Mercadolibre API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Shopping / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)

Overview

Mercado Libre is the largest e-commerce marketplace in Latin America, and its API gives developers access to product listings, pricing, seller data, and order management across 18 countries. You can search millions of products, retrieve detailed item information, and build integrations for sellers operating on the platform. It is a key API for anyone building e-commerce tools targeting markets in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America.

💡

Beginner Tip

Mercado Libre public search and item endpoints work without authentication, so you can explore the API immediately. Try fetching items with a GET request to the search endpoint using a keyword to see real marketplace data before setting up OAuth for seller operations.

Available Data

Mercadolibre data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Requires API key authentication

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from Mercadolibre",
    "description": "Manage sales, ads, products, services and Shops",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

id Unique Mercado Libre item identifier used to retrieve full product details
title Product listing title as shown on the marketplace
price Current price of the item in the local currency of the site
currency_id ISO 4217 currency code for the listing price (e.g., ARS, BRL, MXN)
available_quantity Number of units currently available for purchase
condition Item condition, either "new" or "used"

Implementation Example

const url = "https://developers.mercadolibre.cl/es_ar/api-docs-es";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized on user endpoints The access token is missing or has expired for endpoints that require user authentication
Refresh your OAuth 2.0 access token using your refresh token; Mercado Libre tokens expire after 6 hours
Invalid site_id error The site_id used in the URL does not correspond to a valid Mercado Libre country site
Use the correct site ID for the target country such as MLA for Argentina, MLB for Brazil, or MLM for Mexico
429 Too Many Requests You have exceeded the API rate limit for your application
Implement exponential backoff in your retry logic and cache frequently requested data like category listings

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Shopping
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

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