eBay Adds Live Shopping To Partner Network Affiliate Program
eBay is bringing livestream shopping into its affiliate marketing system, adding eBay Live support to the eBay Partner Network as the company looks to drive more outside traffic to curated shopping events.
In an email sent to EPN participants this week, eBay said affiliates can now earn commissions tied to eBay Live, the company’s interactive livestream shopping experience where buyers shop real-time events hosted by influencers, brands and sellers.
“We are happy to announce EPN now supports eBay Live,” the company told partners, calling it “a new way to engage audiences, drive traffic, and earn commissions through live shopping events.”
EPN is eBay’s affiliate marketing program, allowing approved members to earn commissions when they send qualifying traffic and sales to eBay.
The move gives eBay another way to connect Live shopping with creators, publishers, deal sites and other affiliates already sending traffic to the marketplace through EPN links.
eBay is also adding new fields to the EPN Transaction Detail Report to help partners track Live performance, with the new metric fields expected to be available July 13.
The update fits into a broader shift in eBay’s affiliate and advertising strategy over the last year.
As Value Added Resource previously reported, eBay recently updated Custom Promoted Stores with new ad capabilities around curated seller experiences, including placements connected to eBay Live and Ambassador affiliate program activity.
Liz Morton
The company has also made significant changes to EPN itself, including quietly ending the old seller incentive that allowed enrolled sellers to receive affiliate commissions that could effectively offset Final Value Fees on their own promoted items.
eBay then expanded its Ambassador affiliate program, opening commission opportunities for buyers, sellers and creators promoting select listings.
And more recently, EPN rules around AI use, confidentiality agreements and influencer disclosures have been tightened, adding more guardrails for how affiliates promote the marketplace.
Liz Morton
eBay Live has been on an agonizingly slow rollout, initially launching in the US in 2022 and in the UK in 2024, but the company has accelerated its push in recent months - expanding into new categories and geographies as competition from platforms like Whatnot and TikTok intensifies.
The company is also developing a "streaming-as-a-service" offering designed to connect sellers with livestream hosts, allowing them to participate in Live commerce without ever stepping in front of the camera.
Liz Morton
eBay does not separately disclose how much it spends on EPN, but affiliate marketing is part of the company’s broader sales and marketing expenses, which have recently drawn scrutiny as GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen continues his push to acquire the company.
Adding eBay Live to EPN doesn't necessarily mean a major new fixed cost for eBay, since affiliate programs are generally performance-based, but it does expand eBay’s paid traffic and commission model at a time when every dollar of marketing spend is under a brighter spotlight.
Liz Morton
EPN support for eBay Live could help get those events in front of more targeted audiences - the question will be whether that traffic drives incremental demand, or simply adds another layer of commission-based attribution to eBay’s already crowded marketing stack.
