How to Get Your Products Listed on TrainFinder
TrainFinder is a curated platform. We don't list everything — we list things correctly. If your product data meets our criteria, your listings get maximum visibility across thousands of active buyers.
For Dealers & Retailers
How We Ingest Your Products
We pull your product catalog automatically through your e-commerce platform's API or structured data. We support:
| Platform | Method | What We Need |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Products API | Nothing — we read your catalog automatically |
| BigCommerce | Catalog API | Nothing — we read your catalog automatically |
| WooCommerce | Store API | Nothing if public API is enabled |
| Square Online | Catalog API | API credentials (contact us) |
| Magento | GraphQL API | Nothing — we query your catalog |
| eBay | Browse API | Nothing — we find your listings by category |
| Custom / Other | JSON-LD markup | Add Schema.org Product markup to your pages |
What Makes a Product Listable
Every product must have these fields from your platform — not guessed from the title, not inferred, not assumed:
| Field | Required | Where It Comes From |
|---|---|---|
| SKU / Catalog Number | YES | Your product SKU field (not the title) |
| Product Name | YES | Your product title (clean — no prices, no HTML) |
| Price | YES | Your price field |
| Brand / Manufacturer | YES | Your vendor/brand field OR product tags |
| Category | YES | Your product_type, category, or tags |
| Scale | YES | Your collection, category, or tags |
| Image | Recommended | Your product image URL |
| Condition | Recommended | New or Used — from tags or title |
Category: The Most Important Field
We do NOT guess categories from product titles. If your platform doesn't tell us what something is, we can't list it.
How to set categories correctly by platform:
Shopify
- Use
product_typefield: “Locomotives”, “Freight Cars”, “Passenger Cars”, “Accessories”, “Track”, “Buildings”, “Sets” - OR use tags:
category:locomotive,category:rolling_stock - OR organize into collections by category
BigCommerce
- Assign products to the correct category: “Locomotives”, “Rolling Stock”, “Accessories”, etc.
eBay
- Use the correct leaf category (we map eBay categories automatically)
- Don't list trains under “Toys & Hobbies > Other” — use the train categories
WooCommerce
- Assign products to WooCommerce categories: “Locomotives”, “Freight Cars”, “Track”, etc.
What Gets Your Products Rejected
- No SKU — every product must have a unique catalog number or SKU
- No structured category — we don't guess from titles. Set your product_type, category, or tags.
- Price in the title — “Lionel Big Boy Regular Price $799.99 Sale Price $599.99” will have the price stripped but the title is garbage
- Non-train products — extension cords, t-shirts, coffee mugs listed as “locomotives” will be removed
- Wrong scale — an HO product in your O gauge collection confuses everyone
- Duplicate listings — same SKU listed twice with different prices. Clean your catalog.
How to Maximize Your Visibility
- Use your platform's structured fields — product_type, vendor, tags, collections. We read ALL of these.
- One collection per scale — “O Gauge”, “HO Scale”, “N Scale”. We auto-discover your scale collections.
- Clean product titles — “Lionel 2431260 Union Pacific Legacy SD70ACe” is perfect. No prices, no “NEW IN BOX!!!”, no emojis.
- Set the brand/vendor field — don't rely on the brand name being in the title.
- Include an image — products with images get 5x more clicks.
- Keep prices current — stale prices hurt your reputation.
Becoming a Founding Partner
Founding Partners get a badge on every listing, priority placement in the dealer directory, and a dedicated storefront page on TrainFinder.
Contact tonysunday@commandworks.us to discuss partnership.
For Individual Sellers (Marketplace)
How Marketplace Listings Work
You list your trains directly on TrainFinder. Buyers purchase through our platform. We handle payment processing via Stripe.
- 5% transaction fee on every sale (no hidden fees)
- Listing fee depends on your tier (Founding Members: free)
- Photos required — up to 20 per listing
- Condition grading required — honest grading builds trust
Listing Criteria
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product from registry | YES | Pick from our registry. If not there, request it. |
| Condition grade | YES | C-10 (Mint) through C-1 (Junk). Be honest. |
| Price | YES | Your asking price. We show fair market value for reference. |
| Photos | YES | At least 1 photo. More is better. |
| Description | Recommended | What's included, any flaws, box condition. |
Photo Requirements
Photos must be YOUR photos of YOUR actual item. No stock photos.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG, PNG, or WebP |
| Size | Max 10 MB per photo |
| Count | 1 to 20 photos per listing |
| Content | Your actual item, not a stock photo |
| Angles | Front, back, sides, any flaws, box/packaging |
| Quality | In focus, well-lit, clean background preferred |
Condition Grading
Be honest. Buyers will dispute inaccurate grades.
| Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| C-10 | Mint — factory sealed, never opened |
| C-9 | Like New — opened, possibly test run, no visible wear |
| C-8 | Excellent — very light wear, fully functional |
| C-7 | Very Good — minor wear, small scratches, fully functional |
| C-6 | Good — noticeable wear, may have small repairs, functional |
| C-5 | Fair — significant wear, may need minor repair |
| C-4 and below | Poor — for parts, restoration, or display only |
What Gets Your Listing Rejected
- Stock photos — your item, your photos
- Inaccurate condition — a C-6 listed as C-9 gets you flagged
- Not in the registry — if the product isn't in our database, request it first
- Prohibited items — no counterfeit products, no stolen goods, no items that aren't model trains
For eBay Sellers
We automatically pull eBay listings. To make sure yours show up:
- Use the correct eBay category — list under Model Railroads & Trains, not “Other Toys” or “Collectibles”
- Include the catalog number/SKU in your item specifics
- Set the scale in item specifics (O Gauge, HO, N, etc.)
- Set the brand in item specifics (Lionel, MTH, Atlas, etc.)
- Use a clear title — “Lionel 2431260 UP SD70ACe Legacy” is perfect. “RARE VINTAGE TRAIN L@@K NR FREE SHIP!!!!” is not.
If your eBay listing has the right category, brand, scale, and catalog number in the item specifics, we'll find it and list it automatically.
Contact
Questions about listing criteria, partnerships, or getting your store integrated: tonysunday@commandworks.us