Amazon Flat File Errors: Common Problems & How to Fix Them

Flat files are the most powerful — and most frustrating — way to manage product listings on Amazon. They give you full control over variation families, but a single misplaced value can cause your entire upload to fail. If you have ever stared at a processing report full of cryptic error codes, you are not alone.

This guide covers the most common Amazon flat file errors, explains exactly why each one happens, and walks you through the fix step by step.

How Flat File Processing Works

Before diving into specific errors, it helps to understand how Amazon processes your flat file upload.

1. Upload: You submit your completed .txt or .xlsx file through Seller Central at Catalog > Add Products via Upload.
2. Validation: Amazon checks the file format, required columns, and basic data integrity. If the file structure is broken (wrong template, missing columns), it is rejected immediately.
3. Row-by-row processing: Each row is processed individually. Some rows may succeed while others fail. Amazon does not roll back successful rows if other rows have errors.
4. Processing report: After processing is complete (usually 15 minutes to a few hours), a report is generated. This report is your single source of truth — it tells you exactly which rows failed and why.

The key takeaway: always download and read your processing report. A file that uploads without an immediate error message is not necessarily error-free. Amazon may accept the file but reject individual rows during processing.

Error 8007: Parent SKU Not Found

What it means: Amazon cannot locate the parent SKU that your child listings are referencing.

Why it happens:

• The parent SKU row is missing from your flat file entirely
• The parent SKU has a typo or case mismatch (SKUs are case-sensitive)
• You uploaded child rows in a separate file before the parent was created or processed
• The parent_child column for the parent row is not set to Parent
• The parentage or parent_child value on the parent row is blank

How to fix it:

1. Open your flat file and confirm the parent row exists with parent_child set to Parent
2. Verify the item_sku on the parent row matches exactly what each child row has in the parent_sku column — including capitalization
3. Make sure the parent row has update_delete set to PartialUpdate (not blank)
4. Always upload parent and children in the same file, in the same submission. Do not split them into separate uploads
5. Re-upload the corrected file

Example of a correct parent-child relationship:

item_sku	parent_child	parent_sku	variation_theme
SHOE-PARENT	Parent		Size-Color
SHOE-RED-9	Child	SHOE-PARENT	Size-Color
SHOE-RED-10	Child	SHOE-PARENT	Size-Color
SHOE-BLUE-9	Child	SHOE-PARENT	Size-Color

Notice the parent row leaves parent_sku blank — only children reference the parent.

Error 8016: Variation Theme Mismatch

What it means: The variation theme on a child listing does not match the variation theme declared on the parent listing.

Why it happens:

• The parent uses Size-Color but a child row has Size or Color or a different theme
• Copy-paste errors introduced a trailing space or different capitalization in the variation_theme column
• You are trying to add children to an existing parent that already has a different variation theme set in the catalog
• The template you downloaded does not support the variation theme you need for your category

How to fix it:

1. Open your flat file and check the variation_theme column for every row — parent and all children
2. They must be identical. Not similar, not equivalent — the exact same string
3. If the parent already exists in your catalog with a different theme, you cannot simply override it. You will need to delete the existing variation family first, then re-create it with the correct theme
4. Double-check that your category template supports the variation theme you are using. Not all themes are available in all categories. Refer to the Valid Values tab in your flat file template

Pro tip: Use your spreadsheet’s Find & Replace feature to copy the exact variation theme string from the parent row to all child rows. This eliminates invisible character differences.

Error 1876: Invalid Variation Theme

What it means: The variation theme you specified is not valid for the product category (browse node) you are listing under.

Why it happens:

• You are using a variation theme that does not exist in your category (for example, using Size-Color in a category that only supports Color)
• The category has changed its supported themes since you last downloaded the template
• You are using a generic flat file template instead of the category-specific one
• The variation theme is misspelled or uses incorrect formatting (hyphens vs. underscores, wrong capitalization)

How to fix it:

1. Go to Seller Central > Catalog > Add Products via Upload > Download Template
2. Select your exact product category and download a fresh template
3. Open the Valid Values tab (or the Data Definitions tab) and look for the variation_theme field
4. Find the list of accepted variation themes for your category
5. Use one of those exact values — copy it directly from the template to avoid typos
6. Update all rows in your flat file (parent and children) with the correct theme
7. Re-upload

Common valid variation themes by category type:

• Clothing/Shoes: Size-Color, SizeColor, Size, Color
• Electronics: Color, Size, Pattern
• Home & Kitchen: Size-Color, Color, Size, Style

The exact name and format varies. Always trust the template over general guides.

Error 5665: Missing Required Fields

What it means: One or more required fields are blank or missing in your flat file rows.

