Missing UPC field in Upload Template

[reed-sales]

Long time programic file exchange user here.  Very upset when file exchange went away, but finally decided to rework my spreadsheet macros to enable bulk listing again, albeit a little slower than before...

Very odd first attempt.  I downloaded a template from reports and there is no field for UPC listed.  I had always thought that was a required item specific for all of the categories that I have listed in. (sporting goods, cycling related)

I have the UPC codes, so I will just add the column with C:UPC

It seems like UPC would be a valuable item specific to include.   

Thoughts of why UPC is not required or even recommended?

Template for bicycle bearings cat #177803

Info

Version=1.0.0

Template=fx_category_template_EBAY_US

*Action(SiteID=US|Country=US|Currency=USD|Version=1193|CC=UTF-8)

CustomLabel

*Category

StoreCategory

*Title

Subtitle

Relationship

RelationshipDetails

*ConditionID

*C:Brand

*C:Part Type

*C:Material

*C:Compatible Bike Type

*C:For Component

*C:Number of Items

*C:Bearing Type

*C:Set Includes

*C:Item Diameter

*C:Color

*C:Item Width

*C:Item Height

*C:Item Length

*C:MPN

*C:Item Weight

C:Compatible Brand

C:Country/Region of Manufacture

C:Model

C:Custom Bundle

C:Bundle Description

C:California Prop 65 Warning

C:Compatible Model

C:Manufacturer Warranty

PicURL

GalleryType

*Description

*Format

*Duration

*StartPrice

BuyItNowPrice

*Quantity

PayPalAccepted

PayPalEmailAddress

ImmediatePayRequired

PaymentInstructions

*Location

ShippingType

ShippingService-1:Option

ShippingService-1:Cost

ShippingService-2:Option

ShippingService-2:Cost

*DispatchTimeMax

PromotionalShippingDiscount

ShippingDiscountProfileID

*ReturnsAcceptedOption

ReturnsWithinOption

RefundOption

ShippingCostPaidByOption

AdditionalDetails

TakeBackPolicyID

ProductCompliancePolicyID

Info

>>> Get more details on how to complete listings and discover how to customise your listings with advanced features: https://ir.ebaystatic.com/cr/v/c1/rsc/feeds/v1/guide-inventory-onboarding.pdf

Info

>>> For categoryId:  177803

[shipscript]

@reed-sales 

Some fields that we see in the item specifics area of the listing are actually product identifiers. They are used to pull items from eBay's catalog.

The pair:

Product:Brand

Product:MPN

or

Product:EPID, ISBN, EAN, or UPC

When a UPC is entered into the empty item specifics area of the listing form, eBay will search their catalog for a match and will prefill some item specifics with that data. The UPC in that setting is actually Product:UPC rather than C:UPC.

If you have the File Exchange manual, note that you can enter the Product identifiers and then request the prefilled data, rather than entering individual item specifics. I don't know if the catalog specifics are on par with eBay's often-used specifics, since only a few specifics were populated when I entered a UPC; and when I revised the listing, a whole slew of specifics were waiting to be selected.

I would assume that if you add the C:UPC column, just because you have that info on hand, it will be added as an item specific, rather than as a product identifier.

I'm really not sure what is going on with eBay's catalog. At first, there was a big push to use the catalog, but that has fallen off in recent years and Item Specifics have become more important.  Perhaps  tools_apps_team@ebay  can tell us what is going on with UPC and how to use it in the spreadsheet uploader as an Item Specific.

[reed-sales]

---

@shipscript wrote:

@reed-sales 

Some fields that we see in the item specifics area of the listing are actually product identifiers. They are used to pull items from eBay's catalog.

The pair:

Product:Brand

Product:MPN

or

Product:EPID, ISBN, EAN, or UPC

When a UPC is entered into the empty item specifics area of the listing form, eBay will search their catalog for a match and will prefill some item specifics with that data. The UPC in that setting is actually Product:UPC rather than C:UPC.

