg's rights to sanction or terminate a seller for violation of the Newegg Marketplace Seller Agreement. The Agreement shall control to the extent of any conflict between this policy and the Agreement.

Examples: Case Studies

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Miscategorized SKU Policy

Ensuring that each SKU is properly categorized is an information management issue Newegg takes very seriously. Proper categorization has an impact on search and navigation while also influencing Newegg’s branding. By “categorization” we are referring to the subcategory. Newegg has more than 2,000 subcategories that span across several industries. We provide both taxonomy documentation and seller support to help sellers categorize their SKUs properly.

Properly Categorizing SKUs

The seller is responsible for ensuring that seller creates its SKUs in the correct subcategory. To determine the correct subcategory for a SKU, the seller must refer to the taxonomy. The taxonomy includes a list of all Newegg subcategories, the industries to which they belong, the properties and property values for each subcategory, and information on required and groupby properties. Everything you need is provided in the taxonomy document.

The first step in properly categorizing SKUs is to learn the taxonomy for the industries in which you will be integrating. For example, if you are selling “Fishing Rods,” the proper industry is “Sports Goods.” Once you determine the industry, acquire an understanding of the scope and structure of the Sports Goods industry. You will notice that there are several subcategories that pertain to fishing; you will also notice that there are several subcategories that pertain to boating. Understanding the conceptual layout of the taxonomy for an industry is essential. As you peruse the taxonomy for the Sports Goods industry, you will find that most of it is organized around particular sports. Next, find the subcategories that are relevant to your product. You will notice that Newegg has some subcategories that could be relevant:

1. SG – Poles, Tools & Gadgets
2. SG – Fishing Rods & Bows
3. SG – Fishing Reels

The second step is to examine the specifics for each subcategory to which your SKU could belong by looking at the subcategory structure. The best way to determine whether a subcategory is a proper fit for your SKU is to examine the “Type” property values as in “SGPoles_Type,” “SGFishingRods_Type,” and “SGFishingReels_Type”. Upon examination, it becomes clear that the subcategory “SG – Poles, Tools & Gadgets” is not the correct subcategory. The “SGFishingRods_Type” property demonstrates that the subcategory “SG – Fishing Rods & Bows” is the correct subcategory.

Using the taxonomy document, let’s pretend that you have another SKU that is also a fishing rod, but it also includes a reel. Because you are now aware of the different fishing subcategories, you decide to find the subcategory for Fishing Rod and Reel Combos. However, you do not find it. There are three possible reasons: First, the subcategory exists in another industry, so now you have to find it; second, we just don’t have any taxonomy for fishing rod/reel combos so therefore you can’t sell this SKU; or third, it is not its own subcategory, but it fits into a related subcategory. The structure of the fishing taxonomy shows you that there are two relevant subcategories: one for fishing rods and another for fishing reels. By examining those two subcategories further, you find that the “SG – Fishing Rods & Bows” subcategory has a property called “SGFishingRods_Feature” with a value of “Rod and Reel Combos.” Therefore, all Rod/Reel combos belong in the “SG – Fishing Rods & Bows” subcategory.

The final step is to make sure that you are authorized to sell in the “SG – Fishing Rod & Bows” subcategory. If you are restricted from selling in this subcategory, this means you are not allowed to sell any SKUs that would belong to the subcategory. By looking at the “SGFishingRods_Type” property, you can see that Bows, Bait Casting Rods, Downriggers, Fly Rods, Ice Rods, Spinning Rods, Surf Rods, Trolling Rods, and Spears” are SKUs you cannot sell.

Qualifying Criteria:

In order to determine the appropriate consequences of miscategorizing SKUs, the criteria that will be used to make this judgment must be established. There are four criteria that are considered: First, the specific type of miscategorization based on three scenarios; second, whether the seller is authorized to sell the SKU; third, the number of SKUs miscategorized; fourth, the number of prior incidences. The degree of each offense will be categorized as low, medium, and high. See Table 1 in Appendix A for a table presentation of these criteria. Each criterion is elaborated below:

