Amazon Seller Central Business Value
Amazon Seller Central Catalog Management
Section 2: Adding Products to Seller Central
Cheat Sheet
How to add existing Amazon ASINs Manually to your Catalog
• If you already know that the product or products you wish to sell on Amazon are already being sold by other sellers on Amazon, you can choose to add these existing ASINs to your catalog manually or via File Template.
• In this video, we will explore how to add them manually.
• To begin with, select the “Add a Product” Item from the “Inventory” Drop Down Menu on the Top Menu of Seller Central.
• On the next page, you can type in the product Name, UPC, EAN, ISBN or ASIN in the cell provided to search for the product on Amazon and click the search icon.
• On the next page, the product will show up for you to add to your catalog.
• In some instances, there may appear to be listing limitations which will show at the bottom of the block containing the ASIN.
• In this case, you can click on the drop down menu and select which option you would like to sell.
• In most cases, you are selling new products and not used products.
• Once you have selected how you wish to add your product, the next page will show you a number of fields that need to be completed.
• Those with their cells bordered in red and with a red asterisk alongside are compulsory and must be filled in, this being your price.
• You can also enter your SKU number for this product and note that, should you not enter a SKU, Amazon will automatically assign one for you.
• You can select the condition from the Drop Down Menu provided and which Fulfillment Channel you would like to use for this product.
• We advise that you click the “Advanced View” button to the right of your product listing box so that you can enter further information such as:
* Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
* Sale Price
* Sale Start Date
* Sale End Date
* Handling Time
* Product Tax Code
* Max Order Quantity – This is for customers, that is, how many they can order in a single order.
* Offering Can Be Gift Messaged
* Is Gift Wrap Available
* Shipping-Template
* Offering Release Date – If this is not entered, the date the item is added will be the release date. This is primarily used if you intend releasing the product to Amazon at a later date to what you add it to your catalog.
• Once you have entered everything you need to into this section, you can click the yellow “Save and Finish” button at the bottom of the page.
How to add existing Amazon ASINs via File Template to your Catalog
• If you have multiple products that are currently being sold on Amazon that you wish to list in your Seller Central Catalog, then it is considerably easier and faster to do so using a File Template instead.
• In order to list multiple ASINs via the File Template, you can either choose the “Add a Product” Item from the “Inventory” Drop Down Menu on the Top Menu of Seller Central and on the next page, select the “Download an Inventory File” link; or you can select “Add Products via Upload” from the “Inventory” Drop Down Menu.
• Both options will take you to the same page.
• On this page, scroll down to the “Inventory Files” header and click on the “Inventory Loader” File Name alongside the “Product Matching Only” File Type.
• On the new page that opens, click on the “Inventory Loader Template” in order to Download it.
• Once you open the Template, it is imperative to take note of the first worksheet called “Data Definitions” as this contains the meanings of the various numerical options available to you when creating your products, definitions and use for each field and which values are accepted for each cell.
• It also highlights which information is required and which optional or desired.
• We would like to encourage you to fill in as much information as you possibly can here to make your listings as complete as possible, thereby assisting consumers in finding and purchasing the right product.
• On the “Inventory Loader” worksheet, remember that all columns highlighted in yellow are required so you will need to complete all information here.
• All columns highlighted in peach or orange are desired so please do your best to complete all information here too.
• The white fields are not required and are optional if you have the information.
• As you fill in information, some previously non-highlighted columns may become highlighted in red due to further relevant information required.
• These you would then need to also complete. Your Fields in the Template are as follows:
* Sku (required)
* product-id (desired) – this is the product’s current UPC, EAN, ISBN or ASIN, whichever you choose to use.
* product-id-type (desired) – you would need to accept the relevant number based on which product-ID you used in the previous cell, for example if you used the ASIN B07PH37CQL then you would need to select the number 1 from the Drop Down Menu as 1 is for ASIN.
* price (desired)
* minimum-seller-allowed-price (desired)
* mmaximum-seller-allowed-price (desired)
* item-condition (desired) – again, you would need to enter the relevant number as explained and defined in the “Data Definitions” worksheet.
