Retail Web Service Therapy

This content originally appeared on Modern Web Development with Chrome and was authored by Paul Kinlan

<p>Robert Scoble talks about how Developer API's are changing the face of retailing. I think I briefly talked about this a while back now (Are there any good web services out there: <a href="http://www.kinlan.co.uk/2005/04/are-there-any-good-web-services-out.html"><a href="http://www.kinlan.co.uk/2005/04/are-there-any-good-web-services-out.html">http://www.kinlan.co.uk/2005/04/are-there-any-good-web-services-out.html</a></a>).<p />I personally think if a retailer isn't planning to create API's that enable applications to be built on top of their product catalogue, ordering systems etc, then they are losing out on a massively huge potential future audience. I can't really justify it more than that, other than it is what I belief will happen.<p />So I think I agree with Roberts statement, just not really that it is going to change quickly. For reasons below.<p />One stumbling block for me to start to use API's like EBay's is that most of the ones I find charge per call. As a Full-time developer, after hours home developer; I can't afford to start using these services to see if I can start to do something "Entrepreneurial". <p />Additionally, I find it hard to find companies that offer API's to their data, everyone seems so, how should I say it, keeping their cards tight against their chest.<p />Am I missing the point here? I mean afterall Amazon provide access to their content (if only they would allow me to list Market Place Items through the same Interface) for free. It's a revenue generator to provide open access to an API.<p />Has Ebay changed there per call billing policy? I am finding it hard to read their site, something has gone awry with the layout.<p />Does anyone know of any cool retail web services (possibly in the UK).<p /></p>

This content originally appeared on Modern Web Development with Chrome and was authored by Paul Kinlan