1. The specific type of miscategorization is based on three scenarios:
   • A) The correct industry but the wrong subcategory. Whether this is a low or medium offense depends on how far conceptually the miscategorization is. Referring to the fishing rod example above, if the seller had put the fishing rod and reel combo into another subcategory such as “SG – Fishing Reels,” this would be a low offense. However, if the seller had placed the SKU in the subcategory, “SG – Sleeping Bags & Beds”, this would be a medium offense even though the subcategory is still part of the “Sports Goods” industry.
   • B) The wrong industry and the wrong subcategory, and SKU is authorized. Referring to the fishing rod example above, if the seller had placed the fishing rod and reel combo SKU into “Toys – Outdoor Toys” in the “Toys Games & Hobbies” industry, this would constitute a medium offense if the seller was authorized to sell in the “SG – Fishing Reels” subcategory.
   • C) The wrong industry, the wrong subcategory, and the SKU is unauthorized. Referring to the scenario in 1B, if the seller was restricted from selling in the “SG – Fishing Rods & Bows” subcategory, the offense would be high.
   • SKU Authorization. This refers to whether the seller is authorized to sell in the subcategory/subcategories involved. If the proper categorization for a SKU is to a subcategory the seller is not authorized to sell in, this is a violation. The increase in severity is elaborated in the scenarios for the first criterion shown above.
   • The number of miscategorized SKUs. This is determined in both absolute and relative terms. The fishing rods example will be used to illustrate criterion. Let us suppose that a seller has a total of 10,000 SKUs, 1,000 of which are fishing rods, all of which are miscategorized. The following are the factors that Newegg would consider in evaluating the degree of offense:
     • A) The extent to which the seller is the predominant seller for fishing rods. If there are a total of 1,500 fishing rods on Newegg, the seller’s 1,000 fishing rods carry nearly all the weight. This would constitute a high offense.
     • B) The scattering of 1,000 miscategorized fishing rods. If all the 1,000 miscategorized fishing rods were misplaced in the wrong subcategory such as “SG – Fishing Reels” that would be a lesser offense. However, if the 1,000 fishing rods were placed in multiple subcategories across different industries, that would be a much higher offense.
     • C) The total percentage of miscategorized SKUs. If the 1,000 miscategorized fishing rods is the only miscategorized SKUs out of 10,000, then this is a lesser offense because only 10% of the seller’s SKUs are miscategorized. However, if Newegg discovers that there are another 1,000 SKUs that are miscategorized, this would bring the percentage of total miscategorized SKUs to 20% which is too high.
     • D) The total number of miscategorized SKUs. If a seller had a total of 100 SKUs and all of them were miscategorized, this would be a lesser offense than a seller with 10,000 SKUs with only 1,000 miscategorized SKUs. Any number over a 1,000 SKUs is important to Newegg and can either be a help or a detriment.
     • Aggravating factors. If the miscategorized SKU(s) involved simultaneously violate another content policy, this will create an aggravating factor that will increase the severity rating of the offense. Another aggravating factor involves the importance of the subcategories in question. Subcategories that are particularly important for Newegg will increase the severity rating of the offense, whereas there may be no changes in severity for less important or strategic subcategories. For example, miscategorization that affects the “Memory (USB Flash Drive)” subcategory would be an aggravating factor contributing to a higher severity rating than a miscategorization involving the “Umbrellas” subcategory.
     • The number of prior incidences. An “incident” is defined as each time Newegg has determined that a seller has had one or more SKUs that violate our content policy. Content policy includes not only the miscategorized SKU policy, but also our offensive content and inaccurate information policies. However, an incident in one policy does not contribute to an incident in another policy. There is a maximum of one incident per day that can be counted for each seller. The same incident may be counted twice if sufficient time has elapsed. An incident can be defined in terms of days or it can be more conceptual such as “miscategorized SKUs in the HL – Decor subcategory”. The following factors are considered:
       • A) First-time offense. This is applied to the first time a seller integrates with us, as well as the first time any part of an industry is opened up to the seller. The severity is low.
       • B) Second-time offense. The severity is low.
       • C) Third-time offense. The severity is medium.
       • D) Multiple offenses. The severity is high.

Severity may be increased/decreased based on: number of prior incidences, number and % of miscategorized SKUs

Sanctions:

Each incident that we establish will result in an email and/or call to the seller with information that specifies the details of the incident, the policy that is violated, the degree of severity, the sanction, the seller’s role in rectifying the violation, and terms for reconciliation. The offenses from the criteria above will be used to determine the sanctions Newegg will impose. Although two incidences of high offense may not be severe enough to warrant suspension or termination, it really depends on the severity of the offense. See Table 2 in Appendix A for a table presentation of the sanctions. The sanctions that Newegg will impose are specified below.