If you have the File Exchange manual, note that you can enter the Product identifiers and then request the prefilled data, rather than entering individual item specifics. I don't know if the catalog specifics are on par with eBay's often-used specifics, since only a few specifics were populated when I entered a UPC; and when I revised the listing, a whole slew of specifics were waiting to be selected.

I would assume that if you add the C:UPC column, just because you have that info on hand, it will be added as an item specific, rather than as a product identifier.

I'm really not sure what is going on with eBay's catalog. At first, there was a big push to use the catalog, but that has fallen off in recent years and Item Specifics have become more important.  Perhaps  tools_apps_team@ebay  can tell us what is going on with UPC and how to use it in the spreadsheet uploader as an Item Specific.

---

Thanks !

Here is my test upload: https://www.ebay.com/itm/204225461000  

(still an issue or two on my portage from  my old spreadsheet from years ago to the current template structure, but should be easy enough to re-map a couple of lines)

I used C:UPC on my upload this morning and it shows up on the top of the Item Specifics.   I will try later to see if Product:UPC works in place of C:UPC

I am well aware of the big push to use the product catalog and thankfully that never made it to the categories I list in. 

Back in the day, I had major issues with the Product:MPN number and was told then to only use the C: for MPN or UPC when using file exchange or to use both Product:UPC and C:UPC, but not to use Product:MPN ever, as that was what was causing my errors then.

[shipscript]

To help in your migration, most of the File Exchange (CamelCase) headers are still valid in Seller Hub uploads. Seller Hub has a few heading changes, and the concatenated headings are now separated words. But most FE headings will still work. 

[reed-sales]

Looking out my back door at The Bike Store

Out my back door at The Bike Store 5 minutes ago...

Your image looks like it was taken from the lavender fields north of Weed.

[shipscript]

Glorious! You have the Sleeping Beauty view - the brilliantly white sunny side that is totally awesome with a full snowpack.  Yes, that north slope is somewhere near Weed or 97, about 50 years ago, during one of those fantastic blazing sunsets.

[tools_apps_team@ebay]

---

@shipscript wrote:

@reed-sales 

Some fields that we see in the item specifics area of the listing are actually product identifiers. They are used to pull items from eBay's catalog.

The pair:

Product:Brand

Product:MPN

or

Product:EPID, ISBN, EAN, or UPC

When a UPC is entered into the empty item specifics area of the listing form, eBay will search their catalog for a match and will prefill some item specifics with that data. The UPC in that setting is actually Product:UPC rather than C:UPC.

If you have the File Exchange manual, note that you can enter the Product identifiers and then request the prefilled data, rather than entering individual item specifics. I don't know if the catalog specifics are on par with eBay's often-used specifics, since only a few specifics were populated when I entered a UPC; and when I revised the listing, a whole slew of specifics were waiting to be selected.

I would assume that if you add the C:UPC column, just because you have that info on hand, it will be added as an item specific, rather than as a product identifier.

I'm really not sure what is going on with eBay's catalog. At first, there was a big push to use the catalog, but that has fallen off in recent years and Item Specifics have become more important.  Perhaps  tools_apps_team@ebay  can tell us what is going on with UPC and how to use it in the spreadsheet uploader as an Item Specific.

---

Hi @reed-sales and @shipscript ,

I would concur with what @shipscript said. The column header for the eBay designated field for UPC would be Product:UPC or P:UPC. To have the UPC entered in the eBay designated field, you would have to use one of those column headers.

C:UPC would be your own custom Item Specific. Entering the UPC there would not add it to the eBay designated field. Having the UPC in the eBay designated field may help buyers find your item when searching.

If you enter the UPC in Product:UPC or P:UPC and the product is in our catalog, then the product details from our catalog would be automatically used. The product details from our catalog generally would include certain Item Specifics. If you entered your own values for those Item Specifics, those from the catalog would override your own.