* quantity (desired) – Not Required if the items are being listed as FBA
* add-delete (desired) – you would need to select the relevant letter based on the definitions of each as shown on the “Data Definitions” worksheet. For the purpose of this video, you would select “a” for “Update/Add”.
* will-ship-internationally (desired) – you would need to select the relevant number or letter from the Drop Down Menu as provided in the “Data Definitions” worksheet.
* expedited-shipping (desired)
* standard-plus (desired) – you would need to select the relevant letter based on the definitions of each as shown on the “Data Definitions” worksheet.
* item-note (desired)
* fulfillment-center-id – Select Default for FBM and Amazon_NA for FBA product-tax-code
* handling-time
* merchant_shipping_group_name
* batteries_required – Only in Case of FBA
* are_batteries_included – Only in Case of FBA
* battery_cell_composition – Only in Case of FBA
* battery_type – Only in Case of FBA
* number_of_batteries – Only in Case of FBA
* battery_weight – Only in Case of FBA
* number_of_lithium_ion_cells – Only in Case of FBA number_of_lithium_metal_cells – Only in Case of FBA lithium_battery_packaging – Only in Case of FBA * lithium_battery_energy_content – Only in Case of FBA
* lithium_battery_weight – Only in Case of FBA supplier_declared_dg_hz_regulation1-supplier_declared_dg_hz_regulation5
* hazmat_united_nations_regulatory_id
* safety_data_sheet_url
* item_weight
* item_volume
* flash_point
* ghs_classification_class1-ghs_classification_class3
* item_weight_unit_of_measure
* item_volume_unit_of_measure
* lithium_battery_energy_content_unit_of_measure
* lithium_battery_weight_unit_of_measure
* battery_weight_unit_of_measure
* california_proposition_65_compliance_type
* california_proposition_65_chemical_names1
* california_proposition_65_chemical_names2
* california_proposition_65_chemical_names3
* california_proposition_65_chemical_names4
* california_proposition_65_chemical_names5
• Once you have completed all the relevant fields that you can, save your file in .txt format as it cannot be uploaded in .csv or excel formats, and return to the page from where you downloaded it originally, that is, the “Add Products Via Upload” page located in the Drop Down Menu of the “Inventory” tab on Seller Central.
• Select the “Check and Upload your Inventory File” tab along the top of the page.
• To check your file first, select your File Type from the Drop Down Menu provided, Choose your File by clicking on the grey “Choose File” button and you can enter an email address should you wish to be notified once your file has been uploaded.
• Click the yellow “Check File” button thereafter.
• Click on the “Monitor Upload Status” tab at the top of the page once you have uploaded your Template for checking.
• If your “Upload Status” says “Records that require further action from you are saved as drafts” then you need to fix certain fields in your Template.
• Under the “Actions” Column, click on the “Complete Drafts”.
• The next page will show a table of items that you need to fix, which you can then choose to do manually line by line per product by clicking on the relevant links in the “Action” column.
• You can also choose to bulk select if your fixes are the same for multiple SKUs.
• Once you have made all the necessary amendments, click the yellow “Save All” button at the top right of the table.
• Once you have fixed the relevant errors, you can download the processing report by clicking the “Download Your Processing Report” link on the “Monitor Upload Status” Tab on the “Add Products via Upload” page.
• Open this page and then use the fixed errors from this file to insert into your “Inventory Loader” Template.
• Save this Template again and return to the “Add Products Via Upload” page located in the Drop Down Menu of the “Inventory” tab on Seller Central.
• Select the “Check and Upload your Inventory File” tab along the top of the page.
• Under the “Step 2 – Upload File” header, select your File Type from the Drop Down Menu provided, Choose your File by clickin
g on the grey “Choose File” button and you can enter an email address should you wish to be notified once your file has been uploaded.
• Select the Processing Report and note that Excel is preferred.
• Click the yellow “Upload” button and your products will be uploaded to your catalog.