1. Unofficial Warning. This usually occurs for a first-time offense that is of low severity and that can be quickly and easily remedied.
2. Official Warning. This usually occurs for first-time offenses that may be low in severity, but are not quickly and easily rectified.
3. Deactivating SKUs. This usually occurs for any medium or high offense in order to take the offending SKUs off our website until we rectify the situation.
4. Deleting SKUs. This occurs when there is no easy way to rectify a situation other than to start over again. This may also occur if the seller cannot be trusted to rectify the situation in a timely manner.
5. Deauthorization. This means the seller will lose authorization to sell certain subcategories or will lose the ability to sell SKUs by a particular manufacturer.
6. Suspension. This means all the seller’s SKUs will be removed from our website, although they will remain in our system.
7. Termination. This means the seller’s account is terminated, and the seller will no longer sell on Newegg.

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Inaccurate Content Policy

This policy describes situations in which inaccurate content may arise. Our policy is that all content must be entirely accurate. These examples are not exhaustive, but are used for illustrative purposes only in order to prevent them from occurring.

Scope:

The inaccurate content policy covers all content for a SKU including the website short title, product description, images, videos, logos, property values, manufacturer names, manufacturer part numbers, and UPC. This document specifically addresses the accuracy of the content. Another area this policy covers is nonsensical information. Nonsensical information not only fails to provide useful information for customers, but also confuses them.

Scenarios:

1. Mismatch between the information in the website short title, image, and property value. There is no easy for to determine which information is accurate. Did the seller just upload the wrong image? Is the image correct, but the product description is for the wrong SKU? The only way to resolve this issue depends on the UPC or Manufacturer Part # for the SKU.
2. The product description gives inaccurate information about the product. For example, a product description for a SKU may state that a free accessory is included, but this is untrue. This usually happens when sellers are trying to include a free item to promote their product. However, Newegg Marketplace is strict when it comes to bundling. If the SKU normally does not include any additional accessories or items, the seller should create a different SKU for that bundle. Another scenario is when the product description is for the wrong SKU.
3. Wrong manufacturer name. The manufacturer name is required to create a SKU because we use this information to uniquely identify a SKU. Because some manufacturers have similar names, it is important that the seller choose the correct name.
4. Wrong Manufacturer Part Number (MPN). This is usually required to create SKUs. We rely on this information to uniquely identify a SKU. It is important that sellers do not modify the manufacturer part number they receive from the manufacturer for their SKUs. The most common error occurs when the syntax is modified. For example, some manufacturer numbers include dashes and the seller creates the SKU without the dashes. Sometimes sellers use their seller part number as the manufacturer part number; there are cases where the seller uses the UPC number as the manufacturer part number. Another common case is when the seller appends an “-R” to the manufacturer part number to specify that the item is refurbished. Any changes to the manufacturer part number received from the manufacturer specifications are prohibited.
5. Wrong UPC. This is usually required to create SKUs. We use this information to uniquely identify a SKU. It is important that sellers do not modify the UPC they receive from the manufacturer. The most common error occurs when an Excel feed is used where the setting eliminate leading zeros from numbers in cases where the UPC code starts with a zero.
6. Nonsensical information. All information should be understandable for the customer and be appropriate. The most common occurrence is found with information for sizes and colors. Due to the wide variance of values for properties like size or color, normalizing the data is imperative for sellers. Another common occurrence is when the wrong information is supplied for a property. Another common occurrence is when the seller uses images that are fuzzy or are fillers such as "Image Coming Soon".
7. Duplicate listings of the same SKU. As previous scenarios have mentioned, our system will create separate listings for the same SKU if the UPCs, Manufacturer Name, or Manufacturer Part # differ. Sometimes this happens when sellers modify the Manufacturer Part # of the same SKU to list a separate compatibility. Also see the section on how to list compatibility information. Another situation when this happens is when a seller creates more than one listing by creating SKUs that come in different packs, such as the same SKU that comes in a pack of 2 or pack of 10. Creating different packages for the same of creating separate listings is also prohibited. There are two exceptions: if each package has a separate UPC, or if there is a property called "selling unit."
8. Misleading Information/Portrayal of Prohibited SKUs.. Any attempt to mislead a customer to think that a SKU could be something other than what it really is. In addition, any portrayal of a SKU that would violate the offensive content policy or Prohibited Items List is a violation. Sometimes this happens when a legal product is portrayed as something illegal, or when a toy is portrayed to look like the real object.

Examples: Case Studies

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Website Short Title Policy & Guidelines

Website short titles are the titles that appear on the product pages and in search results. Website short titles are one of the most important pieces of content for customers because it tells them what the SKU is. Therefore it is essential that sellers are more conscientious about the website short title. Many times a customer may only read the website short title and glance at the SKU image before making a decision on whether it is an item they may want to purchase. Website short titles that are less readable or do not clearly communicate what the SKU is have a much lower chance of being purchased.

