Amazon Services
Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) Documentation

Deprecation Notice:

Amazon Marketplace Web Service (MWS) will no longer be available after March 31, 2024. All MWS developers must migrate to Selling Partner API (SP-API) to avoid service disruptions. Refer to the Migration Hub for more information.

Amazon MWS Documentation

Using Amazon MWS Scratchpad

This section explains the inputs and outputs of the Amazon MWS Scratchpad user interface and provides an example of submitting a query request using Amazon MWS Scratchpad.

Amazon MWS Scratchpad input fields

Amazon MWS Scratchpad provides input fields that enable you to select the Amazon MWS API section, the operation, your authentication credentials, and the required and optional request parameters. You can also enter User-Agent header information if you choose to, but you are free to use the defaults.

API Selection

In the API Selection area of Amazon MWS Scratchpad, you can select the API section and operation that you want. Each time you select a different API section and operation, the Required API Parameters area and the Optional API Parameters area populate with input fields for the appropriate request parameters.

Authentication

In the Authentication area of Amazon MWS Scratchpad you can enter your Merchant ID, Marketplace ID, AWS Access Key ID, and Secret Key.

Clicking More... expands the Authentication area and displays the following additional input fields:

App Name
The name of the application that sends the query request to Amazon MWS. This string becomes part of the User-Agent header.
App Version
The version of the application that sends the query request to Amazon MWS. This string becomes part of the User-Agent header.
Language
The programming language that was used to write the application that sends the query request to Amazon MWS. This string becomes part of the User-Agent header.
Signature Version
The version of the query signature that is currently required by Amazon MWS. This field is not editable.
Signature Method
The HMAC hash algorithm that Amazon MWS Scratchpad uses to calculate the query signature. This field is not editable.
API Version
The version of the Amazon MWS API section that you selected in the API Section field. This field is not editable.
Endpoint
The location that Amazon MWS Scratchpad submits query requests to. This field is not editable.

Required API Parameters

In the Required API Parameters area of Amazon MWS Scratchpad you can input the parameters that are required for the selected operation. If the Add button Add button appears, you can click the button to add another input field for that parameter.

Optional API Parameters

In the Optional API Parameters area of Amazon MWS Scratchpad you can input the parameters that are optional for the selected operation. If the Add button Add button appears, you can click the button to add another input field for that parameter.

Example: Submitting a query request using the SubmitFeed operation

In this procedure, Amazon MWS Scratchpad submits an actual feed to Amazon MWS. Note, however, that the feed that Amazon MWS Scratchpad submits is empty and results in no changes to your products or inventory. To send real feed information to Amazon MWS, paste the contents of a feed into the Feed tab (see Step 6).
  1. Open Amazon MWS Scratchpad by clicking the "Amazon MWS Scratchpad" link on the Amazon MWS portal page for your region.

    The following list shows Amazon MWS portal pages:

  2. In the Merchant ID field, the Marketplace ID field, the AWS Access Key ID field, and the Secret Key field, enter the authentication values that you received when you registered for Amazon MWS.
    Note: Never enter your Amazon MWS credentials into a non-Amazon website.
  3. In the API Section field, click Feeds.
  4. In the Operation field, click SubmitFeed.
  5. In the FeedType field, paste _POST_PRODUCT_DATA_
  6. In the Feed tab, leave the default text in place: < xml version="1.0" charset="utf-8">
    Note that the default text ensures that no product or inventory information is sent to Amazon MWS. If you want to send real feed information using Amazon MWS Scratchpad, paste the contents of a feed into the Feed tab, replacing the default text. Ensure that the format of the feed matches the feed type that you selected in the FeedType field.
  7. Click the Submit button.

At this point if you click a different value in either the API Section field or the Operation field, the Response tab turns gray to indicate that the response no longer matches the current API Section and Operation selections.

What Amazon MWS Scratchpad displays after a query request

After you submit a query request using Amazon MWS Scratchpad, Amazon MWS Scratchpad displays the following information:

Response tab

The Response tab displays the actual XML response from Amazon MWS to your query request. This means that you can copy response values directly from the Response tab and use them as request parameters for subsequent query requests.

Request Details tab

The Request Details tab displays the following:

HTTP POST
The HTTP POST URL for your request. Note that while white space and line breaks have been added to improve readability, an actual query string cannot contain white space or line breaks.
String to sign
The request query string that Amazon MWS Scratchpad automatically signed for your request.
Request signature table
The request signature for your request, in both a hexadecimal string and a Base64 encoded format. Note that after submitting a feed, this table also displays the Content-MD5 header for your request.