• You can choose to skip the “Check File” in Step 1 and go straight to uploading your “Inventory Loader” flat file as this step will still show you on the “Monitor Upload Status” whether there are any errors in your file upload.
When to Use the Listing Loader Template to add existing Amazon ASINs to your Catalog
• You can make use of the Listing Loader Template when there are multiple ASINs for a single UPC or EAN.
• In some instances, when you click on the “Add a Product” link from the “Inventory” Drop Down Menu on the top menu of Seller Central, you will type in the UPC or EAN in the text box on the following page and more than one ASIN will show up for the same UPC or EAN.
• In this case, you would look at all ASIN product pages and select the ASIN that has the best content, best rankings and best reviews.
• Once you know which ASIN you would like to use for your Product Listing, you can then return to the “Add a Product” option from the Drop Down Menu of the “Inventory” tab on the top menu of Seller Central.
• On the next page, click on the link that says “Download an Inventory File” and scroll down to the “Inventory Files” header at the bottom of the next page.
• Click on the “Listing Loader” link to the far right of the “Product Matching only” File Type.
• On the Pop Up Window, click the “Listing Loader Template” link to download it.
• Upon opening the Listing Loader Template, remember to go through the Instructions and Data Definition Tabs as before.
• What is important now is to insert the ASIN you wish to use for your Product Listing in the “ASIN Hint” field.
• While your Inventory Loader does allow you to select the ASIN as the Product ID in the Product ID Field, for brand registry to work, the Product ID should ideally be the UPC or EAN and not the ASIN.
• The Listing Loader allows you to map the ASIN of your choosing to your Product ID UPC or EAN, allowing the Brand Registry to work as well.
• If you choose to use the Listing Loader instead of the Inventory Loader for a product UPC or EAN that has only a single ASIN on Amazon then do not put the ASIN in the “ASIN Hint” field.
• The Listing Loader also has a few additional fields that the Inventory Loader Template does not, namely:
* Title;
* Sale-price;
* Sale-start-date;
* Sale-end-date;
* Leadtime-to-ship;
* Launch-date;
* Is-giftwrap-available;
* Is-gift-message-available; and
* Up to 6 Image links.
• Once you have completed all that you need to in this file, save it and upload it to Seller Central by going to the “Add Products via Upload” option from the Drop Down Menu of the “Inventory” tab on the top menu of Seller Central.
• On the next page, click on the “Check and Upload Your Inventory File” at the top of the page, scroll down to Step 2 and upload your file as before.
How to add products NOT sold on Amazon Manually to your Catalog
• If you know that the product or products you wish to list in your Catalog on Amazon are not currently being sold on Amazon, then you can choose to add them manually on your Seller Central Catalog as follows.
• Select “Add a Product” from the Drop Down Menu of the “Inventory” tab on the top menu of Seller Central.
• On the next page, click the “Create a new Product Listing” link to the right of the “If it is not in Amazon’s Catalog” explanation.
• Here you can either choose to type in the type of product you wish to sell for the relevant categories to appear for you to choose your template from, or, preferably, you can select the categories from the list given below and click the “Select” button once you have selected your categories.
• On the next page, you will be able to start entering all relevant information for your product, noting again that all cells highlighted in red and with a red asterisk alongside are required information and, if you do not fill them in, you will not be able to create your listing.
• Again, we recommend clicking the “Advanced View” button to the right of the table so that you can be sure to enter as much information as you possibly can in as many of these fields as possible.
• You have the following tabs of information that you need to complete, starting on the left with:
* Vital Information, which is your SKU, Product Name, Brand Name, Manufacturer, et cetera;
* Variations tab where you can select your Variations Theme;
* Offer Tab where you put in your pricing, gifting and fulfilment options;
* Compliance tab where you need to enter any information regarding batteries and hazmat should your product fall into any of these categories;
* Images tab where you can upload your main, secondary images and Swatch Images;
* Description tab where you enter your product features, description and other pertinent information;
* Keywords tab where you enter as many types of keywords as possible; and
* More Details tab where you can enter any additional information and details.