Must Do:

1. Keep it short. Only include enough information for the customer to determine what the item is
2. Proper capitalization, spelling, and punctuation
3. Use special syntax and characters such as parentheses, backslashes, dashes, and plus signs sparingly and only when necessary.
4. Adhere to our Offensive Content Policy.

Nice to Do:

1. Include brand name or manufacturer name
2. Include manufacturer part number
3. Include size/color/class or any other key distinctive information except if you are grouping
4. Avoid excessive punctuation
5. Include the following information in the title in the most logical order: [Brand/Manufacturer Name] [Model #] [Product Name] [Most important feature]
6. Include compatibility information, but it must adhere to our specifications on compatibility. See our section on compatibility

Must Not Do:

1. Do not include product information that is more appropriate for the product description such as a list of features, packaging/shipping information or long descriptive information
2. ALL CAPS are prohibited except for the manufacturer/brand name and acronyms
3. Do not include vague words such as “beautiful,” “unique,” “lovely,” “new”, “more”, etc.
4. No synonyms or redundant words to describe the item. For example, “Battle Ship Boat” and “Remote Control RC Helicopter” is prohibited
5. Do not include shipping information
6. Do not include information that is applicable to a specific seller. For example, “sold by NeweggStore123”
7. Do not include promotional or marketing information
8. Do not use unnecessary syntax or punctuation
9. Do not include the condition of the SKU by using words such as "Refurbished," "Recertified," "Remanufactured," "Reconditioned" "New"
10. Refrain from using undescriptive titles
11. Do not create incomplete titles
12. Do not include any price information

Must Not Do Examples

Good Title Examples:

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Compatibility

There are many products that have compatibility information. Some examples include car parts, printer ink, and consumer electronics accessories. Compatibility information is important for customers who want to know whether the product is useful for them. Our policy strives to ensure that customers can find SKUs that match their compatibility specifications as well as ensure that they can easily determine from reading the search results or the product page whether a SKU is a match. However, we want to ensure that compatibility information does not become an eye sore for customers and does not unnecessarily crowd out other important information. These rules below specify the conditions for including compatibility information in the website short title:

1. The website short title may include a listing of compatibility information only if its character count does not equal half of the character count of the website short title. If the compatibility information has a character count equal to half that of the rest of the website short title, it is too long. Such a list must be exhaustive and not partial.
2. The website short title should summarize compatibility information by listing a type or range of compatibility, especially if the compatibility list is too long.
3. If a website short title includes a listing of compatibility, it must be exhaustive and not partial. The only exception to this rule is when it is prudent to list the most common or popular compatibility information. In those rare circumstances, a partial listing may be used.
4. In most circumstances, compatibility information in the website short title should be listed at the end of the website short title.
5. You must follow the rest of our Website Short Title Policy & Guidelines

Guidelines for compatibility information:

1. If a subcategory includes a property for compatibility, it should be the first place compatibility information is listed. A property field is limited to 2000 characters.
2. The product description is an appropriate place to specify compatibility information. Please follow our Product Description Policy and Guidelines

Good Examples:

Bad Examples:

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Product Description Policy and Guidelines

Product descriptions are displayed on the “Overview” tab on the product page. The purpose of a product description is to provide substantive and informative information for customers. Most of the content in product descriptions is text, but we allow a maximum of two videos. Every seller shares the same product description for each SKU; therefore, seller-specific information is prohibited. These guidelines have been provided to help you create product descriptions that meet Newegg’s quality standards.

Visual Presentation and HTML Restrictions

Not only is substantive content important, but the visual presentation of the content is also necessary. The visual presentation is controlled by the use of HTML tags. HTML tags must be well-formatted (all open tags must be closed, including <p> and <li>). Most sellers are restricted to the following HTML tags: <ol>,<ul>, <li>,<br>, <p>, <b>, <i>, <u>, <em>, <strong>, <sub>, <sup>. In some cases, a seller may be allowed to use more HTML tags as well as CSS. HTML encoding characters should be used sparingly.

Must Do:

1. Enter a detailed description featured on the product page. The product description should contain enough information to describe the product and be informative enough for a customer to make a purchasing decision.
2. Ensure that the product description is the correct description for the SKU.
3. Ensure the visual presentation makes the text readable and makes it easy for customers to efficiently find pertinent product information.
4. Follow HTML allowances and restrictions. Only <ol>,<ul>, <li>,<br>, <p>, <b>, <i>, <u>, <em>, <strong>, <sub>, <sup> are allowed. HTML must be well-formatted (all open tags must be closed, including <p> and <li>).
5. Adhere to our Offensive Content Policy.
6. Use HTML encoding characters sparingly.
7. Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation to ensure the writing is clear.
8. Obtain permission from Newegg before including any disclaimer or other legal information.

