check out this little spin of weirdness. I’ve never received a direct email (save from SAS manager) outside of the case log. I got an email from “Amazon Seller Support”, but it wasn’t attached to the case.
Subject: Wrong Information on Product Page - Request to Change product details for ASIN: B07VN9WPNH
Hello from Amazon Selling Partner Support,
We understand you suggested a category browse node change to the ASIN: B07VN9WPNH. We’ve reviewed your request and submitted your proposed category change for our expert’s review.
Proposed browse path for ASIN B07VN9WPNH:
Pet Supplies/Dogs/Grooming/Shower & Bath Supplies/Other
You will receive the outcome via email, and it can take up to 48 hours to process the request.
This was direct, with no case update at all, and the subject was different from any case name.
I haven’t used the change browse node tool in a long time but I feel like we got an email just like this when we did it that was not associated with any case.
It is not. Go to your main dashboard. Search Change Browse Node and this will pop up. If it gets bot rejected you’re allowed to appeal on the spot to a real person for review. At least that’s how it used to work. As I said, I haven’t done this in more than a year.
I’m not using anything just yet, since I have SAS and a ticket up on it doing review.
But how sad is that I’m not remotely confident that Amazon will decide that my “Wooflinen Microfiber Pet Bath Towel” doesn’t belong in Pet Bath Towels, but in Dog Beds.
I’m putting odds that they are going to come back and say Dog Beds was definitely the right placement, killing all sales.
I’m using Helium 10 for this stat, the page was Sales rank 8300 to 5300 depending on day from the end of 2019 to what seems to be the category date change, now we are between 44,000 and 83,000 depending on the day. That alone makes a statement on correct category.
After waiting the 48 hours, I got an SAS Response on the Case Log explaining they are confused on what I want done and ask that I create a new case, asking again.
Here was my initial case, maybe I was too wordy:
I’m needing to push an update on a listing that was
changed/updated by the Amazon bot, placing the ASIN in
the incorrect category (browse node).
As you can see attached, the ASIN B07VN9WPNH was placed in the Item Type
“pet-beds”, when it should be in “pet-shower-and-bath-supplies”. Our
category listings report from Jan 2022 shows the correct item_type:
pet-shower-and-bath-supplies.
The category listings report I downloaded today claims the ASIN is still
in the “pet-shower-and-bath-supplies” item type, but the Edit function
says it is in “pet-beds” and when you view the live listing it is listed
in “Dog Beds”.
Neither is correct. Sales on this listing are down by about 96% due to
the change. Brand Register, 13222128801, claims the browse path I am
trying to update “doesn’t exist” or is “inaccurate”, where they suggest
I stay in Dog Beds, though the listing is clearly meant for
“pet-shower-and-bath-supplies”.
This is where all other dog towel listings are located on Amazon. How do
I change my category to here? Below is what I see in the Edit Listing
and then what the other dog towel listings show that they are
categorized under:
{there was a screenshot here}
I’m trying to get ASIN back under browser node id 2975375011 for Dog
Shower & Bath Supplies. We are trying to run PPC campaigns for this
listing and can’t when it is categorized in the wrong category.
Cheers!
If anyone has a suggestion on concise request, i’m all ears.
Category Listing Report? It does, and it weirdly shows the correct Browser Node. But this is the Browser Node that is saved, but not Live. It’s odd. Screenshots… First, we can see that my original Category still shows, but the one it got changed to is live…
And I just downloaded the category listing report and see the ASIN…
Actually, wow, If I request a CLR for “Pet Supplies” the listing doesn’t even show up. It’s not even making it into this category, though wrongly classified as “Dog Bed”. What the heck?
If I do a CLR for ALL, I get it on the listing shown:
And it shows as “product type”: “towel” and “pet-shower-and-bath-supplies” for Item Type.
It’s like it’s broken two ways.
It’s in the wrong Browse Node and somehow, even being in the Pet Supplies category still, it does not show up when requesting the Pet Supplies category.
Yup. You’re pretending that the people that are reading this are experts in your category and Amazon’s systems.
You’ve got to get to the point:
What happened
What needs to be changed
That’s it. The less words the better. Nobody reading your case cares about you or your business, they just want to keep their metrics up so they aren’t termed.
When you present something they can sort of understand, they will move it to the next step - to someone that does know how Amazon’s systems work and can make the change.
I’ve found screenshots work exceptionally well with issues like this. A picture is worth a thousand words and when it’s a picture of something on Amazon, it can help solve your problem.
I got antsy, Starting with a PartialUpdate flat file just to change both “feed_product_type” and “item_type”
Thinking maybe the mismatch between these two is why SS is thinking the item_type “doesn’t exist”, as the entire setup is F’d. Does PartialUpdate have the means to update the feed_product_type, or is that too fixed of an attribute? (I have a full update file at the ready)
We have had the same issue … it showed itself on the Manage Inventory edit pages for the products as Error 8541 on the Category (item-type) attribute field. It wouldn’t allow us to update.
After reading your case input, we decided to revisit our items and found that all no longer have this Error 8541 associated with the Category (item-type) which surprised us. We had tried doing a partial update (back on 5/13/2023) with the category specific template file a few weeks ago to see if we could push the change through and back to what it should be. At the time, the file failed for all but one item (ya … go figure). So when we saw no error today we were very surprised as we had set this project aside for a later date. We are going to see if our updates will now process and will provide feedback after we accomplish it.
We think all of this is do to some bot or bots working on the listings and node trees. There have been changes to the keyword area (some attribute fields are being eliminated). We have also noticed that the same attribute (specifically the Category [item-type]) appears on different tabs (either Vital Info or More Details) for like items on the Manage Inventory edit pages.
We will circle back with the results and, if successful, the actions we took.
I harbor no doubt that your assessment is correct; that’s the reason why, since 2020, I’ve made so many posts of what I call ‘the loggerheads reply’ - most recently, right here in the SAS/BSFE on 30Jun23:
Any troubleshooter/diagnostician/Systems & Solutions Engineer worth their salt would agree that in order to fix a problem, a firm grasp of the malfunctioning system’s Theory Of Operation IS the first prerequisite - but when a TOO is founded upon ever-shifting sands, as is the Amazon Global Catalog’s Browse Tree Node infrastructure, chaos inevitably & ineluctably ensues.
If it doesn’t - and Lord knows the ART can be rather immovable when the templated reply “We’ve reviewed your suggestion and are unable to accept the proposed category change for your listing. This product was assigned to the current category based on the detail page and how Amazon customers find products through search and browse.” is employed, no matter how nonsensical that might actually be for a given situation - then it may be time to call in the aid of the real ‘big gun’ in this arena, our friend @oneida_books.
will pop up. If it gets bot rejected you’re allowed to appeal on the spot to a real person for review. At least that’s how it used to work. As I said, I haven’t done this in more than a year.
