Amazon Splitting Hairs?

Selling on Amazon Listings and Variations
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Before I start, yes… this is about Bamboo again.

So, surprisingly, Amazon sent me a XML file explaining some attributes that I need to change to ensure my listings don’t get removed. One such attribute is “Material” and “Fabric”, which has been the cause of my listings seeing removal back in the day. This leads to two headscrathers…

What my “material” says: “Viscose Derived from Bamboo”

What they say I need it to say or risk removal for tricking customers: “Viscose derived from bamboo”

Splitting hairs? I’m always terrified of running these listings through an “edit” because they usually get removed or restricted shortly after (I’ve stopped doing sale price, just Prime Price, to avoid the edit).

… which leads to the second issue

To play it safe, I was told by SAS that I should have “fabric” be “100% Viscose”, nothing more. But now the spreadsheet says I need it to be “100% Viscose derived from bamboo”

Okay, some new characters. The catch? all 12 of my listings have my “fabric” attribute locked from editing. I asked if it can be updated, and they recommended deleting the listings and re-adding them.

Normally that makes sense, but, if you refer to this thread:

I tried this on two other listings and, when re-adding, I was surprised by a new error saying listings removed cannot have the same SKU when re-added, so I don’t want that happening again.

So just leave everything as is for now? Seems like any edit would be crazy risky.

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I’m wondering why they’re so anal about this. I saw a featured post regarding “bamboo textile regulations” too. What is it about bamboo fibers that are so special that they need to be regulated different from every other plant (or animal) that’s used to make clothing?

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They probably made themselves a target at some point with an Amazon Basics line and set the bots up to maximum annoyance, in order to keep from getting sued by whatever brand/agency owns/runs linen descriptors.

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We have some clothing lines with bamboo fabric, and we were told that we have to have the material type as Rayon/Rayon Blend and list the fabric type as rayon made from bamboo.

We originally had ours labeled as viscose made from bamboo, and they didn’t like that and took some of them down. We were able to get some reinstated after changing it to rayon made from bamboo. For the others, we had to go as far as removing bamboo from the title and making sure that anywhere else on the product page where we mentioned bamboo, that it was the phrase “rayon made from bamboo” to get them back up.

The bamboo bot has been very picky, and it has been causing me headaches for the last month or so. We also sell another brand’s line of bamboo clothing, and they had everything else right on their listings except the description included the phrase “brand name’s signature bamboo blend” and that was enough for their listings to be pulled. They have brand control of their listings, so I didn’t have to deal with the headache of reinstating them, but I was in communication with the person at the brand who did. Their catalog is huge (she ran a catalog listings report, and it made 18 separate spreadsheet to contain them all), and it took her about two weeks to fix with the help of their SAS rep.

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We had “viscose from bamboo” and that got us removed. they said “viscose derived from bamboo” okay

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It’s because “bamboo” is a very eco friendly plant, but the process to create the yarn means breaking down this plant with lots of chemicals.

Back in the day, the chemicals would need to disposed of, which negates the ego-friendly that people thought they were buying.

So Tencel became a thing, which can make the fibers without the output.

But, then bamboo manufacturers just responded by creating “closed loop” process, where the chemicals used to break down the bamboo into what it takes for yarn is a mixture that can be recycled in a closed loop and re-used.

It’s hard to certify this process, so they instead just have all this verbiage instead, as if closed loop doesn’t exist.

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That makes sense. “Environmentally friendly” is a claim that’s rife with fraud…

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it’s a catch-22.

they claim to be overprotective for the consumer, but all of this regulation is paid for by products that are definitely not eco-friendly. other materials push for this hard line on regulation.

Case in point. We also do 100% compostable bags. Compostable is far better than biodegradable.

The plastic lobby is threatened by compostables replacing them, so the two states that make it as difficult as possible to replace plastic are also our supposed “greenest”: California and Washington.

Kamala Harris sued a bunch of eco-friendly plastic alternatives out of exist over confusion in certifications, all to ensure plastic was protected.

They have regulation that say we can’t say “compostable” in details, so have to say the actual certification “OK COMPOST HOME”. I have to digitally remove compostable from our images. We also can’t say biodegradable, even though we are far better, because they want biodegradable as a term saved for plastics that are still terrible for environment.

Just goes to show that most regulation is absolutely full of sh*t

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WelloffThirstyJohndory-size_restricted-103122(NailMeetHammer_ASV)

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When the standard of behavior shifted from do that which is right, to do whatever is legal, the nature of regulation evolved.

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Well said.

The shift of Western Society’s focus from morality to ethicality has many fathers - but nary a one of them sired an admirable child.

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We have a daughter and son living in CA. Here are a few things they have talked about …

California already bans thin plastic shopping bags at grocery stores and other shops, but shoppers at checkout can purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly makes them reusable and recyclable.Feb 8, 2024

Are bags still free in California?

The statewide single-use carryout bag ban requirements include: Stores must charge at least 10 cents per bag. The stores that sell bags keep the money and must use it to cover: Costs of providing the bags.

What is the plastic policy in California?

California moves forward with landmark plastic waste ...

In 2022 Governor Gavin Newson signed the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, more commonly known as SB 54, which mandates that all single-use packaging and plastic food service ware like cutlery, takeout containers, plates and cups in California be recyclable or compostable by 2032, …Jan 30, 2024

When we worked in / managed grocery stores in CA back in the 70s and 80s, the big deal was saving the trees and not using paper. Back then, if you wanted paper you had to ask and eventually pay for them.

It’s not just a plastic industry thing … it’s an oil industry thing also.

Our daughter in OH is learning the in’s and out’s of paper bags as plastic is no longer allow in OH.

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Everyone, please do your best to keep this thread on topic with the core purpose of this forum, as it regards to navigating issues with Amazon/Etsy/eBay policy and away from discussions of morality, opinions of other readers communities, or regulations you may or may not agree with.

Staff have been working hard booting spammers, and making edits/organizing, and trying to keep this place welcoming to newcomers, so please, please, please do not add to that workload, by “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” weaving ideology into a conversation about BAMBOO SHEET DESCRIPTORS. LOL

I am guilty of doing so too, so I know exactly how appealing and easy it is. But for the sake of the platform please refrain.

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