Nice to Do:

1. Include variant information that was left out of the title due to grouping. The most typical information is usually color and size.
2. Use proper spacing and formatting such as bold, underling, or italics formatting and/or underlining to clearly demarcate “Features” and “Specifications”
3. Use writing style that fits the character of the product and is tailored to a specific customer base.
4. Include manufacturer and brand information if it provides good information about the product.
5. Provide a product video. See our Product Image and Video Policy for more details.
6. Enroll in program that allows you to provide enhanced content by being less restrictive with html tags and allows for CSS formatting.

Must Not Do:

1. Do not include price, shipping, or warranty information in the product description.
2. Do not exhort the customer to use particular search terms.
3. Do not include URLs or mention other websites. This includes URLs to websites with warranty support, compatibility information, product manual, or data sheet.      However, a URL for downloading a driver or application that is required for the use of the product is allowed if it does not point directly to an executable file (.exe); it may be a URL to a website where they can find the download link.
4. Do not mention other products. You may mention that a particular product is part of a particular line or family of products, but you cannot mention specific products.
5. Any attempt at cross-selling is strictly prohibited.
6. Refrain from product descriptions that use excessive filler and marketing fluff.
7. Refrain from promotional/retail jargon.
8. Do not use unconventional characters as bullet points.
9. Refrain from using bold, italics, or underline formatting other than for headers or the product titles, or “must know” information.
10. Do not include any information that is seller-specific including RMA policies.
11. Do not create product descriptions that do not provide enough product information.
12. Do not refer to holidays unless a SKU is closely associated with a particular holiday

Must Not Do Examples:

Good Examples:

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Content Ownership - Modifying Existing SKU Content

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Product Image and Video Policies and Guidelines

Product images appear on the product pages and in search results. Videos appear only on the product page. Images and videos convey important information to customers about a product that is not as easily communicated with textual information. There are many instances when a customer may be able to identify a product by examining only images or a video. High quality images and videos support the customer’s decision-making process, whereas poor quality images and videos detract from it. The seller is responsible for ensuring that the images and videos for their SKUs they supply to Newegg are compliant with this Product Image and Video Policies and Guidelines document.

Product Detail Page Ownership and Image Restrictions

When a detail page is created, it becomes a permanent catalog page on Newegg.com that will remain even if the original content creator's inventory sells or if their Seller account becomes deactivated. Additionally, when you add your copyrighted image to a detail page, you grant Newegg and its affiliates a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right to exercise all rights of publicity over the material.

Other sellers can list their items for sale against product pages that you have created or added your copyrighted images* to. (Please see #3 under Image Requirements section below for more on this.)

Image Requirements:

1. Adhere to Copyright Law. Supply only images you have acquired legally. Do not supply any images to which you do not have legal rights.
2. Every image must meet two of these criteria: 640 pixels wide; 480 pixels high; maximum 10MB file size. High quality images are strongly recommended as this will assist customers with their shopping experience.
3. Images must be clear, borderless, and free of watermarks, logos, and extra text. Images should not include copyright or seller-specific information.
4. Every image must be the actual image of the product. No blank images or fillers such as “Image Coming Soon” are allowed. See our Inaccurate Content Policy for more information.
5. Do not supply identical images.
6. Images must have an appropriate background. Usually a white background looks the best.
7. Ensure that the image does not portray anything contradictory to the product specifications including the website short title and product description. The most common error is that the SKUs color does not match the information given in the specifications. See our Inaccurate Content Policy for more information.
8. Adhere to our Offensive Content Policy.
9. An image of a real person, body parts, or model must be legal.
10. Each image must not contain a collage of images. However, a collage is appropriate if it shows important variances such as color or size/dimensions.

Primary Image Requirements:

1. Be conscientious of the importance of the primary image. The primary image is the first image of a SKU the customer sees and is usually the image that appears in search results. In many instances, the primary image is the only image a customer sees despite the availability of other images for the SKU.
2. According to our offensive content policy, certain images are allowed, but are prohibited from being the primary image. Please refer to our Offensive Content Policyfor more information.
3. Any images that show a real person, body parts, or a model are strictly prohibited from being the primary image.
4. Do not show a collage of images as the primary image.

