Compatibility list
A compatibility list names every model a part, accessory or consumable fits, ideally as one row per model rather than a sentence such as “fits most”.
- Fit list
- Fitment data
- Parts compatibility
- Compatible models
What it means
Every part, accessory and consumable carries a claim about what it fits. Suppliers send that claim as a sentence, a PDF or a “goes with” link. A compatibility list turns it into data: one row per part and model, with the relationship and the source that names the model.
Rows can be checked, counted and matched against your catalogue; a sentence cannot. Ranges and wildcards such as “fits most” or “all models from 2019” name no models at all, so they stay as flags until a source lists the members.
Once the list is data, channels can hold it. A Google Merchant Center feed can carry it in product_detail, which takes up to 100 details per product.1 On eBay UK, a seller can add up to 3,000 vehicles that a part is compatible with.2
Think of it like this
A compatibility list works like a guest list on a door. Each name sits on its own line and can be checked, while an entry reading “and friends” lets in anyone or no one.
For example
The supplier’s cell reads “Fits KFR320W/325W & S variants, see PDF”. The fitting guide names both S models, so the filter gets four rows: KFR-320W, KFR-320WS, KFR-325W and KFR-325WS, each with the guide as its source. Any comma-separated Compatible models cell is then built from the rows, never typed by hand.
Why it matters
The list decides what a shopper is told. Under eBay Assured Fit, when a buyer’s vehicle matches, “fit is confirmed with a green checkmark on the listing”. If the part then does not fit, the buyer can return it under “Doesn’t fit my vehicle”.3 A false fit is a return. A fit you never claimed costs, at worst, a sale.
Not to be confused with
A compatibility list is separate from a list of cross-sells. A cross-sell suggests buying something else, whereas the list claims that one product fits another. Cross-sells are drawn from the rows whose model you stock.
Sources
- Google Merchant Center Help. Product detail [product_detail].
- eBay UK Seller Centre. Sell vehicle parts.
- eBay UK Seller Centre. eBay Assured Fit.