* Once you have completed all the fields to the best of your ability, click on the yellow “Save and Finish” button at the bottom of the page.
How to add products NOT sold on Amazon via File Template to your Catalog
• If you have an entire catalog of products that are not being sold on Amazon that you wish to add to your Seller Central Catalog, then it is recommended that you do so via the File Template Upload.
• To do so, select the “Add Products via Upload” item from the “Inventory” Drop Down Menu on the top menu of Seller Central.
• As mentioned in a previous video, you can either choose to generate your own template by typing in the product type you wish to sell in the search bar and clicking the search icon; and then selecting which template below that you wish to use; or selecting your Product Classifier in the category listings below.
• You would then need to select which Mode as discussed previously, and we again recommend the “Advanced” mode option.
• Then click the yellow “Generate Template” button at the bottom.
• We again recommend that you select the relevant product classifier instead of the templates generated from your product search as these files tend to have a far more inclusive range of categories and classes for your products.
• Remember to also consult your Style Guides and any Approvals Required for the category-specific templates you wish to use before and during completing the relevant fields in the template.
• You can also choose to download your Category-Specific template by going to the “Inventory Files” header at the bottom of the page, clicking on the “Category-Specific Inventory Files” alongside the “Product Creation and Matching” File Type.
• In the Pop-Up Window, scroll down to “Choose a File Template”, click on “Templates for Specific Categories”, and select your “File Template” for the relevant Category in order to download it.
• Upon opening this file, you will see the following Worksheet Tabs:
* Instructions;
* Images;
* Example;
* Data Definitions;
* Template; and
* Valid Values.
* As discussed before, you would need to familiarise yourself with the instructions and data definitions and refer to the example when filling out the template itself. We strongly recommend that you complete as many fields in this template as possible. Your Template is broken down into the following sections:
* Product Information;
* Images;
* Variations;
* Basic;
* Discovery;
* Product Enrichment;
* Dimensions;
* Fulfillment;
* Compliance; and
* Offer.
• Once you have completed as much information as possible, save your file and then go back to the “Add Products via Upload” page, click on the “Check and Upload your Inventory File” and proceed to either upload your inventory file for a check first as explained in the previous video or skip straight to “Step 2” and upload your Inventory File.
• Note again that any errors that need to be fixed will be mentioned in the “Monitor Upload Status” Page so that you will know which fields to amend.
Browse Tree for your File Template
• In the Category-Specific Template from the previous video, one of the earlier columns in any of these templates refers to the “Item Type Keyword”.
• In our example, it is Column E.
• When clicking on the cell beneath this that says “item_type” you will see a note pop up that says “Please use the classifier tool or Browse Tree Guides (BTGs) to determine the most accurate category for your product.”
• These Guides can be found by going to the “Inventory Files” header at the bottom of the page, clicking on the “Category-Specific Inventory Files” alongside the “Product Creation and Matching” File Type.
• In the Pop-Up Window, scroll down to “Choose a File Template”, click on “Templates for Specific Categories”, and select the “Browse Tree Guide” alongside the relevant category of the template you have downloaded.
• Open up the file and take note of the worksheet named “Instructions” on how to use the Browse Tree Guide.
• On the second tab, the one named after the specific category you are using, it is important that you use the relevant text in the “Item Type Keyword” or “Query” field for US-based Templates; and the number in the “Node ID” field for UK and European-based Templates to insert into the “Item Type Keyword” column of your Category-Specific Inventory File Template you are populating.
• For example, on a US-Based Template, you would copy the “Query” or “Item Type Keyword” text reading “item_type_keyword:stationary-stand-up-baby-activity-centers” from the Browse Tree Guide file and paste it into the “Item Type Keyword” cell on your Category-Specific Template.
• If this was for Amazon UK or Europe, then you would copy and paste the Node ID 239225011 from the Browse Tree Guide file and paste it into the “Item Type Keyword” cell on your Category-Specific Template.
• It is important to use these Browse Nodes in your template as they will ensure you have entered your product in the correct category for easier searching by your customers.