Image Recommendations

1. Include an image of accessories that are included with the product (ex. gift box, remote control, etc.) only if they are important for customers to see.
2. When appropriate, use labels on an image to identify important parts or features.
3. Include an image that shows the product’s scale. This is usually achieved using models, body parts, rulers, or scales.
4. Include a sizing or conversion chart image for SKUs that have unconventional sizes (ex. costumes). Obviously, the text must be readable.

Video Requirements:

1. The video must be substantive and informative. Videos must not be purely lifestyle commercial. See the videos on the following Product Tour for a good example.
2. Minimum resolution of 1280 x 720
3. Accepted video formats: mp4, avi, wmv, and flv. URLs are not accepted, as we require video files for our own hosting purposes.
4. The video must not merely show different views or just show what the item looks like on display. See this video for an example that violates this requirement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTZzL-5O-Q&feature=plcp
5. All videos must adhere to our Offensive Content Policy.
6. Videos must not include any of the seller’s information.

Examples:

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Seller Logos

Seller logos appear on product pages under the "Compare Offers from All Sellers" section when there is more than one seller for a SKU. You can upload a seller logo in the "Account Settings" menu.

Logo Requirements

• Resolution: 127 pixels (width) x 33 pixels (height)
• Unpixelated
• Must be in .gif format
• Animated .gif files are not allowed

Examples

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Guidelines

Website Short Title Requirements

• A minimum of 70 characters recommended
• Recommend the following sequence: [Brand/Manufacturer Name] [Model #] [Product Name] [Most important feature]
• Use important and relevant keywords that best describes the product

Product Description / Overview Text Requirements

• A minimum of 500 words recommended
• Unique, organic paragraphs for each item
• Include relevant keywords, but do not stuff keywords or include "marketing fluff" in your description
• Write content relevant for human readers
• Recommend incorporating rich content such as images, videos, etc. For more information on how to use our A+ Content Service, please review this user guide.
• Utilize Google trends and keyword research to populate description organically with key search terms

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Firearms, Weapons, and Knives Policy

Policy Overview

This clarifies the Prohibited Items List item of “firearms and weapons (including but not limited to switchblade knives, butterfly knives, guns, gun parts, gun kits, ammunition, mace, pepper spray, black powder, and explosives)”Any allowance of weapons and weapon-related accessories permitted by our policy and the category manager must follow these additional requirements:

• The items comply with California law AND the law of the state where the customer resides
• The seller is located in the US
• The item is shipped within the US
• The seller only offers domestic shipping for the item. International shipping is not permitted

Airsoft, Replica, or Other Imitation Firearms

The product description must contain a disclaimer that airsoft firearms are required to have the tip (1/4 inch) of the barrel permanently colored in blaze orange. All images of the firearm that show the tip of the barrel must show the tip (1/4 inch) colored in blaze orange.

Ammunition

Any live ammunition and ammunition components are strictly prohibited, excepting a few allowances.

Assault Weapons

Assault weapons and assault weapons parts are strictly prohibited. This is not an exhaustive list of prohibitions.

BB guns, pellet guns, air rifles, or air pistols

BB guns, pellet guns, air rifles, air pistols, or any guns considered weapons by the State of California.

Firearms &amp; Accessories

Actual firearms are prohibited. We allow some firearm parts and accessories only under certain restrictions.

Explosives, grenades, and military ordnance

Such items are strictly prohibited. We also do not allow military items or military-issued items of any sort.

Hand Weapons

Most hand weapons are prohibited.

Knives

See below for more details. Any knives that are concealed are prohibited.

Stun Guns

Stun guns are strictly prohibited. Only holsters for stun guns are permitted

Other Weapons

Miscellaneous weapons have some restrictions

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Costume Content Optimization

Thank you for being a valued Newegg partner! The purpose of this document is to show you the best way to create or update the content for your costume SKUs. Following these requirements and guidelines will help ensure that your content is in the best shape possible for costume shoppers on Newegg's site.

Useful Links

• Content Policy
• Offensive Content Policy
• Integration Quick Start Guide

Grouping SKUs

Newegg customers want the shopping experience for costumes to be similar to the shopping experience of other apparel items, such as shoes. The customer does not want to see separate listings for each variant size or color in the search results. Instead, the customer wants to find the costume they want, and then use drop down boxes to get the correct size and color.

1. Required Groupby Properties

The "Costumes" (1045) subcategory has two groupby properties:

• Costume_Size
• Costume_Color

The values for both groupby properties "Costume_Size" and "Costume_Color" must be provided if grouping SKUs. Our system requires that values are provided for BOTH of these properties, or the SKUs will not group.