Why it happens:

• Required columns like brand_name, manufacturer, item_name, or product_type are empty
• Child rows are missing required variation-specific attributes (for example, color_name or size_name when the theme is Size-Color)
• The external_product_id (UPC/EAN) is missing on child rows that need it
• You deleted or hid columns in your spreadsheet that Amazon requires

How to fix it:

1. Download your processing report and look at the error-message column — it will name the specific field that is missing
2. Open the Data Definitions tab of your flat file template and filter for fields marked as Required
3. Cross-reference with your flat file data to find the empty cells
4. Fill in every required field for every row. Parent rows and child rows often have different required fields — parents typically need fewer product-specific attributes, while children need the actual variation values
5. Pay special attention to these commonly missed fields on child rows:
   • color_name / color_map
   • size_name / size_map
   • brand_name (required even if it seems redundant)
   • product_type (must match the parent)

Important: Some fields are conditionally required. They only become mandatory when another field has a specific value. The processing report error message is your best guide here.

Error 99010: Data Formatting Issues

What it means: A value in your flat file does not match the expected format, data type, or acceptable range for that field.

Why it happens:

• A price field contains currency symbols or commas (for example, $29.99 instead of 29.99)
• A quantity field contains decimals instead of whole numbers
• A date field is not in the expected format (Amazon typically expects YYYY-MM-DD)
• Text fields exceed the maximum character limit
• A field that expects a controlled vocabulary value (like standard_price or condition_type) contains a free-text value instead
• Excel auto-formatting converted a UPC/EAN to scientific notation (for example, 8.85E+11 instead of 885000000123)

How to fix it:

1. Check the processing report for the specific column and row that failed
2. Review the Data Definitions tab for that column’s expected format, character limit, and accepted values
3. Common fixes:
   • Format UPC/EAN columns as Text in your spreadsheet before entering values
   • Remove all currency symbols and thousands separators from price fields
   • Use only whole numbers for quantity fields
   • Keep item_name (title) under 200 characters
   • Use exact values from the Valid Values tab for fields like condition_type (must be New, not Brand New)

The Processing Report: How to Read It

The processing report is a tab-delimited file with the following key columns:

• Feed Processing Summary: The top section shows total records submitted, successful, and failed
• original-record-number: The row number in your flat file where the error occurred
• sku: The SKU of the affected product
• error-code: The numeric error code (8007, 8016, etc.)
• error-type: Either Error (row was rejected) or Warning (row was processed but something may be wrong)
• error-message: A human-readable description of the problem

Tips for reading the report efficiently:

• Filter by error-type = Error first. Warnings are important but errors are blocking.
• Sort by error-code to group similar issues together. Often one root cause (like a missing parent SKU) creates dozens of identical errors across all child rows.
• The original-record-number maps to your flat file row number. Use it to locate the exact problematic cell.
• Some errors are cascading. Fixing the parent row may resolve 20+ child row errors at once.

Pre-Upload Validation Checklist

Before you upload any flat file, run through this checklist:

• Correct template: You are using the category-specific template downloaded from Seller Central, not an old or generic version
• Parent row present: The parent SKU row exists with parent_child set to Parent and a valid variation_theme
• Consistent variation theme: Every row (parent and children) has the identical variation_theme value
• Parent SKU references match: Every child row’s parent_sku value exactly matches the parent’s item_sku
• Required fields filled: All required fields are populated for both parent and child rows
• UPC/EAN as text: External product ID columns are formatted as Text to prevent scientific notation
• No currency symbols: Price fields contain numbers only (no $, no commas)
• update_delete column set: Every row has PartialUpdate or Update in the update_delete column
• File format: Saved as Tab-delimited Text (.txt) if using Excel — not CSV, not .xlsx
• No hidden rows or columns: Unhide everything before saving to ensure no data is lost

When to Get Professional Help

Flat file errors can sometimes be straightforward to fix — a typo here, a missing value there. But in many cases, they compound into complex problems:

• Category-locked variation themes: Amazon restricts which variation themes are available in certain browse nodes. If the theme you need is not supported, you may need to reclassify your products or request an exception from Amazon support.
• Existing catalog conflicts: When other sellers have contributed data to the same ASIN, your flat file changes may be rejected because Amazon prioritizes certain data sources. Resolving these conflicts often requires case escalation.
• Variation family restructuring: Breaking apart an existing variation family and rebuilding it with a different structure is a multi-step process where the order of operations matters. A mistake can leave orphaned child ASINs or broken listings.
• Suppressed or stranded inventory: If flat file errors result in suppressed listings, fixing the flat file alone may not be enough — you may also need to address listing quality issues through separate Seller Central workflows.

If you have been going back and forth with the same errors across multiple uploads, or if your variation structure involves more than 20 child ASINs, it is often faster and safer to hand it off to a specialist who works with flat files daily.

At VariationFix, we build and fix Amazon flat files for sellers every day. We handle the template selection, data formatting, variation theme mapping, and upload process — so you get clean, working variation families without the trial and error.