Help with File Exchange updating UPC codes - Error 37

[fast_n_cheap]

For all of our listings (used auto parts) we use Brand and MPN, do not have UPCs. I'm trying to add "Does not apply" to the UPC field with file exchange.

After downloading the spreadsheet from eBay I add "Does not apply" without the quote to the UPC field to all 2600 listings then upload it back. After checking the status report most of the listing had the following error (however a handful of listings took the UPC):

Error Code 37: "Error - Input data for tag <BrandMPN> is invalid or missing. Please check API documentation.|BrandMPN|"

The Brand and MPN is already filled out on most of our listings (which showed up in the sheet) and I did not change anything in those columns.

Any help would be appreciated, trying to avoid doing this by hand. Thanks

[dollybeauty]

@fast_n_cheap 

With all due respect, all auto parts have a UPC. Now this may be the OEM UPC, and this can be difficult to find, but all auto parts, for vehicles after (?) year, have a UPC.

I do not list items, in the parts categories, but I am well versed in FileExchange.

The FileExchange Instructions are old. eBay has made some changes, but has not documented the changes to FileExchange. One such change...On all templates, add the column 'Product:UPC'. For foreign vehicle, this may be 'Product:EAN'. Place the UPC and/or the EAN in this column. Also use the item specifics column 'C:UPC' or 'C:EAN'. In all of these columns you can use 'Does not apply' (capitalization and exact spelling apply).

The real info you must supply are the item specifics, 'C:Brand' and 'C:MPN'! These are the minimum fields for Google search (this is why eBay insists on these fields). 'Does not apply' should work for the MPN field, but you may not get the Google search rankings that other sellers get.

FileExchange will list a lot of items quickly...but you may get little sales, unless you do the homework. Other sellers who do the homework, will outsell you. Find the Brand/MPN and the UPC for your items.

As to your post...it is not Brand or MPN, that eBay is looking for. It is C:Brand and C:MPN.

[dollybeauty]

@fast_n_cheap 

one other thing...If you change one item specific (C:), you must relist them all. You can not just change one, or the rest go away.

This may also apply to vehicle compatibility.

Note..The smiley above is the colon, followed by a close parentheses.

[shipscript]

Brand (Product:Brand) and MPN (Product:MPN) are a matched pair that must be included together. The manual describes them as having a "field dependency", meaning that if one is used, the other is required. Do you have any listings where one is included and the other is not?

Is it possible eBay knows that some items, where you tried to use "Does not apply", actually should have a UPC (Product:UPC) ?  Some categories require it, although I have helped a seller successfully list private label vehicle parts that have no UPC, so he was able to use "Does not apply". In his case, my guess is that the brand and part number were not already in eBay's catalog.  I realize that parts taken from dismantled vehicles may not work well for hunting down UPCs, but new-old-stock should have the numbers.

For instance, I looked at these two listings and the UPC is plainly visible on the packaging shown in the photos, so I might expect eBay to complain about the missing UPC or complain that the Part number and Brand don't match the "Does not apply" UPC, since they probably have those items  in their catalog database.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/163550671048 brake pads

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153384937628 drive belt

Do you have an example of the columns in question on your upload file, as well as the error messages for specific items in your error reporting file, that are matched with existing listings that will allow us to guess the problem?