2. Different Values Required

Costume SKUs have to have different values for "Costume_Size" and "Costume_Color" to group.

3. Adding New Values

Newegg is willing to import the size and color values you need. The datafeed specifies the size and color values that are in our system. Our system requires that you use one of these values. If the value is not available, you can contact the Newegg Content Team at [email protected] for the procedure on getting your values added to our system.

Important Properties

There are some properties for costumes that are of particular importance. Following these recommendations will improve the ability for customers to find your product.

1. Visual Navigation Properties

The visual navigation page for costumes is located at http://www.newegg.com/Costumes/Category/ID-42?Tpk=costumes. Some of the links include "Batman", "Aliens", "Colonial", etc. If possible, make sure that your SKU has this value in one of the designated properties.

2. Guided/Advanced Search Properties

Some properties are also included as filters on the website. Although most of these properties will accept user input, only those values that are included in the datafeed will show up as a filter value. The properties that will be in the Guided/Advanced Search include (in the order shown on the website):

• Costume_Age
• Costume_Gender
• Costume_Size
• Costume_Theme
• Costume_Sexy
• Costume_TV,Movies & Games
• Costume_Culture
• Costume_Historical Period
• Costume_Couples Costume
• Costume_Color

3. New Properties

We have three new properties for costumes: "Costume_Couples Costume", "Costume_Sexy", "Costume_TV, Movies & Games". These are new properties and the values that will optimize the search and navigation capabilities for your SKUs. They will also appear as filters in Guided Search and Advanced Search.

Costume_Couples Costume: Yes / No

Costume_Sexy: Yes / No

Costume_TV, Movies & Games: Select from available values including:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Alvin & Chipmunks
• Angry Birds
• Assassins Creed
• Avatar
• Avengers
• Barbie
• Batman
• Benjamin Franklin
• Black Widow
• Captain America
• Cinderella
• Despicable Me
• Flash
• George Washington
• Green Lantern
• Halo
• Harry Potter
• Hawkeye
• Hello Kitty
• Hulk
• Hunger Games
• Iron Man
• Lincoln
• Link/Zelda
• Lord of the Rings
• Mario Bros
• Matrix
• Minions
• Monster High
• Monsters Inc
• Mortal Kombat
• Napoleon
• Pac Man
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Power Rangers
• Robin Hood
• Robocop
• Sesame Street
• Skylanders
• Snow White
• Spiderman
• Star Trek
• Star Wars
• Street Fighter
• Superman
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Toy Story
• Transformers
• Uncle Sam
• Vampires
• Zombies

Image Guidelines

1. Image Requirements

These are the image requirements for all SKUs on Newegg:

• Minimum dimensions: 320 pixels wide OR 240 pixels high
• Only .jpg or .jpeg formats/file extensions are acceptable
• Each image's maximum file size is 5 megabytes
• You can only upload 7 images per item
• Images should be clear and free of extra text, watermarks, and/or merchant logos
• Blank images and images containing messages similar to "Image Coming Soon" are prohibited
• All images must comply with copyright and other laws

2. Image Recommendations

We have found that enhancing your images increases the chances of a purchase. We recommend the following practices for costumes:

Website Short Title Guidelines

Website short titles are the titles that appear on the product pages and in search results. Website short titles are one of the most important pieces of content for customers because it tells them what the SKU is. Therefore, it is essential that sellers are more conscientious about the website short title. Many customers make a quick judgment on the relevance of a SKU by quickly glancing at the title and the image. Website short titles that are less readable or do not clearly communicate what the costume is will have a lower chance of being purchased.

Requirements

• 1. Keep it short. Only include enough information for the customer to determine what the costume is.
• 2. Proper capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Refrain from using abbreviations that are hard to understand.

• 3. Avoid special characters. Refrain from using special syntax and characters such as parentheses, backslashes, dashes, and plus signs. Parentheses are ok for baby and toddler sizes.
• 4. Do not include "Halloween". Do not include the word "Halloween" in the title for costumes.
• 5. Do not include part numbers. Do not include the manufacturer part number in the title.

