Documentation for using OT Keys with Taobao and 1688.com API

OT API Key is a software product developed by OpenTrade Commerce that provides access to a specialized set of API methods. These methods allow to integrate data from popular marketplaces directly into your online store. OT API Key offers the following features:

• Importing product catalogs from marketplaces. You can connect to marketplaces such as Taobao/Tmall, Alibaba, 1688, AliExpress, JD, Amazon, eBay, Trendyol, Shein, and Poizon.
• Retrieving detailed product information. Automatically imports product names, configurations, descriptions, prices, and other related data.
• Search functionality. Adds search engine to your website that operates across marketplace catalogs.
• Automation and data updates. Keeps your product assortment and pricing up to date without manual input.

OT API Key enables your online store to work with several major product providers while maintaining unified interface and full control over user experience. OT API Key includes the following features:

• Connection of the following product providers: Taobao/Tmall, 1688, Alibaba, Ebay, AliExpress, Amazon, JD, Shein, Trendyol, and Poizon.
• Unified product search across all providers, using multiple search methods.
• Retrieval of product category trees from product provider or management of your own category tree.
• Retrieval of complete product information: description, specifications, configurations, discounts.
• Translation of all text information from provider’s original language to required language.
• Conversion of all prices from original currency to necessary currency.
• Management of markup, shipping, discount issuance and other necessary settings of online store.
• Adaptation to changes in product provider operations while keeping your interface unchanged.

• OT API key with access to information from popular marketplaces.
• Technical documentation.
• Sample requests and code examples.
• Support for API usage questions.

We are always ready to assist you with using OT API key but technical integration must be carried out independently — either by your own team or with the help of a specialist.

OT API Key is compatible with any CMS, such as OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify or a custom-built solution. Thanks to its flexible API, you can configure product import, description translation, price conversion, and marketplace search for any online store. All you need is access to the source code and technical capability to integrate external APIs.

Please note! OpenTrade Commerce provides only API and handles its maintenance. Integrating OT API Key may require development of custom solution or use of third-party modules. You will need to hire external developers for these tasks.

To display products from popular marketplaces (such as Taobao, 1688, AliExpress), you will need:

• Online store built on any CMS or your own domain with hosting.
• OT API Key — a unique identifier for accessing data. Key must be purchased according to pricing plans.
• Integration module (code) — a script that connects to OT API Key and retrieves required information. You will need third-party developer services to develop this script.

Important! OpenTrade Commerce provides access to API and complete technical documentation but does not handle development, setup or integration maintenance on the client’s side. If you do not have your own developer, you will need to hire a specialist to implement integration and ensure system functions correctly.

If you have sufficient expertise and know how to connect external APIs to websites, you won’t need a developer. Our documentation is more than enough — you’ll be able to handle integration yourself, manage categories, pricing, markups and translations.

In this case, hiring a developer is simply a way to save time and speed up your sales launch.

If you don’t have a technical background, we recommend reaching out to a specialist who can:

• develop module for your CMS;
• connect API Key;
• set up product import and data display.

You can follow a few simple steps to test functionality of OT API Key even without connecting it to your website:

• Get test OT API Key: submit a request on our website and our manager will contact you and make Telegram group with OT Commerce specialists, where they will provide OT Key for testing.
• OpenTrade Commerce offers user-friendly documentation with examples and interface for testing requests.
• To get response in XML format send request to http://otapi.net/service/
• To get response in JSON format send request to http://otapi.net/service-json/ 

Important! You can test OT API key without website, directly through documentation or Postman.

OT API Key pricing plans differ in terms of usage conditions, cost and additional features:

К0 BASIC is provided for small projects with a limited number of calls.

К1 STANDARD is optimal for stable operation of an online store with a low volume of orders.

К2 LIGHT requires no fixed monthly fee. Payment is made only for actual number of requests. Suitable for testing and occasional use.

К3 ENTERPRISE is the most cost-effective plan in terms of price per call and volume. It is suitable for both large online stores with constant traffic and smaller projects that require reliability and cost-efficiency for regular operations.

Visit https://otcommerce.com/key-payments/ to get detailed information and select an optimal pricing plan.

OT API key pricing plans depend on the number of calls made per day and the cost of each request. Therefore, the more calls your website makes, the higher the daily limit consumption (and vice versa).

Сall is a request from your website to OpenTrade Commerce platform to retrieve specific information. Each time your website searches for products on marketplace, loads product page, checks availability, calculates shipping, or retrieves categories, it sends a call to OT Commerce API. OT system responds to each such request with the data, which you display on your website.

Read more how calls are calculated https://otcommerce.com/calls-clarification/

Currently, OpenTrade Commerce supports integration with the largest Chinese and international marketplaces::

• Таобао/Tmall;
• 1688;
• Alibaba;
• AliExpress;
• Ebay;
• Amazon;
• JD;
• Shein;
• Trendyol;
• Poizon.

OT API Key allows your website to work with multiple marketplaces simultaneously, without compromising speed or stability.

OpenTrade Commerce offers the following ready-made plugins for OT API Key integration:

WooCommerce adds product catalog and product pages to your website, allows product search, translates information to required language and automatically updates product data.

OpenCart creates online store with product catalog, descriptions, specifications and prices from original marketplace.

If you’re using another CMS (such as Bitrix, Magento, or Shopify), custom module development or integration with a third-party developer will be required.

Important! OT API Key is required to use plugins. It must be purchased separately according to the pricing plans.