• 6. Stay consistent. Stay consistent with terms for age group and gender. We discourage sellers from using the term "Child" in some costume titles and using "Kids" in other titles. Examples:
  • Tween
  • Teen
  • Men's (communicates both gender and age group)
  • Women's (communicates both gender and age group)
  • Child vs. Kids
  • Girls (communicates both gender and age group)
  • Boys (communicates both gender and age group)
  • Infant vs. Baby vs. Toddler

Recommendations

• 1. Omit grouping information. A good rule of thumb is to omit information from titles when you are grouping SKUs based on that information. For example, if you are grouping SKUs and they vary only by size, then it is usually good practice to omit that information from the title.
• 2. Omit gender information. Do not include gender information in the title. Most costumes do not need this information in the title, especially if you include this information in the "Costume_Gender" property. The only exception could be for children's or babies' costumes.
• 3. Omit age group. Omit age group information in the title except those for babies, toddlers, and perhaps kids. There may be exceptions when the image and the kind of costume does not clearly communicate this.
• 4. Omit brand. Omit brand information from the title. Most customers do not care about the costume brand and this information crowds out more useful information.

• 5. Character count. Keep title character count between 50-100 range.
• 6. Avoid redundancy. Keep redundant and repetitive information out of the title.

• 7. Important information first. Include the most important information about costumes in the beginning of the title. We recommend using the following format: [Age group] + [Costume name] + [Misc. information] or [Costume Name] + [Misc. information] + [Age Group]. Examples:
  • Tween Snow White Huntsman Movie Costume
  • Disney Tinker Bell Adult Costume
• 8. Clear ordering. Make sure the title reads clearly by avoiding random ordering of information.

Product Description

Product descriptions are displayed on the "Overview" tab on the product page. The purpose of a product description is to provide substantive and informative information for customers.

Must Do

• 1. Detailed description. Enter a detailed description on the product page. The product description should contain enough information to describe the costume.
• 2. Specify accessories. Specify any accessories or other items that are not included with the costume, especially if the image shows these accessories.

• 3. Clarify misleading information. Clarify anything about the image that could be misleading to customers. This includes any of the following:
  • Any accessories that are not included with the costume, especially if the image shows these accessories
  • Coloring information
  • Specifics about the costume that are not obvious

Must Not Do

• 1. No seller-specific information. Do not include seller-specific information such as shipping information and RMA policies.

• 2. No excessive filler. Do not use excessive filler and marketing fluff.
• 3. Provide sufficient information. Do not create product descriptions that do not provide enough product information.

Nice to Do

• 1. Formatting. Use proper spacing and formatting such as bold, underlining, or italics when appropriate.
• 2. Clear writing style. A writing style that is clear, but also pleasurable to read.

• 3. Brand information. Include brand information if it makes the content more informative for customers.
• 4. Size chart. Include sizing chart information in the product description. Although you cannot create a chart format, you can still use other formatting techniques to show size information.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Size Values

• Avoid inconsistent values. Make sure that the costumes you group together do not include different sizes with one size listed as "One Size" or grouped with various colors, one of which is "As Shown". This is inaccurate information and is confusing to customers.

• Stay consistent. Inconsistent size values for your costumes. Check your costume SKUs and make sure you stay consistent with your size values.
• No duplicate values. Do not use duplicate size and color values for your costumes that are grouped together. Sellers must avoid creating a costume (small and red) grouped with another costume that is also small and red. Grouping SKUs like this will cause problems on our website, because the system will not know which SKU the customer intends to select. As a result, the "Add to Cart" button may disappear, leaving the customer without the ability to purchase the costume.

2. Duplicate Listings

Our system will create separate listings for the same SKU if the UPCs, Manufacturer Name, or Manufacturer Part # differ. There have been cases in the past when sellers used two different mfr + mp# or mfr + upc and created two listings. Duplicate listings cause messier search result listings and reduce the chances a customer will be able to locate the costume he wants.

3. Inaccurate Information

Make sure that the image, website short title, product description, and property values do not provide contradictory information. The example below shows a costume in which the image and website short title do not match. Is this a Spider Man costume or a Knight costume? The image doesn't look like it is for infants.

4. No Property Values

Be sure to include property values. All of the website navigation and the filters use property values. The example below has no properties, and so this will not show up in any navigation links or filters.

5. Offensive Content

Make sure none of the content violates our "Offensive Content Policy". Any violations could result in seller account suspension or termination. You can review our "Offensive Content Policy" at http://promotions.newegg.com/marketplace/contentpolicy/ContentPolicy.html#Offensive Content.

6. Miscategorized SKUs

It is important that you place your SKU in the correct subcategory. We have five subcategories for costumes:

• Costumes (ID# 1045)
• Costume Accessories (ID# 1046)
• Decorations & Props (ID# 1047)
• Mascot Costumes (ID# 1048)
• Pet Costumes (ID# 1049)